By Lance Jenkinson
Amid the euphoria of winning an AFL premiership with the West Coast Eagles, rebounding defender Liam Duggan allowed his mind to wander back to his long journey to the MCG to play on that last Saturday in September.
Duggan fondly recalled his junior career, one that was filled with plenty of hype as he dominated for Bacchus Marsh in the juniors, Western Jets in the TAC Cup and as captain of the St Patrick’s College before being selected by the Eagles with pick 11 in the 2014 AFL National Draft.
“They all had a huge influence on me,” said Duggan after the Eagles pipped Collingwood by five points in an epic 2018 AFL grand final.
“I was lucky enough to go through with a good bunch of boys and lifelong mates and coaches.”
Some kids struggle to adapt to life at an interstate club, but Duggan was considered almost a sure thing to make a smooth transition.
Now 21 and with 70 games under his belt, Duggan is showing all the leadership qualities he possessed at the Jets.
In the course of the conversation, it would have been easy to conclude Duggan was a 200-game veteran.
“I suppose I’ve taken on a little bit of a [leadership] role,” he said.
“We’ve got such a young list now that at the age of 21, I’m almost middle of the range.
“It’s great to have so many young boys around – and I’m still in that category, I think.”
Duggan made the move to Perth a success with the blessing and support of his family.
As soon as the Eagles’ song was sung with his teammates, Duggan made a hasty retreat to celebrate with his loved ones. He was all smiles as he embraced girlfriend Lauren, mum Neisha, dad James, younger brother Josh and other relatives.
It was a moment Duggan will cherish forever.
“This is for them standing right there,” he said, glancing to his premiership medal before looking over his left shoulder to his family.
“They’ve been there right from the start and I owe a lot to them.
“They ride the highs and lows with you and they’ll definitely be riding this high with us.
“It’s great to come back and play in front of them and enjoy it with them.”
Duggan hardly put a foot wrong in the grand final, amassing 16 disposals, seven marks and three tackles.
Only slight in stature, he is always willing to put his body on the line. His driving left foot out of the back half gains valuable metres for his team.
With a defence blessed with aerial specialists such as Jeremy McGovern, Tom Barrass, Will Schofield and Shannon Hurn, Duggan is a crucial point of difference.
“We’ve got a pretty special crew [in the defence], so I’m over the moon about doing it with them,” he said.
“To do it with this bunch of boys we’ve got, it’s huge, it’s unbelievable.
“I’m going to be on a high for a long time, I think.”
