Do you know why the EGT Colts Grades have their names?
20 Jun, 2024
21 years ago, the Perth Football League and the West Coast Eagles forged a relationship that started with a sponsorship of the Colts competition back in 2003.
The relationship has lived through many rebrands of both the local community football competition and even the professional level of the West Coast Eagles.
The strength of the relationship is testament to the growth of both levels of football and the aligned direction of the organisations.
The West Coast Eagles galvanised its support of community football in 2023 by adding a further layer to its commitment of the PFL by becoming the League’s Major Partner of Competitions.
Over the last two decades, the Eagles have also sponsored the State under-23 and Colts teams helping to provide the financial support and opportunities so important to community football.
But did you know each of the EGT Colts competitions are named after former PFL players who graduated to play with the Eagles?
Below is a list of the names associated with the PFL’s EGT Colts grades:
| Player | PFL Club | PFL Games | WCE Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Banfield | University | 10 (1991) | 265 |
| Brett Jones | University | 21 (2002) | 102 |
| Phil Scott | Scarborough | 27 (1980-82) | 66 |
| Laurie Keene | Innaloo | 13 (1979) | 36 |
| Ian Dargie | North Beach | 74 (1981-85) | 1 |
The connection across the various levels has always been strong, with more recent examples such as North Beach’s Nic Reid making the jump from the PFL to the AFL, playing three games in 2020.
Former players David Hynes (North Beach), Steven Armstrong (Kalamunda), Quinten Lynch (Trinity Aquinas) and Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls (Nollamara) have all coached senior teams while Andrew McCarrey has long-been heavily invested in the WA All-Abilities team as well as coaching a couple of club teams.
The relationship between past players and the club remains strong, with dual premiership player Chris Waterman now coaching Wembley while Parris Laurie, an inaugural member of the club’s AFLW team, coaches and plays at Wembley.
The PFL pathway has also provided the club’s current AFLW team with several of its most exciting young players. Twins Lauren and Zoe Wakfer started their journey with Warnbro Swans before they joined South Fremantle and defender Eleanor Hartill swapped basketball for football when deciding to try her hand at Collegians.
