Former Fremantle Dockers ruckman Aaron Sandilands reflects on his career ahead of WA Football Hall of Fame

Former Fremantle star Aaron Sandilands has paid tribute to the two men who inspired him to wear the number 31 as he prepares to get inducted into the WA Football Hall of Fame. The 211cm ruckman wasn’t expected to be an AFL star as a youngster and his biggest dream was to follow in his dad’s footsteps and play senior footy for North Mount Barker. But Sandilands had an outstanding career for the Dockers after being recruited as the 33rd pick in the 2002 rookie draft. He played 271 games, won two Doig Medals, two Glendinning-Allan Medals and was picked in the All-Australian team four times. He did so after switching from number 13 in his first season as a rookie to number 31 ahead of his debut in 2003. He said that move was a tribute to the men who had influenced him the most. “I used to go down to watch North Mount Barker who the old man played for wearing number 31. I thought if I could play league for North Mount Barker wearing the number 31 I’d be pretty happy,” Sandilands told The West Australian. “But the family moved to Perth and I thought I’d try to go as far as I could. I never thought I’d be good enough to make an AFL list. “Simon Eastaugh invested a lot of time and energy into me. He wore 31 for Fremantle. Between the old man wearing that number back home and Easty wearing it at Fremantle, I thought it was fitting to wear that jumper. “Simon Eastaugh has had a huge influence on me as a person and also as my ruck coach. I was fortunate that when I got rookie listed at Fremantle, Easty was playing with me at East Fremantle. I pretty much had an on-ground coach. “Those first couple of years, Easty was dominating the WAFL and was unlucky not to be playing more AFL but still invested a lot of time into me. “He was dominating games and I’d be sitting on the bench but would come off to give me the chance to run out and play. The sacrifices he made to help me I will be forever grateful for. “Hopefully he saw a half decent attitude and someone who was willing to learn.” Sandilands’ success led to club’s taking punts on significantly taller ruckmen as they searched for an edge. He said the impact a ruckman could have on games should never be underestimated. “It’s the influence that ruckman can have on the game that is the cool piece. You start the game. You start after every goal. You can hit the ball to your team so they get the biggest advantage. It’s so important,” he said. Sandilands will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Sandover Medal on Monday night. Stan Magro, Tony Buhagiar and Dale Kickett will also be honoured. Reflecting on his career, he said his debut in 2003 and making the 2013 grand final after stunning Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in the qualifying final stood out as strong memories. “You never forget your first game. That was Wayne Carey’s first game for Adelaide and the crowd was swinging from the rafters,” he said. “To be able to go down to Geelong in a big final, be the underdog and come out with the win is one I definitely cherish. “To make a grand final - there was so much disappointment about losing that game and not getting another opportunity. But to be able to experience that whole week and how invested the supporters and the state were was a really cool experience.”