Matthew Priddis will retire at the end of the 2017 AFL season, and is expected to be joined in doing so by teammate Sam Mitchell.
Priddis confirmed his decision to retire at a press conference on Friday, and while Mitchell’s decision has not been formally stated, it has been widely reported in the media.
Priddis joined the Eagles via the rookie list before making his AFL debut in 2006. To date he has played 234 career games and kicked 70 goals for the Eagles.
Known more for his hard work and physicality than athleticism, skill or speed, Priddis has been an elite inside midfielder for a lengthy time at AFL level.
“I have attributes where I’m confident, but to play for 12 years being the slowest bloke in the AFL – I’m pretty proud of that,” Priddis joked.
A total of 146 career Brownlow votes – the 30th most of all time and 7th most of any active player – speaks volumes about the respect afforded to him by the AFL community, and culminated in him being the surprise winner of the 2014 award.
Other career accolades include a best-and-fairest at the Eagles in 2013 and All-Australian selection in 2015. He was part of the Eagle’s 2015 losing grand final side.
He also played in two premierships with Subiaco in the WAFL, winning a best-and-fairest there in 2005, and the Sandover Medal in 2006.
Priddis also holds the record for the most recorded career tackles by any player, having surpassed Lenny Hayes’ tally earlier this year.
Mitchell, of course, has played only a handful of games with the Eagles following a long and illustrious career at Hawthorn.
He played 307 games at the Hawks from 2002 to 2016, and in that time won four AFL premierships and the 2012 Brownlow Medal. He was also a five-time winner of Hawthorn’s best-and-fairest award and a three-time All Australian.
Despite having to wait for his opportunity as an overager from the VFL taken in the third round of the draft, Mitchell has become one of the most iconic midfielders of his generation, worthy of being mentioned alongside the likes of Gary Ablett junior and Chris Judd.
His 220 career Brownlow votes is, alongside Ablett junior, the equal-most in VFL/AFL history of any player to play their entire career under the current voting system.
His move by trade to West Coast in October last year was one of the biggest surprises of the season. It is widely expected that he will transition into a coaching position of some kind with the Eagles.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
The decisions of Priddis and Mitchell to retire will surely have huge ramifications for the West Coast Eagles as a team, and may signal the beginning of a broader strategy to refresh and rebuild the list.
In particular, Priddis’ retirement comes as a surprising reversal given he signed a new contract to play on in 2018 with the club just last month.
No reason for this change of plans has been specifically expressed, but the Eagles have spoken about it as Priddis’ decision, suggesting it was a change of his mind that led to the move.
However, it would be interesting to know if he was nudged at all by those running the show at West Coast, who may have changed their list management in the past few weeks.
It certainly seems at least mildly suspicious that Priddis could have gone from being confident in his ability to play on to deciding to retire in such a short space of time of his own volition.
The Eagles have the oldest and most experienced list in the league this year, but their performance on field has failed to match that stature.
They are currently ninth on the ladder and have half a chance at best of playing finals at all this year, let alone contending for the premiership.
Priddis and Mitchell retiring will put a significant dent in their average age and experience, and the likely departure of Drew Petrie will contribute too.
They might not be the only players whose time at the Eagles is up, however.
Mark LeCras (30), Eric Mackenzie (29), Sharrod Wellingham (29) and Josh Hill (28) are all out of contract and have underperformed in 2017.
Chris Masten (28) has struggled to say in the side as well, but is contracted until the end of 2019.
Perhaps West Coast are on the cusp of making a bold – but likely ultimately wise – decision to cut loose some dead wood, focus on youth and build towards a new era, much as North Melbourne did around this time last year.
Time will tell.
For now though, all that should be said is kudos to two memorable midfielders, who both had to take the hard way to become AFL players, and got absolutely everything out of themselves when they did.
Scott
Guest
With the amount of retirements this year he's spot will be taken by a player only worthy of a rookie pick. Meaning the spot available will be the last player picked in the national draft. The new stadium next year will prob be worth a few spots on the ladder and you may as well have a crack while NicNat and Kennedy are there. With those 2 playing there is no way the eagles will bottom out enough to make anything of a rebuild. May as well give him another year and get a better pick for his spot in 2018, whilst still having a shot at a premiership.
Gecko
Guest
I'm amazed that Mattyb and Pete think they can discredit Cat's evidence without putting forward any evidence of their own. If only one side is putting forward evidence, who are we supposed to believe?
Don Freo
Guest
If you want to enter into debate about footy, enter into debate about footy...not semantics. Anyone can do that. You know you out of your depth when you have to go the "little boi" name calling stuff.
Cat
Roar Guru
Don Freo
Guest
Cat is hopeless with her numbers. Why give the average age of a squad? She knows players like Pearce, Dawson, Ibbotson, Griffin affect the average but she also knows they will not play any more and, therefore, their contribution to any stat is irrelevant. Look at the team playing Cat.
Cat
Roar Guru
West Coast 24 years, 330 days (ranked oldest list in AFL) Fremantle 24y, 207d (third oldest) Hawthorn 24y, 184d (fourth oldest) Not quite youngest of the three.
13th Man
Guest
No, he shouldn't stay on as a player. He's clogging up a spot for a young midfielder like Partington to get a run, he should go now and start his coaching career, will be more valuable for West Coast as a coach than as a player considering West Coast are about to enter a rebuilding stage.
13th Man
Guest
Of the three, Fremantle has debuted the most players this season and has the youngest list, yet your calling out Freo for signing on one injury prone vet in Sandi. I'd imagine Sandi will only be there next year to help in Darcy's development and won't play that much football. At the end of the season Freo will move on a whole raft of players once again including Dawson, Ibbotson, D Pearce, Suban and perhaps Johnson (still has played some good footy but its time). I would also like to see the back of Ballantyne and Sutcliffe. Anyway Anon, as this article quite frankly has nothing to do with Freo anyway I would just like to get back on topic and congratulate Priddis for a great career, underrated player outside Perth, won a sandover and a brownlow. Don't have much love for Mitchell but can respect the bloke, great career as well.
Mattyb
Guest
Gene,yes they are men,as posters are people. It's a sports opinion website which makes sportspeople the ball and posters the man. I can't believe I need to explain the simplicity of such things...sport is the ball,that includes sportsman and sportspeople. Commenting on RTB is playing the ball,people have strong views on such things. To counter the argument people need to direct their opinions to what's positive about him. Countering by simply saying the poster is a hater is playing the man. Posters are allowed counter views.
Mattyb
Guest
Sorry Gene I still can't agree,you do realise people use sites such as these to escape MSM? That's there strength. Would you care to explain why you have so much faith in copying and pasting from MSM with such regularity?
Mattyb
Guest
johno
Guest
Which midfielder stayed on too long at Freo?
johno
Guest
You refer Sandi as the injury prone vet. I note Gibson is still on the Hawks list, as is Birchall. Sandi has played more footy than those two. Anon is a tired broken record who has a personal axe to grind with Lyon. Freo turned over 11 players last year whole brining in quality replacements. The Hawks bottled it with Vickery and O'Meara and sold this year's picks to the Saints They've missed this year's finals and will most likely miss the next 4-5 or more as Burgoyne, Roughie, Cyril, Smith, Poppy, Gibson, Birchall, Frawley all depart with no decent picks to replace
Mattician6x6
Guest
TTF - anyways cheers to you, cat, anon etc for high jacking a blog article about 2 champions 1 of which has retired for your own special kind of b@lls@#t. Priddas is a champion of the game, winner of the highest accolade possible but ppl here are more intent on I''m the king of the castle nanananana pre pubescant behaviour, applause and well done.
I ate pies
Guest
Bout time. Matt Plodder was always a plodder. He only won the brownlow because the umps look at the stats after a game rather than who had the biggest impact on the game. Same mould as one-two Swan. At least Swan kick goals though.
Mattician6x6
Guest
He was saying it would've been great if a club icon like Sam Mitchell had finished his playing career a 1club player. Everyone who loves footy know of the agreement that Mitch would take up a assistant post at wce once his playing career was up so I'm sure PtS is aware
J.Roger
Guest
With the greatest respect to Priddis and how he conducted himself as a sportsman and team player and all that he gave to the WCE - I salute you Priddis, mission accomplished, career success and a job well done!........ But now I am so looking forward to a new midfield, it is exciting, even if it means a rebuild, we've FINALLY turned a corner from that era..the 'Worsfold rebuild culture' era. It's taken ten years of pretty much the same old-same old. Now lets get a new midfield and get some mongrel and pace and skill into it!! Simpson has already stated big changes coming over the next 6-12 months, with the youth coming through. Even if we flip-flop out of the eight and fall into a dysfunctional heap at seasons end, I'm ecstatic at what lies ahead. A CHANGE!!!! (and i'm ok with mitchell playing on for another year-sublime skills!) with him as an assistant coach, it looks good, the new Eagles could pull something out of the bag!). We dream on! ((;
Don Freo
Guest
Strange comnent. He has earned respect but you find it hard to respect him?
truetigerfan
Guest
Well what is Peter the Squib on about? His comments hold no validity whatsoever! He should stick to his 'Save Nathan' campaign.
Mattician6x6
Guest
TTF - yep that's correct, I think that was established the .moment the story broke.