West Coast Eagles premiership ruckman Scott Lycett looking to do it all again with Port Adelaide

When Scott Lycett runs out for Port Adelaide in the preliminary final on Saturday night, he’ll do it with a West Coast premiership tattoo hidden under one sock and space on the other leg for a new one. He’ll also do it as very much the main man. Having spent much of his career in the considerable shadow of Nic Naitanui, Lycett is not only cemented as the Power’s lead ruckman but his robust presence has already forced the hand of the Western Bulldogs. Lycett recorded season highs of 22 disposals and 40 hit-outs when the teams met in round 23 and his threat as a launching pad has prompted Luke Beveridge to gamble by calling up veteran Stefan Martin, who has not featured since round 12, to assist youngster Tim English. Lycett was nominally the Eagles’ number one ruckman after Naitanui went down with a knee injury in 2018, when he played all 25 games and helped blunt star pair Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn during the finals series. But it’s believed he faced significant selection pressure during that finals series and when the Eagles were confronted with the most important centre bounce in their history after Dom Sheed’s goal late in the grand final, they opted for Nathan Vardy to take it. MORE AFL FINALS NEWS: Lycett, who spent the last 12 minutes of his West Coast career on the bench, had been made a lucrative five-year offer to return to his home State and as far as free agency acquisitions go he has proved as solid as a rock. According to Champion Data, the 28-year-old rates above average in every category but elite in none this season. Maybe it’s a sign of his own advancing age, but the ruckman feels like he’s part of a distinctly different group when compared with the Eagles. “In terms of 2018 to this year, probably everyone at West Coast was married and had kids,” he said. “And probably only a handful of guys at Port are in that boat. So a lot younger group. “It’s a lot more vibrant. A lot more energy within the young guys, driving the older guys. So it’s different. But finals are always a special feeling. “Luckily enough we played in a prelim last year, so a lot of them had that experience. It’s probably only five or so that may not have. “But I think everyone understands the pressure and the importance of a prelim final and what it means to the club and our fans and we’re looking to go out there and deliver.” Lycett was confident Port Adelaide were better placed than at the same stage last year, when they lost to eventual premiers Richmond by six points in a gruelling and low-scoring scrap at Adelaide Oval. “I feel like that resilience has grown from that loss and we don’t want that feeling again,” he said. “We put ourselves in the best position to get there again and hopefully can prove some doubters wrong.” It might be a ruckman hitting his peak years and growing in confidence as he grows into his huge frame. Or maybe it’s the moustache and then mullet that have added a more formidable aura. But Lycett dressed in a Power jumper seems to strike a distinctly more physical note when compared to his younger self in blue and gold. While his strong follow-up at ground level, not unlike Naitanui’s, has been a welcome addition to the Port Adelaide midfield, his desire to impose himself physically also cost him a four-match stint on the sidelines in the middle of the season. Lycett concussed opponents in both Showdowns, being suspended for four matches for his crude sling tackle on the much smaller Ned McHenry in round eight. He was let off after collecting Brodie Smith with a knee to the head in round 21. Lycett, who pleaded guilty regarding the McHenry tackle and said Smith had accepted his knee was accidental, was confident he had found the right balance with his physicality. “I did knock (Smith) out, but obviously that was a clear accident,” he said. “I’ve been mates with him since high school and I messaged him that night and the next day to make sure he was alright. And he said he saw the vision and that’s just footy. “I play on that line but I think I’ve probably only crossed it once in my career (with McHenry) and it was unintentional really. So hopefully I can just keep walking that fine line and I don’t think I’ll be getting suspended.” Lycett, who will play his 128th career game in the preliminary final after 75 with the Eagles, believes he’s always had a hard edge that was developed during his upbringing in the small South Australian fishing town of Smoky Bay. “I think it was kind of ingrained in me when I was a kid,” he said. “One of the more clichéd sayings you can say out there is the harder you go in the less likely you are to get hurt. And being a bigger guy, the coaches are always drilling into your head when you’re younger you’ve got to look after your teammates. You’ve got to go in hard. You’ve got to do all these things and I guess that’s just flowed on from my younger days.” Lycett said sitting below the widely recognised top tier of AFL ruckmen, headlined by Naitanui and Gawn, didn’t concern him. “Personally it doesn’t really bother me at all. I’ve always been a fighter,” he said. “I’ve come from the country, a small town of 500 people, to try and make it in the AFL. I’ve always, I guess, had that bit of underdog status. “Those guys can gladly take it. They’re obviously fantastic players and I’m just happy to hopefully do my bit for the team that I’m playing in and hopefully win another premiership.” As for the mo and mullet combo that has become his signature? Enjoy it while it lasts because this finals series looms as its swansong. “I’ve had my missus now for about a year and a half and she’s never seen me without a moustache. So she’s on my back about seeing what it looks like,” he said. “We’ll see. I think I’ll do something for charity at the end of the year and try and raise some money.”