Wes & Darcy on Training with West Coast’s NGA

Among the scores of young talent wearing maroon and gold in the Colts squad, two names in particular are making waves as top prospects of West Coast’s Next Generation Academy. Wes Walley and Darcy Montgomery; two of the Colts’ best who shone in last year’s Finals series, are both primed and ready to make 2025 a year none of us will forget soon.

“Personally, my first goal for 2025 is to play at my best,” Darcy said. “Get selected in the State Championship squad, force myself into the best 23. After that, hopefully I’ve done enough work to put my name up there to get selected in the draft.”

Wes, who played in the 2024 National AFL Futures match and went on to be selected for the 2025 AFL Academy squad, has bigger aspirations. “My goal this year is to get drafted, obviously, but also work on my weaknesses… and develop my Colts side into winning a flag.”

They both came tantalisingly close to fulfilling that desire last season, when the Colts stormed through the Finals series only to be halted a week before the Grand Final in a thrilling 13-point loss at Steel Blue Oval to Swan Districts. The boys didn’t go down easy; Darcy kicked 2 goals while Wes collected 10 disposals on the day.

West Coast’s Next Generation Academy, a joint initiative between the club and the AFL, exists to give under-represented populations in the sport a guiding hand with on-field training, skill development and off-field education. In the past, it has produced star players such as Neil Erasmus, who also played for Subiaco’s Colts side while training at West Coast’s NGA before being picked by the Fremantle Dockers in the 2021 Draft with Pick 10.

“The workload is fine,” Darcy explained. “There’s no crossover [between Colts and NGA].” “With the NGA training, it’s only a Wednesday session, so it doesn’t cross over at all with my training schedule,” Wes elaborated.

As for what else there is to look forward to in 2025? “I’ve had a sneaky look at the fixtures,” Darcy admitted. “I’ll be focusing on the week to week, but I am excited to play against Claremont, West Perth and Swan Districts. They were the best three teams last year and it’s always a great match when we play them.”Wes, on the other hand, has his eyes set on the Colts clash with Claremont on Friday night in Round 9. “Night games are my favourite,” he explained. “Hopefully, Claremont will be ready for it.