By Tyler Lewis
Mid-season draftee Jai Culley has made an immediate impact at AFL level.
Culley started season 2022 with the Dandenong Stingrays but will finish his year in the senior side of the West Coast Eagles, as his debut on Sunday afternoon against Hawthorn at the MCG was beyond impressive.
The 19-year-old made his way into the centre bounce on 14 of the possible 31 occasions and stood tall in treacherous conditions.
To three-quarter time, the big-bodied midfielder already stuck 10 tackles and finished with a game-high 11 from limited minutes.
In his post-match press conference, Eagles coach Adam Simpson praised Culley on an impactful debut.
“We tried some things in the last 10 minutes which didn’t work…we dropped off a little bit and we got hurt,” Simpson said of the Eagles shallow finish to the match.
“Jai Culley came in for his first game, had 12 tackles and seven clearances… we’ll take that, it’s a good opportunity to play at the MCG.”
Culley finished the match with 12 disposals, 11 tackles and seven clearances in his debut match, but it wasn’t enough to seal victory for the Eagles, as the Hawks out-muscled the visitors in the wet, 15.12 (102) to 12.5 (77).
The first draftee of 2022 out of the Dandenong Stingrays will be hopeful to play the remaining five matches of the AFL season.
