Wesley Walley during the National Championships U18 Boys match between Allies and Western Australia at Marvel Stadium, June 29, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
WEST Coast’s crop of Next Generation Academy players have dreamed of starting their AFL careers together but will be grateful for any opportunity, according to exciting forward Wes Walley.
Walley is among four players nominated by West Coast under NGA and father-son rules, alongside small forward Tylah Williams, midfielder Koby Evans, and big-bodied onballer Charlie Banfield.
The tight-knit group faces a nervous wait through Wednesday and Thursday night’s 2025 Telstra AFL Draft, with the looming possibility they could also be snapped up by the Eagles as category B rookies if not bid on by rivals.
Walley, who has been part of the Eagles’ Academy since he was 13, said the group had developed a strong connection and supported each other through the season, catching up this week as they prepare for the draft.
“All those boys were in the WA state team as well, so we had all year together and then the pre-season as well, so we have a really strong bond,” Walley told AFL.com.au.
Wes Walley during a West Coast training session. Picture: West Coast FC
“I think even after this is all done, we’re all going to keep in very good contact. We just had lunch yesterday, all the NGA boys, so I think we’re still going to be really strong together.
“We talk about playing in the AFL together all the time, and we talked about it yesterday actually.
“We’re all hoping we’ll go to the team that we love, but at the same time we’re just hoping to get drafted to an AFL club, wherever that may be. So, we’re not fussy.”
Walley has attracted interest from Victorian clubs, including Carlton, Collingwood, Geelong and Richmond, completing follow-up meetings with some of them on the eve of the draft.
There has been interest in how he is recovering from a shoulder injury that he carried through the entire season, with the high-leaping forward finally undergoing latarjet surgery at the end of the campaign.
Walley said he was happy to push through the pain this year and delay surgery in an effort to boost his draft stocks and show recruiters what he could do.
“It was pretty hard, especially when you have that thought in your mind that it could pop out at any second. But I’d say I’m very disciplined,” Walley said.
“I’m not really scared of a bit of pain, so if it did pop out I’d put it back in. I didn’t care during the game, then at night when I’d lay down, that’s when the pain would be really bad.
“But I’m gaining confidence and happiness again with it now. The first month after surgery was just relaxing and letting it heal, and now it’s just hard running and a lot of gym work, so I’m enjoying it now.”
Walley had an up and down season in 2025, playing forward, midfield and wing roles with Subiaco’s colts team and proving a nightmare match-up for defenders when he was in form.
He featured in a pair of games for the Marsh AFL National Academy and completed all four matches with WA’s under-18s team before playing a pair of WAFL league games late in the season with the Lions.
The hard-working and polite youngster said he had learned how much he loves the game this year, persevering when his shoulder would pop out during games and drawing on his mental strength to get through.
“I felt really confident after the pre-season and my shoulder wasn’t as bad as I thought because I wasn’t really active on it as much, ” Walley said.
“My second game was when it started coming back to how bad it was, and that’s when the consistency kind of dropped away early in the year.
“I still had some highlights and good games, but it was a very up and down season for me.”
Some of the attention that has come Walley’s way has had more to do with his name than his football, with influential content creator and former Carlton player Dan Gorringe putting him in the spotlight in February with a social media post.
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While he has embraced the fun surrounding his name, Walley hopes his football will do the talking if his AFL ambitions are realised.
“I didn’t enjoy [the attention] at the start, because I wanted to be known for what I can do it on the footy field, not for the name,” Walley said.
“But now it’s at the point where I’ve actually really accepted it and I love it.
“It’s going to be a unique name, and it’s going to be around for a while, so hopefully teams have seen something in me and will give me an opportunity.”
