South West AFL Watch: How the South West’s AFL stars stacked up at the end of the 2022 home & away season

As the 2022 AFL season enters the finals, South Western Times journalist Carly Laden takes a look at how the South West’s AFL stars fared during the home and away season.

Jye Amiss (Fremantle)

Busselton’s Jye Amiss might have played only a single game during the home and away season, but the key forward has certainly made an impact.

Since being picked up at pick eight by Fremantle during last year’s AFL draft, excitement soon followed the 19-year-old ahead of his debut, which took place during Fremantle’s round eight 15.12 (102) to 3.6 (24) win over North Melbourne at Optus Stadium.

Amiss was quick to make his presence known and excite Fremantle fans, booting a goal with his first kick almost six minutes into the opening term, along with a second goal during the third quarter, nine disposals and five marks.

Despite his meteoric rise coming to a crashing halt after injuring his kidney during a WAFL match with Peel Thunder back in May, Amiss has since made his WAFL return three months later and could be a chance to feature in the finals.

Connor Blakely (Fremantle)

Despite having strong performances with Peel Thunder during the 2022 WAFL season, Bunbury’s Connor Blakely has been unable to break through for an AFL call-up.

Blakely did not feature in any of Fremantle’s matches during the home and away season in the midst of youngsters within the club rising through the ranks and veterans putting on strong performances.

Time will only tell if Blakely will have the opportunity to feature in the finals, particularly with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Brady Hough (West Coast Eagles)

Although the West Coast Eagles had an incredibly tough season this year, Harvey’s Brady Hough has made his presence known as the club looks to rebuild for 2023.

The 19-year-old, who was drafted to the Eagles at pick 31 last year, lived out his boyhood dream when he made his debut during their round one 16.11 (107) to 12.8 (80) loss to Gold Coast Suns and went on to feature in a total of 15 games for the season.

The former Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault Lion’s best performance came during round 11 against the Western Bulldogs, where he managed 23 disposals, 11 marks and a tackle.

After averaging 12.4 disposals, 4.9 marks and 0.9 tackles for the season, a multi-year contract extension on the horizon and being named West Coast’s emerging talent, it looks as though Hough will have a bright future ahead.

Ethan Hughes (Fremantle)

After spending almost a year on the sidelines, Ethan Hughes proved himself as a solid reinforcer within Fremantle’s backline this year.

The 27-year-old featured in six games during his eighth season at Fremantle, replacing rising star Heath Chapman who suffered a hamstring injury.

The former Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault Lion’s best performance came during round 16 against Port Adelaide, when he managed 24 disposals, two tackles and six clearances.

After averaging 15.5 disposals, 4.5 marks and 1.5 clearances for the season, Hughes is likely to provide plenty of back-up within the backline during the finals.

Marlion Pickett (Richmond)

With Richmond making their eighth finals appearance in 10 years, Manjimup’s Marlion Pickett has continued to prove himself as a strong midfielder for the club.

The 30-year-old featured in the most AFL games out of all of the players that have ties to the South West region so far, making appearances in 18 games during the home and away season.

Pickett had a number of great outings in the black and yellow throughout the season, including managing a career high 25 disposals against West Coast Eagles in round 22, and five clearances against Collingwood back in round eight, along with kicking eight goals throughout the season — the most he has managed in his career so far.

With a number of strong performances, including some career bests, Pickett is highly likely to be a big feature for the Tigers during the finals.

James Tunstill (Brisbane)

Despite making limited appearances in his first season of AFL, Busselton’s James Tunstill has proved himself as a promising investment for the future of the Brisbane Lions.

After being picked at number 41 during last year’s national draft, the 19-year-old made his debut in a baptism of fire during round 15 against Melbourne, before going on to feature in two further games for the season so far.

After finding his footing during his debut outing, the quiet achiever started coming into his own during his subsequent appearances, managing five marks and two tackles during his round 16 match against Western Bulldogs, along with 11 disposals and two clearances against Essention in round 17.

Having already signed on for another two years with Brisbane Lions, all things look promising for Tunstill to potentially make appearances during the finals and beyond.

Isiah Winder (West Coast Eagles)

Despite putting in a solid performance during the AFL’s Indigenous round, Bunbury’s Isiah Winder has ultimately been unable to make a huge impact in the midst of West Coast Eagles’ disastrous 2022 season.

The former Eaton Boomer made leaps and bounds from his debut and sole performance from last year, making appearances in six of the Eagles’ matches this year.

The 20-year-old put on a couple of career best performances, including a stand-out three-goal performance during the Eagles’ Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous round match against GWS back in round 10, along with managing a career-high 12 disposals during round 11 against Western Bulldogs.

Despite his limited appearances within the AFL, Winder has managed several strong performances within the WAFL with the Eagles.

With his contract expiring this year, the future remains uncertain for the medium forward.