TWO-TIME Bernie Naylor medalist Tyler Keitel has a deep connection with West Perth, emanating from his youth watching his uncle Ron Skender play for the Falcons from the Arena Joondalup grass banks and sneaking into the changerooms.
Now 196cm key forward Keitel is set to play his 150th game for West Perth when they face WAFL ladder leaders Peel Thunder at Pentanet Stadium on Saturday.
>> WATCH WEST PERTH v PEEL THUNDER LIVE FROM 2.10PM AWST ON SATURDAY
Keitel, in his ninth year of senior WAFL footy, has plenty of individual accolades, while he became a premiership player for the first time last year. But his connection to the Falcons is dear to him.
"Obviously the 150th brings up club life membership which is something I'm really passionate about," Keitel told AFL.com.au. "It keeps me tied to the club for the rest of my life. I feel incredibly grateful to play 150 games at the level.
"When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time at West Perth, on the hill, having a kick at half-time and going into the rooms. I just feel such a connection to the club.
"I grew up in a different area to the club so I played my Colts footy at East Perth. When I missed out on the draft, I wanted a fresh start and West Perth was at the forefront of my mind."
Keitel's CV since is outstanding, winning the Bernie Naylor Medal (leading WAFL goalkicker) twice in 2018 and 2021, named a WA State Team rep in 2021 and 2022, winning West Perth's Breckler Medal (fairest and best) in 2019 and lifting last year's flag with the Falcons.
He said the latter was his career highlight, calling it "the perfect day", along with being voted in as West Perth's vice-captain.
The AFL dream is no longer on the 27-year-old's radar, having trained with West Coast and Fremantle in the 2022 pre-season with a view to being a Supplementary Selection Period signing.
Keitel balances work as a police officer around his footy commitments nowadays, which he is still enjoying although he isn’t thinking about the 200-game milestone just yet.
"I'm only 27, with a bit of footy ahead of me but I don't know," he said. "WAFL footy is so tough in terms of commitment. It's a grind but West Perth makes it an easy place to come to and a place you want to keep coming back to. It'll be hard to stop when I do decide to."
Saturday's 150th looms as a major test for Keitel's Falcons with Peel winning three in a row, while the reigning premiers have won their last two, having dropped two of their opening four games this year.
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"They're flying," Keitel said. "It's going to be a challenge. We're finally starting to hit our straps, so hopefully we can have a good win and celebrate afterwards."
Bouncedown is 2.10pm AWST at Pentanet Stadium with the match, along with every WAFL game each weekend, live streamed on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.
