Premiership would mean as much as any other: WilhelmSaturday, September 26, 2020 - 11:58 AM - by Chris Pike

FORGET any talk of an asterisk or less meaning behind the 2020 WAFL Premiership just because of the shortened season, for West Perth's Team of the Year representative Blake Wilhelm, this flag would mean as much as any and the Falcons want it to be theirs.

The WAFL season might not have got underway until July 18 thanks to the COVID-19 induced delay, but the nine round competition was as hotly contested as any other campaign with each team playing one another once.

Highlighting that was the remarkable race for finals positions in the last round which saw Perth beat out East Perth and Subiaco to claim fourth spot, and ultimately saw West Perth fall just 0.24 per cent short of snatching second position and a double chance from Claremont.

Now with Claremont having already qualified for next Sunday's 2020 Grand Final at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, their opponents will also be determined at the port this Sunday when South Fremantle plays West Perth in the preliminary final.

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For West Perth, they now have a chance to take on Claremont in the Grand Final and for attacking and creative defender Wilhelm, who was named in the WAFL Team of the Year for a second time in 2020, this premiership in 2020 would mean just as much as any other.

Given everything the players have gone through just to get playing in 2020 after the delayed season, there's no question that getting to celebrate a premiership would mean the world to them and Wilhelm is willing to dream that it could be the Falcons who get to do that.

"There was that period there where we didn’t think we were playing footy at all this year, so to keep yourselves mentally prepared during that and then to come back and the start of this season was massive for both clubs to get off to a good start," Wilhelm said. 

"If you win your first few games it meant you were almost a lock for finals already so getting your head around that was a big part of it. 

"But winning it this year now that we are in it, it wouldn’t be any difference with how many games you have played. You are playing for a premiership and it means the same amount any season."

West Perth finished the season in third position setting up a first semi-final battle last Sunday at Provident Financial Oval with an emotionally charged Perth who were playing its first final since 1997.

A big crowd turned out for the occasion as well despite the weather and then West Perth found itself eight points down kicking into the breeze midway through the last quarter.

But the Falcons found something special and showed terrific character to kick the last three goals of the game to advance to the preliminary final against South Fremantle.

The scene is set remarkably similar to when West Perth did upset South Fremantle in the 2018 preliminary final at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, and Wilhelm has no question the Falcons come into it feeling confident.

"We take massive belief out of that win and we've had plenty of similar games like that where we probably haven’t started that well, but have come home strong," he said.

"A lot of that belief has just been building throughout the year so even last week when (Matthew) Rogers kicked that goal halfway through the last quarter, we kind of knew we still had a chance because we had done it before. 

"We kept our heads down and kept going without really saying too much about it to be honest. We got moving and got that first goal and then the next one, and kept building on that belief until the end of the game and luckily got the result in the end."

The journey to becoming a WAFL star now with 98 games to his belt and having been named twice to the Team of the Year has been a remarkable one for Wilhelm especially considering he had become a regular fixture in the Joondalup Wolves State Basketball League team.

But he made the decision to focus on becoming a WAFL footballer and under the guidance of then coach Bill Monaghan, he quickly found a role off half-back where his running ability and kicking skills soon made him a standout.

Wilhelm will always be thankful for what Monaghan did for him to turn him into the regular WAFL player he was, but the last two years he has also thrived under Geoff Valentine and has loved playing under him as coach as well.

"They are quite different coaches obviously. Bill when I first started I was pretty raw coming back to footy from a basketball background so he was incredibly good from a technical side of things which is something he's very good at," Wilhelm said.

"Geoff himself is good with that too, but he has just focused so heavily on the cultural side of things throughout the year with us boys. 

"His ability to bring us all together and bring the  youth on with the experience to mould us into one has had a massive impact both culturally, and building those boys up so that when they do play senior footy their ability execute is up to scratch. 

"Guys like Connor West and Conal Lynch have had an outstanding season as a big result of Geoff's work."