WEST Coast captain Luke Shuey had a simple formula that helped him grow into the big-game and big-moment player whose finest performance took place on the game's biggest stage. 

Driven through his career to be a player his teammates could rely on, Shuey had a knack for finding himself in the thick of the action when it mattered most in big games.

He famously kicked West Coast through to a semi-final in 2017 with a goal after the siren against Port Adelaide in extra time, and his 2018 Grand Final performance was among the best finals played that decade.  

The big moments were made possible, however, by a focus on being dependable every week, with Shuey content that he tried to do that in the majority of his 247 games across 15 seasons. 

"I always wanted to be a player who my teammates could rely on… and I always wanted to make sure I went home after a game and had no guilt about the way I played," Shuey said.  

"That didn't mean you were always going to play well, and there were plenty of poor games along the way and plenty of mistakes. 

"But I'm pretty content that most weeks I went home and left nothing on the park, and that was the biggest thing for me. I always think that holds you in good stead in big moments and big games. 

"'Simmo' has always said, you want to be reliable, not remarkable, and if everyone does that you end up playing pretty well as a side in big games."

Coach Adam Simpson, who took over at West Coast when Shuey had played 66 games and five of the 17 finals he would go on to play, said there was an element of the midfielder's performances in big games that could not be taught.

In the 2018 decider, Shuey had a game-high 34 disposals (including 19 contested possessions), nine clearances, eight tackles and kicked a goal to win the Norm Smith Medal.

"He played his best version on the big stage, and it wasn't selfish. It was just playing his way at maximum capacity, and we all saw it in the Grand Final," Simpson said.  

"Reading the moments in big games is something that is really hard to teach, and you only really learn it through love of the game. 

"Going into coaching is obvious, because he loves the strategic part of the game and it makes you a better player if you have that approach."

Shuey revealed on Tuesday that he visited Simpson at his home after the round 19 loss to Carlton hoping to receive the 'tap on the shoulder' after another hamstring setback. 

Instead, he got a one-year contract offer that put the decision in his hands, with Simpson confident his skipper would make the right call either way. 

"That made the decision really hard. I was fortunate to be able to make that decision, but when I walked away and reflected on that, I knew my time was probably up," Shuey said. 

"I said to the players before, to go around again next year, I wouldn't be able to offer my best version as a player and a teammate and I didn't want to leave on that note and do that to our footy club and our fans. 

"It feels so right, and I feel 10kg lighter sitting here now. I've made the right decision." 

Shuey is close to recovering from his hamstring injury but has prioritised being available for the Eagles' last game of the season, against Adelaide at Optus Stadium, meaning he won't play in Saturday night's Western Derby. 

He said playing in the milestone and farewell games of his teammates had been among his most cherished moments in the game, and all going to plan he will share a farewell with premiership skipper Shannon Hurn against the Crows.  

With son Ollie now wearing draftee Elijah Hewett's No.8 on his back, Shuey was confident the club's future was in good hands ahead of another crop of top-end youngsters arriving at this year's AFL Draft.

In a room full of teammates, club staff, family and friends, he reflected on his own arrival in 2008, reading newspaper clippings from the 1992, 1994 and 2006 flag years and feeling privileged to share a club with greats of the game.

His first two seasons involved repeated injury setbacks, however, and a family tragedy when he lost his sister Mel in a road accident. 

"Going through what I went through when my sister died, you go through that stuff with people at the footy club and teammates and it builds your connection," Shuey said. 

"I can honestly say there's never been a second where I've contemplated going anywhere else. 

"I always wanted to be a one-club player, particularly for this club, and I always wanted to do everything I could to make my teammates and our fans proud."