Priddis style prevailed

Written by Mitchell Woodcock, The West Australian - Monday, 13 Apr 2020

Being overlooked in multiple drafts before proving all the recruiters wrong when the mature-aged player finally gets their big break in the AFL ... that’s the quintessential “fairytale” story of the late 2010s.

The likes of Tim Kelly and Marlion Pickett have become household names among the football world.

They probably have a curly-haired , inside midfielder from Subiaco to thank — a fellow who went from being overlooked and underrated to winning a Brownlow Medal.

West Coast’s Matt Priddis laid the blueprint for mature-age footballers across the country, but particularly in WA, to make it to the big time.

Passed by in three consecutive drafts, the Eagles gave 20-year-old Priddis a shot with a rookie spot at the end of 2005 after the midfielder impressed with a fairest and best at Subiaco and a Simpson Medal for his efforts for WA against Queensland.

Trying to break into a midfield featuring Chris Judd , Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr Chad Fletcher, Michael Braun and Andrew Embley was never going to be easy and the left-footer finished with two games in his first season as the Eagles won their third premiership.

But Priddis was always knocking at the door thanks to his WAFL performances, chalking up a truckload of possessions as well as playing in a second premiership for Subiaco and winning the Sandover Medal.

This was enough for the Eagles to promote Priddis from the rookie list and, thanks to the absence of suspended Ben Cousins and among the turmoil of a club embroiled in the related drug saga and eventual loss of Judd, Priddis established himself as a genuine star.

Averaging 24 disposals and four clearances in 24 games, Priddis slowly built his game in a side he would one day become the star of.

In his eighth game he received his first three Brownlow votes and this is when he began to prove the doubters wrong.

Like on the field, a quiet and humble Priddis would let his football do the talking and he would improve his game in a world where speed and structures began to matter more than just the fundamental skills.

And as the fantastic midfield of the mid-2000 s Eagles began to drop off, Priddis climbed the ranks and soon was the team’s main man.

Despite lacking the flair of Gary Ablett, aerial ability of Nat Fyfe or the star appeal of Dane Swan, Priddis quietly built a resume. His tackling, consistent performances and workmanlike efforts served the Eagles well.

Then in 2014 he shocked the AFL when he walked away with the game’s highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal, despite a week earlier not even being included in the All Australian team.

Polling 26 votes to finish one ahead of an ineligible Fyfe, Priddis became the third Eagle to claim the honour, the first to win it from a rookie list and second player — with Haydn Bunton Sr — to claim the Brownlow-Sandover double.

It was the ultimate salt-in-the-wounds moment for all those recruiters who had passed on Priddis because of the questions over his speed or kicking.

And it was a just reward for one of the competition’s hardest-working players, who learnt from his limitations, using his knack for finding the ball in any given situation and fierce tackling to catch the eyes of the umpires.

All of a sudden, Priddis was no longer flying under the radar and 12 months later he again found himself among the leaders of the Brownlow count, polling 28 votes to finish three behind Fyfe.

Some argue it was a better season than the previous, as Priddis played an instrumental part in taking the Eagles to a mid-table team to grand finalists as he finally earned that All Australian blazer.

What is not disputed is there are fewer better than Priddis over that two-year period, when he polled 54 Brownlow votes and averaged almost 29 disposals and seven tackles a game.

At 32, Priddis was still averaging more than 23 possessions a game but with the likes of Dom Sheed, Jack Redden, Mark Hutchings and Elliot Yeo developing, he could not be guaranteed selection anymore.

So at the end of 2017, just two years past the peak of his powers, he hung up the boots after 240 games.

Priddis watched as the Eagles went on to add a fourth premiership cup to their trophy cabinet, remarkably bookending his 12-year career which not many will match, but almost never happened.