Experienced, versatile Hams pumped for State debutFriday, May 23, 2014 - 12:57 PM - by Chris Pike

ASHTON Hams is a dual WAFL premiership player, Simpson Medal winner and also played 39 AFL matches, but he achieves another accolade this Saturday representing Western Australia for the first time as the WAFL plays the NEAFL in Sydney.

The game will be held at Blacktown in Sydney and bouncedown will be at 12pm local time, and 10am WA time. The game will be broadcast on a live stream via the NEAFL website – www.neafl.com.au.

Ashton and his twin brother Kyle began their league football careers at South Fremantle in 2004 before becoming permanent members of the side in 2005, but it took until 2012 for Kyle to become the first of the pair to represent WA.

Kyle ended up playing for WA the last two years in a loss to South Australia in Adelaide and then in last year's win over Victoria in Northam, and now 2014 will see Ashton pull on the Black Swans jumper for the first time in his first season back at the Bulldogs full-time from West Coast in the AFL.

Hams is now a veteran of 123 WAFL matches on top of his 39 in the AFL so the 27-year-old is an experienced campaigner and is looking forward to playing for WA for the first time.

"Playing for WA probably isn’t quite as good as winning a premiership, but apart from that it is without doubt one of my career highlights," Hams said.

"I never thought I would play for WA but then watching Kyle get to play, he just loved it and played really well in it and he now has his jumper hanging up. Since he did that, I always thought I would want to do it and it's a big effort I reckon playing for your State so I'm really looking forward to it."

The State game on Saturday will be taking place at Blacktown in Sydney and Hams is actually no stranger to the venue having played there for the Eagles against the GWS Giants.

He hopes his memories this time are better though.

"The game is now being played out at Blacktown and I actually played a game for the Eagles there against GWS back in 2012. I didn’t get a kick, though, and I got ran down holding the ball so I don’t have the best memories out there," he said.

"Hopefully I go a bit better this time. It was still a great experience going out there even though it's out in the sticks. It's a bit of a drive, but it's not a bad oval and it's something different so it will be good to get back there."

Hams won't be the only South Fremantle player representing WA on Saturday either with prolific midfielder Haiden Schloithe, hard-running captain Ryan Cook and full-forward Ben Saunders also in the line-up.

Hams is glad to be playing alongside some of his regular teammates, but did feel that key defender Dylan Ross and small backman Adam Guglielmana deserved an opportunity as well.

"Haiden has been one of the best midfielders in the comp the way he's been playing, Cooky is our captain and our leader, and I can see all those three playing and playing really well. With Benny up at full-forward, hopefully he goes well and kicks a bag for us which would be nice," Hams said.

"It's always tough to pick a team like this and looking at some Souths guys, I reckon Googsy is a bit unlucky. He has been in really good form the past month or so since moving down back. Dylan Ross also has been getting an award every week and is in great form. I know Amesy and Doddy are good defenders, but Rossy would be the next key back I would pick."

Hams liked what he heard about State football from what his brother Kyle had told him so he's now glad that he will get to experience himself particularly getting the chance to bond with a different group of players with the trip away.

"Kyle was able to play in the State side the past two years and I know he had a good Saturday night when they went away to Adelaide," he said.

"He loved the chance to get around the boys he played against for a long time and making some great mates – especially Doddy and Aaron Black from West Perth. He loved the opportunity. It would have been nice if he was still playing in the WAFL so we could have played together, but it wasn’t to be.

"It's also good to now get the chance to play with a few of the blokes at Swans who he played with. I have got to know them for a while now because of that and it's going to be good playing with those guys."

Hams isn’t afraid of having the odd run-in with opposition players out on the field from week to week so it's not surprising that there have been some players involved in the State squad where there was an awkward moment or two with early on.

However, the players all quickly pull together for the common cause of representing WA but Hams knows that very quickly again East Fremantle teammates playing for WA will become the enemy again with the Foundation Derby taking place on WA Day next Monday at Fremantle Oval.

"It's actually a bit weird training, travelling and now preparing to play with some of the guys in the team because I know I definitely have had a few run ins with some of them over the years," Hams said.

"To now be teammates with them is a bit weird at first, but you quickly work out that they are good blokes. It's just that you hate them when you play against them, but you always find out that they are good blokes off the field.

"Especially the East Fremantle guys it's a bit weird because we will be playing them straight after the game in the derby the next Monday.

"Obviously with guys like Doddy being at East Freo for so long and myself being at South for so long, it will be weird playing with the East Freo guys and then playing them straight after, but for now we'll enjoy it, have a bit of a laugh and I'm sure we'll also get into each other a bit."