Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the rise of West Coast this season has been the development of so-called “second-tier” player.

One of those players is midfielder Chris Masten and he was again an important factor in the club’s 31-point win over Collingwood at Etihad Stadium.

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From the moment he was drafted, Masten was an elite runner.

The former WA 18s captain was a top-class athlete and his middle distance times were remarkable.

He brought that ability into the AFL and has improved every year on other elements of his game.

He has built his upper body strength, without compromising his major asset, and is constantly working on his ball use.

There has been a detectable rise in kicking skills, slicing his way into the attacking forward 50 with some precise distribution.

Was Masten our MVP on Saturday? Have your say

He has been a consistent performer through the midfield, combining with the likes of Matt Priddis, Andrew Gaff, Luke Shuey, Dom Sheed and Elliot Yeo and against the Pies racked up 29 possessions.

Again, a feature of his game, was his hard running defensively, pushing back into defence to provide a rebounding target and then linking up for the potent forward line.