You’ll never ever know, if you never ever go.
Developing midfielder Connor West wasn’t exactly in the football wilderness, but the further a player progresses beyond his draft year, the more remote the prospect of an AFL career becomes.
But West, the son of former Eagle Robbie West, earned a spot on the West Coast Eagles list through the mid-season rookie draft and now his dream of playing at the elite level will become a reality.
The 22-year-old will make the trip to Adelaide with the senior squad and will make his debut against the Crows on Sunday.
He could hardly have been more impressive since arriving at the club with selection 23 in the mid-season draft, playing strongly for the WAFL Eagles and pressing his claims for a senior opportunity.
He has averaged around 28 possessions a game through his WAFL career and with more than 40 senior matches at the second tier behind him he has the credentials and the body of work that suggests he is ready for the next step.
Certainly the match committee feels the time is right.
His father was on the Eagles list from 1991 to 1993 and played 13 games, finding it tough to break into a star-studded midfield on a regular basis when the club was the powerhouse of the competition. Robbie West kept his name in the selection frame through his form at West Perth and won the 1993 Sandover Medal.
Connor represented WA at under-18s level and earlier this year was in the WA team that played South Australia, where he handled the rise in class with aplomb, gathering 20 touches.
He learned of his selection at a team meeting on Wednesday.
After the shock of the announcement, in front of teammates and coaching staff, West gave himself a little time to absorb the news.
“I wasn’t really expecting it. Just over the moon, a bit in shock but now that it’s sinking in a bit it’s starting to feel really good,” West divulged.
“Coming in (when drafted) it was just like stick to my guns, back myself in, get to know the boys. It was always going to be a goal of mine to play AFL and now that I have an opportunity I’m not going to let that slip.”
