Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault coach Derek Hall praises effort of star players Ty Anderson and Jarrod Humphries

Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault coach Derek Hall has heaped praise on stars Ty Anderson and Jarrod Humphries, saying unseen hard work is the driving force behind their brilliance. Anderson returned to the Lions over the summer after two years and 32 WAFL league games with Peel Thunder, and has made a blistering beginning to his campaign, using his speed and evasive skills to great effect and helping his team start the season with two big wins. Speaking after his side notched a 74-point victory over Collie on Saturday, Hall said he was proud of how the dynamic midfielder had fought his way through some close checking from a succession of Eagles opponents. “Once he got going, he’s just at a different level in this competition,” he said. “Everyone sees Ty’s flashiness and his brilliance but he brought a lot of tenacity today. “He was getting heavily tagged and he had to work through that, but to his credit he did, and came out the other end and was really strong for us.” Humphries has also had a standout start to the season, and is sitting on top of the league’s goal kicking charts, backing up his bag of nine against Harvey in round one with six against the Eagles to give him 15 for the year. Hall said he had been delighted with the performances from his full-forward, who played his 50th game for the club at the weekend. “At this level, he’s a top-end talent,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to have these guys on our team and not be playing against them. “We don’t expect that from them every week, but when they’re on, we’re hard to stop.” Hall is in his second go-round coaching the Lions, resigning from the job in 2018 to be able to spend more time watching his son Clay, who was drafted by West Coast last season. He said Clay, who has averaged 19 disposals and three tackles in his first four appearances for the Eagles at WAFL level, was “loving being in that environment”. “As a first-year draftee, there’s a lot of challenges,” he said. “He’s had a very good start to the year in the WAFL but he’ll just have to wait his turn. Not everyone’s Harley Reid.” The Lions will look to continue their unbeaten start to the season when they head to Dunsborough on Sunday, with the game starting at 3pm.