In any game of football, players will have a varying degree of impact. Some will shine, some will play bit-parts, depending on how the match unfolds. Grand finals are no exception.

And Mark Seaby’s premiership story is  not told purely through grand final statistics. Every player on the West Coast Eagles list played a role in the premiership triumph, but only 22 members of the squad were able to play.

Seaby did not rack big numbers in limited ground time, but his significance to the team structure should not be underestimated. Just as he had done throughout the  season,  he was able to provide No.1 ruckman Dean Cox with the support required for him to do his job. He also caused structural headaches for the opposition when he pushed forward.

In his fifth season of senior football, Seaby continued to develop and was integral to the success. It was without doubt reassuring for senior coach John Worsfold and his match committee to have Seaby available and so capable, should he be required, to carry to the bulk of the big man responsibilities.

“The first half of the year was a little bit disappointing personally, I didn’t quite achieve what I’d set out to achieve in terms of on-field performance,” Seaby assessed. “That  was  a bit of a downer.

“When Coxy went down with  injury  it  was my opportunity to step up and for about two months of footy I got to play as the number one ruckman. The second half of the year was a lot better and I proved to myself that I could play and have a real impact out there.”

When Cox broke a collarbone against the Western Bulldogs in round 13, Seaby prospered in his six-week absence. Ironically, he had been omitted for that match after playing all bar one game to that stage but was an obvious recall, particularly after relishing the ground time and workload playing for West Perth.

It was just what he needed. Upon his recall, he played an imposing role, similar to Cox, dominating hit-outs, winning some of the ball himself and contributing on the scoreboard.

Undoubtedly his best effort came in the loss to Collingwood at Telstra Dome in round 16; 15 possessions, 24  hit-outs  and  three goals to provide a shining light for the club on an otherwise dark day. He ran hard,  presented well and tackled. His  commitment  could  not be questioned.

A week earlier against Sydney he’d also performed admirably in tandem with Michael Gardiner with a season high of 31 hit-outs. But interestingly, when West Coast next met the Swans in the qualifying final, Seaby was left out of the side.

The decision was match-up based; West Coast’s brains trust probably considered they could make use of an extra defender, a decision which might also have been influenced by Sydney ruckman Darren Jolly being forced out with what appeared to be a compound finger dislocation in a training mishap on the eve of the game. Jolly played.

By that  stage  Cox had recaptured his dominance from early in the season and Seaby again contributed as required.

Importantly, Seaby had experienced the 2005 finals campaign, a key asset as West Coast plotted its course to another grand final. In some ways he was insurance policy.

“It did feel a bit different,” Seaby said, comparing his two grand final weeks. “I felt a bit more relaxed, I definitely wasn’t as nervous the day of the match or leading into it and sitting around the change-rooms and that sort of thing.

“I just felt a bit more ready, a bit more sure, I knew as I was running out onto the ground what to expect this time and was a bit more prepared for it rather than going out there and going ‘wow’.”

Starting and finishing the match on the bench, Seaby played just 35 minutes and saw the ball on only  a handful  of occasions.  Such is the nature of the role.

Frustrating? Maybe. Rewarding? Certainly. For the 22 year-old, the premiership wasn’t entirely based on the day’s performance, instead acknowledging where his career had come.

“Because we had the four players and all of the support staff there we all embraced so it was good when the final siren went that we were all together,” he said of the interchange bench.

“Chicky’s massive effort to create our last goal was something pretty special, a couple of guys taking great marks in the back-line to hold Sydney up in the last quarter. I just remember the pressure of the last five minutes, the pressure that both teams put on each other. Especially us, we were just ahead and hanging on to stop and hold the ball up so they didn’t score or get it down the other end.

“It would have been nice to have a little bit more time on the ground to actually play the game, but Coxy was flying so why take him off when he’s going so well?”

Cox, on the other hand, paid tribute to his understudy.

“I suppose you go into games not knowing how much of a role you’re going to play,” he said. “I played probably a little bit more but the support that Mark has given  me  throughout the year, personally I think we’ve formed a very good relationship and one that I’m looking to develop over the next few years.”

They promise an exciting time for the team as a whole and for Seaby, especially now he’s tasted premiership success.

“Now we’ve won one, we want two or three,” he enthused. “That’s what we’re going for next year. For  me,  I’m  looking  forward  to  having a solid pre-season, I’ll be actually able to start pre-season fresh and ready to go so I’m looking forward to that, getting through  that and building up into next year and ready to go again.

“The support we have received has just been overwhelming and you can’t put words to describe the feeling when we  came  back  to the airport, back to Subi and then the parade through Perth was unbelievable.

“Being a premiership player is something I’m very proud of.”