Now is the time for all good men

ALL SET: Luke Shuey is looking to take his game to an even higher level in 2013. Picture: Will Russell Source: PerthNow

THAT was then. This is now.

Then, Luke Shuey was little more than a promising name on West Coast's list; he was drafted in 2008, didn't play at all the following season due to injury and split his six games in 2010 to bookend the wooden-spoon campaign.

Now, Shuey is one of the most crucial cogs in the Eagles' future; successor to Daniel Kerr as West Coast's midfield marshal and proving increasingly capable of tearing games apart.

And, having then been a fresh-faced teenager, hoping to one day be a leader at the club, he is now part of a "brotherhood"; a leadership group forged in the wreckage of 2010 and one that bonds his side together. It was a sense of family that helped the 22-year-old last December to sign for a further two years at the club, when he could have returned home to Victoria.

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It made him stay in WA after the death of his sister, Melanie, in 2009. And it inspired him and Scott Selwood to go to Geelong last April for the funeral of John Schofield - father of teammate Will - who died from a heart attack.

"That meant a hell of a lot to me," Schofield told The Sunday Times last year.

"I think it just says a lot about them as people and why I look to a lot of the people at West Coast and see them as my family."

That trip defined Shuey's emerging leadership qualities.

The pair travelled east on a Monday for the funeral, came back to Perth for training, before returning to Melbourne on the Friday to play Richmond on the Sunday.

Shuey denies the support he showed was leadership - "leadership didn't have anything to do with it" - but it was a selfless act that would have taken tremendous emotional strength, given the year marked what would have been Melanie's 21st.

"Schoey's one of mine and Scooter's (Selwood) best mates at the club," Shuey said.

"A few years ago, I had Glassy (captain Darren Glass), Coxy (Dean Cox) and Adam Selwood come over for my sister's funeral and I remember feeling so appreciative for the effort they put in.

"It was a pretty emotional day; you get there and you can relate to what they're going through and how hard it is for them.

"But when I was sitting there, I didn't want to feel too sorry for myself, because it was a day to remember John and everything he gave the Geelong community.

"It was a great service. Will and his two other brothers were in great spirits and had the crowd in stitches."

That was then. This is now.

Now, Shuey has officially been installed in the Eagles' leadership group, recognised for outstanding traits both off-field and on-field as one of two additions to the clique for 2013, alongside Eric Mackenzie.

It marks a recognition after years marred with personal trials, with Shuey having overcome osteitis pubis, two hernia operations, a broken leg and glandular fever, in addition to dealing with Melanie's passing, all in a little more than 12 months at the Eagles.

After all that, football was easy.

The tyro installed himself inside the Eagles' top-six ball winners in both 2011 and 2012, nipping on the heels of revered names at the club such as Priddis, Kerr and Rosa.

"Everything I went through in the first few years gave me a really good outlook on football," Shuey said. "It was a good wake-up call that footy's not the be-all and end-all for me.

"Now, looking back on the injuries and stuff, I'm just blessed to be able to run out every training session, every game, and not be injured.

"I look at guys going through rehab now and just feel sorry for them, but I've said it before, if you're going to go through a successful career, there are going to be times when you do it tough.

"I certainly feel ready to be recognised as a leader, but I don't think much is going to change (for me) around the club."

One aspect of Shuey's game that he knows he must change is his discipline.
He missed three games last year due to suspension for what he labelled "brain explosions"; striking charges on Fremantle's Paul Duffield in Round 9 and North Melbourne's Lindsay Thomas in Round 15.

Then, he was just another foot soldier, but Shuey understands his role now as a leader requires him to rein in that behaviour.

"My two suspensions last year were, I'd like to think, out of the ordinary for me," he said. "I'm not a dirty player, they were just two things that came up and were a bit of a brain explosion.

"But I'm certainly confident it won't happen again and where I want to be as a leader, it's something I'll have to get out of my game."

Shuey described the feeling of preparing for his fifth season as "scary", but what is scary is his potential.

So, too, that of the brigade that surrounds him.

He said it was time for the rising stars of now to repay the superstars of then.

"It's scary thinking I'm going into my fifth season now, I've really only played two full seasons of football," he said. "We went through the hard roads to get to where we are and had to cop the wooden spoon on the chin.

"Now we're starting to be pretty successful and that, along with the brotherhood feel around the club, was a major reason why I signed on (for two more years).

"I think we're in for a really successful era over the next few years, but I couldn't tell you when, exactly.

"We're going to see guys like Glassy, Coxy, Embers, Kerr-y, depart within the next four or five years, guys who have been absolute superstars for the footy club and we're so blessed to be taught by these guys, who are masters of their trade.

"Hopefully we can win another premiership for those guys, I'm sure they want it as much as we do."

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