Saturday’s decider will be all about Fremantle, but West Coast are hoping they can register a small victory too when Willem Duursma lines up in the grand final sprint.
Duursma was on Thursday unveiled as one of eight runners in the traditional race, which will be held at half-time and started by Australian sprint legend Cathy Freeman.
It’s a rare sight for a No.1 draft pick to be taking part in the sprint, with Duursma looking to emulate Brett Deledio from 2005 in taking out the race. Like Duursma, Deledio competed in the race at the end of his debut campaign, and remains the sole top draft pick to win.
Duursma will also be looking to become the first-ever West Coast player to win in a field involving multiple rival clubs. Josh Rotham snared victory in 2021 at Optus Stadium, when the race was made up of competitors solely from the Eagles and Dockers amid COVID travel restrictions.
Gold Coast’s Jed Walter will be looking to defend his crown from last year in the eight-man race, which also includes Hawthorn’s All-Australian defender Jarman Impey, North Melbourne midfield star Luke Davies-Uniacke, and Port Adelaide gun defender Aliir Aliir.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails