Andrew Embley - Football Career

Football Career

Embley made his debut for West Coast in the Round 1, 1999, Western Derby against Fremantle, gathering nine disposals and taking three marks. He played nine games in total for the season, as well as 13 WAFL games for Claremont as part of a affiliation with West Coast which lasted until 2000. Embley played 28 games over the next two seasons, mainly as a half-forward flanker, scoring 29 goals including three four-goal hauls. He was nominated for the 2000 AFL Rising Star for his efforts against Port Adelaide in round 14.

With John Worsfold having replaced Ken Judge as coach of the club prior to the start of the 2002 season, Embley established himself as a regular part of the Eagles' line-up over the next two seasons, playing in losing elimination finals in both the 2003 and 2004 finals series. He kicked 31 goals in 2003 to finish second in the Eagles' goalkicking behind Phil Matera (62 goals). A 25-disposal, four-goal game against Collingwood in round eight, 2003, earnt him three Brownlow Medal votes, the first of his career. Embley was named vice-captain of West Coast for the 2004 season, and also represented Australia in that year's International Rules Series. Embley played 18 games for the Eagles in the 2005 season, including all of the Eagles' finals and the Grand Final loss to Sydney. He played 23 out of a possible 24 games in the Eagles' 2006 season, playing mainly across the half-forward line and wings. Embley also kicked 31 goals for the season to be the club's second leading-goalkicker behind Quinten Lynch (65 goals). Despite injuries late in the season, Embley played a key role in the team's successful final series. He averaged 26 possessions and kicked five goals across the Eagles' three finals matches, despite playing the semi-final against the Western Bulldogs with a paralysed vocal chord. He took a game-saving mark in the preliminary final against Adelaide in a game the Eagles won by 10 points. He was awarded the 2006 Norm Smith Medal as the best-on-ground player in the Eagles' Grand Final win over Sydney for his 26-disposal, two-goal effort.

Embley played only 13 out of a possible 24 games during the 2007 season, missing seven games between rounds 6 and 12 and four games at the end of the season due to a hamstring injury. He was dropped as Eagles vice-captain for the 2007 season. Embley played 42 out of a possible 44 games during the 2008 and 2009 seasons in a shift to a more midfield role. He played his 150th game for the Eagles against the Western Bulldogs in Round 6, 2008 in a 60-point loss, earning life membership of the club. He received three Brownlow votes for a best-on-ground performance against the Western Bulldogs in Round 19, 2009, getting 32 possessions and scoring four goals. Embley played 20 games in 2010, including his 200th game in the AFL against Adelaide in Round 10.

After a strong pre-season, Embley started the 2011 season with two best-on-ground efforts against North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, receiving some credit for West Coast's strong start to the season after a wooden spoon the previous year. The round eight Western Derby against Fremantle was the only match Embley missed through the entire season, playing 24 out of a possible 25 games, and also recording several personal bests, including career-high numbers in disposals, tackles, and Brownlow votes. In the 2012 NAB Cup, Embley injured his left shoulder, but played the first two games of the regular season before opting to have surgery, missing much of the Eagles' season as a result. He returned to football via Swan Districts, his first WAFL match since the 2002 season. Having successful tested the durability of his shoulder, Embley returned to West Coast's side for the round 20 match against Geelong, starting as the substitute. He played every remaining game of West Coast's season, recording 22 disposals and four goals in the club's elimination final defeat of North Melbourne. However, in the following week's qualifying final loss to Collingwood, Embley turned the ball over late in the game, resulting in a Collingwood goal, with the Herald Sun describing him as "at one of his lowest ebbs". At the end of the 2012 season, he signed a further one-year extension to his contract with West Coast.