Premiership hunger driving on 150-gamer WilsonSaturday, May 18, 2019 - 8:11 AM - by Chris Pike

HAVING been remarkably close to premiership glory in five of the past six seasons, South Fremantle defender Blayne Wilson is craving that ultimate success as he reaches 150 WAFL games this Saturday against Subiaco.

Wilson was always seen as an exciting talent when rising through the ranks at Peel Thunder from Halls Head. He ended up spending four years listed at West Coast and did play nine AFL games, but a combination of untimely injuries and not quite enough opportunities meant it didn’t quite work out.

But whether it was during 29 games in his formative years in the WAFL at Peel Thunder, in his 36 appearances including two Grand Finals at East Perth or now in 84 matches with South Fremantle, Wilson has always been an elite defender in the competition.

Wilson has been rewarded with state representation in recognition of being one of the best intercepting marking defenders in the WAFL who is equally adept at creating play going the other way to get his team going.

He has been remarkably consistent throughout all of his 149 games leading into his 150th WAFL appearance on Saturday against Subiaco at Leederville Oval, but what continues to drive him on is that hunger for a premiership that is proving tantalisingly elusive.

Remarkably over five of the past six WAFL seasons, Wilson has either played in the team that has lost a Grand Final or the preliminary final having been there at East Perth in 2013 and 2014, and now South Fremantle the past three years for the three straight preliminary final defeats.

That desire to continue to fight to become a WAFL premiership player is burning inside Wilson stronger than ever early in 2019.

"It hurts a fair bit I suppose and the hunger has never been stronger than it is at the moment," Wilson said. 

"Obviously having played in the two losing Grand Finals and now the last three losing preliminaries, it has been close enough but close enough is not good enough obviously. If we can get close enough this year I reckon it would be the cherry on the top if we can get there. 

"But at the moment we are focused on getting enough wins to get to finals and then when you get there it's a different ball game.

"Hopefully we can get there again this year and keep going further than the last three years. I've got the drive there to try and win a flag, that's been my goal ever since I came back to Souths because I thought we had a good enough list, and I still think we do."

Wilson's WAFL career began back at Peel in 2009 and he deserves to be proud of the journey to now get to the 150-game mark on Saturday with his journey one that he wouldn’t change a thing about with his time at the Thunder, Royals, Eagles and now Bulldogs.

"It's a good achievement on my behalf and it's something that I'm really proud of. Obviously it's been at three different WAFL clubs so it has been a bit of a journey, but it's been enjoyable the whole way through," Wilson said. 

"I'm pretty proud to now reach 150 no matter where I've played. Getting to 150 senior games anywhere is something that I think is a pretty good achievement and I'm quite happy to get there, and hopefully I have a few more left in me and I can at least get to the 100-game mark at South.

"My time at all three of those clubs I loved and enjoyed, and looking back now I wouldn’t have it any other way. I've had different coaches at each one and I've learnt a little bit off each of them. 

"It has been a good journey in terms of my football and hopefully I can keep going at least a couple more years at South to get to the 100 games for the club and get my name on the locker."

After the 29 games at Peel and 36 with East Perth, Wilson's legacy will now be with South Fremantle with him about to play his 85th game for the Bulldogs on Saturday against the Lions.

While that first goal for South Fremantle might remain elusive just as the premiership is, it does now feel like where he is at home and he will feel that's even more the case when all going well, in early 2020 he plays his 100th game for the club to get his name on the locker.

"Getting delisted from West Coast and leaving East Perth at that time was tough because I wanted to stay there because I had built such good relationships with the people around the footy club," Wilson said.

"I wasn’t able to stay there and I decided to come to South where I had that bit of a family connection and some mates down there at the time, and it definitely feels like home for me now. I couldn’t have asked for anything different in terms of going to another club. 

"I'm really happy with where I went and where I am now, and I couldn’t have it any other way. It's definitely where I call home now and hopefully I can get my name on the locker and be cemented there for the rest of my life."

Wilson has been a remarkably consistent performer for South Fremantle since joining the Bulldogs in 2015 after losing his place on the West Coast AFL list. But he is enjoying his football as much as ever in 2019 so far and his form is backing it up.

Wilson has been tremendous to date at centre half-back for South Fremantle in 2019 averaging 19.2 possessions a game and it's the increased leadership responsibility, and the energy provided by the youth grabbing their opportunities that he feels is behind that.

"I feel like I'm back to playing the most consistent footy that I have for the last three or four years so I'm pretty happy with how this season has started," he said.

"The last few years has been a little challenging with work because I've had to travel an hour and-a-half work to get to work and back every day, and then to training. That took its toll a bit but this year I'm working in Perth and it's been a lot easier on me, and I'm probably enjoying my footy even more this year. 

"We've got a bit of a different group and there's a younger vibe at the club which you notice even at training and we're enjoying things during games. It's good fun and we have got better each week we've played with young fellas like Dragovich, Pearson, Noah Strom and Brandon Donaldson are really taking the next step. 

"It's been good fun for us fellas who are a bit older now. I don’t really feel like an older fella but with the blokes that left last year, I've had to step up a little bit and it's been good. It's been one of my most enjoyable years so far playing WAFL footy."

Wilson is also thriving on the chemistry developed in the defensive unit at South Fremantle, enjoying playing alongside the likes of Noah Strom, Chad Pearson, Jason Maskos, Zac Dent and Nick Suban.

"I feel like our back half especially is really settled at the moment. We've got a couple of experienced fellas and then a couple of younger fellas who have taken the next step which is really good," Wilson said.

"We try to pride ourselves on being our own little team within the team environment so we help out each other the best we can. Everyone does their job pretty much to the tee and plays their role, and we all get along well down there. 

"That makes things so much easier when we aren’t focusing on ourselves, we are worried about getting things done as a collective which is really good and it's been a focus on us especially this year now that we are more settled as a group."

While Subiaco hasn’t lost a WAFL game since the 2017 Grand Final, Wilson is hopeful and confident South Fremantle can change that on Saturday at Leederville Oval.

"I think we are cherry ripe that if we were going to knock them off, then I think this is the week to do it," Wilson said. 

"We are really confident going into it. We probably played our best game two weeks ago now before the bye with our best four-quarter effort barring 10 minutes against West Coast. I think the boys are really hungry too.

"Obviously Subiaco haven’t lost for a couple of years and we are really hungry to knock them off and really try to get the job done.

"If we can get it done it would be the cherry on top so hopefully we can just play our way, and play to our strengths and the scoreboard will take care of itself. But Subi are still a powerhouse obviously. But if we can get the job done it will be great."