After being drafted by West Coast at No.22 in the 2001 NAB AFL Draft, Seaby spent eight seasons toiling as a back-up to stars Michael Gardiner and Dean Cox at the Eagles.
Despite playing in West Coast’s 2006 premiership, the 25-year-old’s role was reduced in the following years as coach John Worsfold preferred fellow tall Quinten Lynch for the second ruck position.
Seaby unsuccessfully sought a trade at the end of 2008 and he faced an even tougher battle for a senior berth with the arrival of spring-heeled draftee Nic Naitanui for the 2009 season.
Even with Cox ruled out for the last seven weeks of the season, Seaby managed just two games as Lynch and Naitanui filled the breach.
When the Swans offered the chance to be a part of the club’s best 22 week in, week out, he needed little encouragement to head east.
“It was frustrating and my form wasn’t great in the middle of the year, but I just focused on doing the best that I could in the WAFL and making sure that I was in good shape at the end of the season,” he said.
“My manager first made contact during the year with a number of clubs. The Swans were one of those and they were very interested from the start. They said they could see a role for me at the club, so I’m very happy to be here,” he said.
“Initially it looked like I was going to be playing alongside Darren Jolly and that would have been great, but obviously with his move to Collingwood, there’s an opportunity there to be the No. 1 ruckman.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Shane Mumford and hopefully we can make a good team.”
Seaby and former Geelong rookie Mumford will head an inexperienced ruck group that includes Canadian rugby union convert Mike Pyke, Daniel Currie and rookie Jake Orreal.
Currie and Orreal are yet to make their AFL debuts, while Pyke, 25, is still a work in progress with just one year of development under his belt since switching from rugby.
Seaby said his years of working with Cox – regarded as the League’s pre-eminent ruckman – would hold him in good stead with the Swans.
“Obviously he’s a great ruckman. He’s clearly one of the best in the league and that was one of the reasons that I decided to leave, after Lynch and Naitanui started playing ahead of me,” he said.
“But I’ve learned a lot from competing with him at training and playing with him during games, and I’ll bring that with me to Sydney.”
And Seaby said he had no qualms about switching allegiances from blue and gold to red and white in one of the game’s fiercest modern rivalries.
“The two clubs have had some great games in the past but there’s no doubt that once I get out there and the ball’s bounced, I’ll be doing my best to swing the result in the Swans’ favour,” he said.
