LIVING on the edge has made West Coast premiership defender Will Schofield a more consistent player.
The 30-year-old has played 22 AFL games in two seasons, also playing 15 games for WAFL club East Perth in that time.
Schofield came into the side in round 23 in the 2018 season, was omitted for the qualifying final win against Collingwood before getting a preliminary final (and subsequent Grand Final) reprieve, covering for the hamstrung Brad Sheppard.
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"It was a pretty big rollercoaster ride at the end of the year there, thinking you're going to miss out and then ending back in the team, you reach the highest peaks." Schofield said at Monday's training session.
"I think just coming to grips with that was a challenging thing over the off-season, just the ups and downs.
"That's footy and that's the great thing about it. For me, I was lucky enough, I was at the top there at the end, but I could have quite easily not been. We turn to 2019 to hopefully do it again."
Schofield was asked if he will again be "on the periphery" of team selection in 2019.
"I think most years I'm on the periphery. Probably the last couple of years has put me in a better space mentally, as I've learnt to deal with that a little bit better and realised that one bad game for me possibly means I'm out of the team for quite a long time," he said.
"[It] helps with my consistency, living on the edge a little bit like that. [But] you'd have to speak to 'Simmo' (coach Adam Simpson), he pulls the strings up there."
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Schofield has found solace in his defensive teammates over the last few years of uncertainty.
"The backline's pretty tight, I think that'd be the same around most clubs. It's usually the tightest (group of) guys because we have to mop up everyone's mess. We spend a fair bit of time having a whinge about that most years," Schofield said.
"We try to look after each other as much as possible because it is tough, mentally, sometimes with selection and the scrutiny that's put on a lot of players.
"You have to have outlets and people to talk to."
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During the nail-biting finish to the Eagles' five-point premiership win, Schofield left his direct opponent, Collingwood's Jordan De Goey, alone in the goalsquare, pushing up the ground to try and get his hands on the ball.
Teammate Jeremy McGovern peeled back onto De Goey and took the intercept mark that started a possession chain, ending with Dom Sheed's match-winning goal.
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Despite that, Schofield probably won't be repeating the experiment any time soon.
"I generally take that on myself to be running down the middle of the ground with no one on me, when I'm meant to be at full-back in the goalsquare on my opponent," he said, tongue planted firmly in cheek.
"I don't think 'Simmo' was too happy with that, so I'll be doing my best to just play my role. He was fine in the end, but I didn't get his permission though (to run to that spot)."
