WA FOOTY IN FOCUS: New CEO Brad Wira on the future of the WAFL and what WA is doing to increase draft numbers

WA Football CEO Brad Wira says a significant drop in AFL draft numbers has been addressed with a radical review and reform of the State’s talent pathways and has asked critics to “just ask us in five years”. And Wira says they will not be afraid to borrow ideas from other codes. “It’s cyclical. It does go in ebbs and flows,” he said. “But what the talent pathway review shows us is that we need to refine, enhance, improve, which is what we’re doing.” Wira, the former Fremantle, Western Bulldogs and Carlton player has just stepped into the hot seat as the CEO of WA Football. The former director of the game’s governing body in WA was also a part of its extensive talent review. The probe was led by WA Football deputy chair Dixie Marshall, former West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett and Wira, with the goal of increasing the talent pool by 20 per cent. WA had only six players picked up in last year’s AFL national draft, and only one in the top 30 from a total of 60 selections, down from eight draftees 12 months earlier, falling outside the top three states for the first time. Only one of those players — Essendon’s Jacob Farrow — was taken in the first round. The total increased to 10 after rookies and category B selections. Wira has opened up on the findings in the second part of his exclusive sit-down interview with The West Australian, tackling the big issues in WA footy. And he has also revealed the role he expects the WAFL to play. “We’ve done the talent review. We’ve implemented some immediate changes and will continue to change, continue to adapt and improve. Judge us in five years,” Wira said. The key issues among 39 recommendations included targeting under-represented groups (regional, Indigenous, multicultural, female), using advanced technology for scouting, and appointing a dedicated talent development executive manager. North Melbourne and Fremantle champion Peter Bell was appointed to that role last January. “We looked at coaching at all levels, from 14s to 15s to futures to colts, into our pathways, the ability for our regional kids to get the same access and opportunity that our city kids that get, we changed our executive to incorporate Peter Bell, and have added Michael Walters,” Wira said. “We continue to adapt with the addition of a full-time strength and conditioning coach in our female program, Kate Orme (former West Coast and Claremont WAFLW premiership player) has become our State talent coach, the head of the women’s 18s and 16s programs. “We understand the challenge that we don’t have a home, we don’t have a base (they are housed temporarily at Tuart Hill). So to be able to do that is absolutely beneficial for our elite talent boys and girls. “We now train at elite facilities at the two AFL clubs. “So with these additions to our programs, understanding what the talent pathway review has told us, even to the weeds of how we’re training, how we’re playing style-wise, the anti-density rule (reducing congestion around the ball to encourage one-on-one contests, higher scoring, and development of specialised positions).” Wira said he was conscious bringing talented players into the State program could be a “drain” on other levels of junior football. “We’ve made the State 18s a 12-month program, but we’ve also got to be really mindful, because of what does it do to our school footy, what’s it do to our community footy, and the drain on that? Who impressed in clash between WA’s under-18 side and WAFL under-20 team WAFL 2026: Simpson medallist Callan England says state teammate Kane Bevan is ‘absolutely’ ready for the AFL “I spent 12 years at Hale School so I have a fair idea of what works and what doesn’t. “We don’t want them all State eighteens. We want them to experience all facets and not to the detriment of their school program or their WA footy program, give them the best opportunity to be good young men and women, but also fulfill their dreams.” “Certainly under my watch, we won’t be afraid of looking at other competitions, at other sports, and how they’re doing things both successfully and unsuccessfully, and implementing things that work. “Unashamedly we have looked at what we have learnt from the eastern states.” THE FUTURE OF THE WAFL Wira said it was a “pivotal” time for the WAFL but it remained a key layer in the WA football ecosystem. “WA Football is the custodian of not only two AFL licenses, but a WAFL competition,” Wira said. “I was lucky enough to play at the elite level, but where the magic happens is at community level, and that’s the attraction of the game for grandparents and carers and mums and dads and volunteers. It gives them a sense of belonging. “Our vision is to make that sustainable not only from a financial perspective, but we want to continue to grow the game. We need venues. We need lights. We need grounds. “The constant challenge of other sports, the constant challenge for the dollar, cost of living and inflation and the challenges on households. “I do think it’s a really pivotal time.” Wira said the prospect of a night WAFL grand final this season — it has been tentatively booked for Saturday, September 19 at Optus Stadium — was an “exciting possibility”. “Understanding that we’re subject to the AFL possibly playing a preliminary home final at the ground on that weekend” Wira said. “We need to continue to look at things differently. We’ve averaged, I think, 25,000 at the six WAFL grand finals at Optus, which in a 60,000-capacity stadium is still cool. “The players are key stakeholders and we’ve asked them and that’s where they want to play.“Romantically, I loved the South Fremantle and the Leederville experience. “I’ve got a finance background. I understand the numbers, so that’s a big part of it. I also now have a CEO hat on that says what do the facilities look like, how we’re looking after our community? “We also need to look at things differently regarding our fixtures. We need to dive deeper into this year’s success of round one on Good Friday. “Having four games on Good Friday our numbers were fantastic. “Adapting in this hectic world that families are in the challenges of multiple sports and multiple kids and work, life balance and all those things, I think we have to be really flexible with our fixturing and look at things differently. So that’s certainly something we will be doing.”