Proud Royal Ameduri glad culture focus is paying offFriday, September 6, 2024 - 5:25 PM - by Chris Pike

THE black-and-blue blood runs deep with East Perth co-captain Christian Ameduri and the family connection to the Royals only makes it more exciting when he thinks about what might be possible over the next three weeks.

Ameduri grew up supporting the Royals and attending their games as a youngster with his father and uncles before then being able to witness his older brother Julian live out his dream of beginning his own 85-game WAFL career.

That began for his brother when Christian was just 14 years of age in 2014 and the brothers would end up getting to play one league match together in 2019 and hold the rare distinction as the only siblings to have won FD Book Medals with the Royals as fairest and best winners.

They also played in a reserves premiership together in 2020 in what is the lone success for any grade at East Perth since the 2006 colts flag which Ameduri is hoping to help change over the next three weeks with the Royals having just had the week's break to start the finals.

East Perth claimed the minor premiership at the end of the home and away season now ahead of Ameduri captaining them in a second semi-final against Swan Districts on Saturday at Sullivan Logistics Stadium with a spot in the Grand Final the reward for the winners.

Taking on Swan Districts

So far Ameduri has only played in one league final in his career despite playing in a colts Grand Final and reserves premiership with the Royals, and that was the elimination final loss last year to Claremont.

Now given that Saturday will be the 84th game of his career, he wouldn’t have cared who the opponent ultimately was in a second semi-final, but he is glad the Royals are taking on Swan Districts with the first spot in the Grand Final at Optus Stadium up for grabs.

"Personally I'm happy for the fact that we are playing Swans and I feel like they are a team who really deserve to be where they are," Ameduri said.

"They're a real honest team with the way that they play, they defend hard and they make everything quite hard for the opposition.

"I think it's also a great look for the WAFL to have two massive clubs going head-to-head with one to go straight through to the Grand Final so it just sets up a really big game.

"You're not going to have many bigger games than a second semi-final between two massive clubs and playing in front of a huge crowd.

"It sets up such a big spectacle and we've sort of had the better of Swans the last few years, but all the games have been really close and that's exciting too because it's going to be another good game and I can't wait to play in it actually. After a week off, you can't help but think about it and you just want to play."

Club means a lot to whole family

The Ameduri family are lifelong East Perth supporters too and with both Christian and Julian beginning their football at Noranda, they have always been right in the heart of the Royals zone.

Julian would go on to play 85 games with the Royals and win the fairest and best award in 2017 before retiring at the end of the 2021 season.

Christian had a standout colts career including playing in the 2016 Grand Final before going on to make his league debut in 2019, and really has never looked back with the 25-year-old 83 games into his WAFL career.

To be doing it with a club that means so much to the entire Ameduri family makes any potential success all that more special.

"Growing up watching East Perth play and coming down to games, and seeing the passion that my uncles and my dad had for the club meant it's always been a big part of our lives," Ameduri said.

"Then getting to represent the footy club at quite a young age and slowing working up, and seeing how much it meant to my family is the part I'm most excited for to hopefully finish this year with a premiership.

"To get to share that with my family and knowing how much it would mean to them is pretty special. My brother obviously never got the chance to really play in any finals or be involved in a team that was at the top end of the ladder, but he was around for some of those tough years.

"So it means a lot, I think, for him to watch me and to see how I'm going and to see how well the boys are going because he still has some old teammates still playing. It means a lot for everyone in the team, but I know for me and my family, I couldn’t think of a better way to finish this year than celebrating a premiership with them."

Brothers as FD Book Medallists

While there have been famous brothers represent the East Perth Football Club and Michael and David Swan went close with both former captains, Christian and Julian Ameduri hold the rare distinction as fairest and best winners.

Julian won his award back in 2017 and then Christian claimed his FD Book Medal in 2021, but it's more the league game in Round 11, 2019 against Claremont, and the reserves premiership at Fremantle Oval that Christian will treasure the most.

"I'm pretty sure we only played one league game together, at Claremont, that I can remember and even though I would have loved to play a lot more with him, we still had that one game," Christian added.

"We also won a reserves flag together so that was a big one and that meant a lot because any premiership is special and it was the first time East Perth had won any flag in a long time. I remember how super proud our dad was and happy to see us getting to play in that together.

"It was a massive moment for our family and for our club, and for us as brothers it's something we will share forever. He's finished playing footy now so I'm not going to get that chance with him ever again."

Royal plan back to success

There's perhaps no player better positioned to give his summary of the way the Royals have been able to build themselves now into a premiership contender over the past six years since ending the partnership with the West Coast Eagles.

That partnership did allow the Royals to get themselves back into a strong position off field and by the end of 2018, it was time for the playing group to go it alone again but it was always going to be a gradual growing process.

Led by long-time president Bronte Howson and chief executive Dean Turner, the Royals had a plan to firstly just get back to building their senior playing stocks and being able to be a competitive WAFL team.

The next step would be to become a finals contender and then ultimately compete for a premiership, and looking back with hindsight it's almost gone exactly to script.

The return to finals might have taken a little longer with that first appearance not coming until 2023 and the Royals are still yet to win a final since the 2015 first semi-final, but Ameduri is proud of the way they focused on building culture first.

"I know that Bronte, Dean and the board had this vision of how we wanted to improve every year and it didn’t probably go exactly to plan to start off with, but when you look back on the five or six years now, and it has actually worked out really well," Ameduri said.

"We've been able to bring in guys that are obviously good players, but more importantly good people and as a leader and being involved with those conversations, we had a focus to bring in people of good character.

"We wanted to build a really strong culture and then to bring through the talent underneath to help us play some really good footy but with the foundation in place as a strong club.

"That's been the most exciting part to see how well we have done that over the past six years where we've grown from a club that only had about 20 guys that stayed around after the alignment.

"We pretty much had to bring in a whole new playing group and then slowly, slowly that core group stuck around and looking back on it, it's a proud moment the way that we've done it."

Changing roles over last 18 months

As for his own football, Ameduri had spent most of his career up to the start of this season as a prime on-baller with the Royals where his ability to win the contested ball, lay strong tackles and set up his teammates became a great asset.

However, with a midfield including the likes of Hamish Brayshaw, Angus Schumacher, Mitch Crowden and Michael Randall, Ameduri saw the chance for him to settle as that pressure forward who could offer great leadership in a different role.

He is delighted with the way it's worked out in 2024 with him kicking 18 goals in 18 games this season while laying 101 tackles along the way.

"I think that's always been one of my strengths is that I have that versatility to play anywhere really over the ground," Ameduri said.

"With me playing more predominantly forward this year, that was something that I spoke to the coaches about coming into the season looking at our list and who we could potentially have roll through the midfield.

"For the balance of the team it just worked a little bit better if I played forward and I can go back inside any time that I'm needed.

"But it just seems to be working better for the team where we were lacking a bit of experience and leadership up forward so I thought, and the coaches agreed, that I would be more useful playing there.

"I've never been a player who gets heaps of the footy anyway so I wasn’t too fussed about that, it was more about bringing that pressure and leadership up forward, and it's always fun getting to kick some goals and I've enjoyed that bit of a family we've created down there."

Earning the week's break

East Perth finished the home and away season in blistering form with four straight wins including a three-point thriller against reigning premiers East Fremantle and then a commanding performance against Peel Thunder to secure the minor premiership.

The wet conditions late in the season meant that there was a whole host of reasons that the week off to start the finals as minor premiers was welcomed for Ameduri and his teammates, but he now can't wait to get back out there on Saturday in the second semi-final.

"Finishing on top not only does it help mentally with your confidence and for the team knowing that you are the minor premiers and the best team in the home and away season, but that week off is just so valuable too," he said.

"Especially after the big six weeks that we had to finish with some really big games and playing on heavy grounds in tough conditions.

"That week off for the boys and especially some of the older boys who are pushing through at this time of year when it's cold as well, it can be quite tough so the week off was perfect for us.

"It couldn’t have really come at a better time, but it's also a chance to get some good trainings in as well knowing you don't have to get yourself ready for the weekend."

Being one win from a Grand Final

The reality is that East Perth is now just one win away from a first Grand Final appearance since 2014 as the Royals attempt to win a first flag since 2002.

Ameduri is fully aware of that and the excitement of the potential that lies ahead is hard to ignore, but he's doing his best at the same time to not get too far ahead of himself.

"I kind of find myself trying not to think about it too much because it almost makes you nervous, and does put a bit of added pressure, but it's actually an exciting thing about finishing on top because you only need one win to make the Grand Final," Ameduri said.

"I can speak for myself and I'm trying not to think about it too much, but I know that at training and the boys can't help but chat about it because it's an exciting time.

"Some boys play their whole career without getting to a point like this so you do have to enjoy it and that's what we've been saying around the group.

"You have to enjoy this experience and even if you are getting nervous, that's only natural and you want to embrace it because a lot of other guys don't get the opportunity and you have to make the most of it."