Premiership hat-trick the goal before Twomey decides futureThursday, September 15, 2016 - 5:13 PM - by Chris Pike

SUBIACO veteran Wayde Twomey is now a 150-game WAFL player and isn’t sure what 2017 holds for him just yet aside from getting married, but what is on his mind is becoming part of history part of a hat-trick of premierships with the Lions.

Twomey was again a key contributor in Subiaco's second semi-final win over South Fremantle at Medibank Stadium on Sunday that puts the Lions into a third straight grand final, and a 10th in the past 14 WAFL seasons.

That is a remarkable record and the Lions already have one premiership hat-trick to their credit this century between 2006 and 2008. They are one win away from another if they can win next Sunday's Grand Final against either South Fremantle or Peel Thunder at Domain Stadium.

Twomey keeps thriving on Subiaco move ahead of 150th WAFL game 

Twomey had already played in a WAFL premiership at Swan Districts in 2010 while also having played state football and winning a Simpson Medal, and playing in the AFL with Carlton. So it had already been a career fulfilled upon arrival at Subiaco in 2014 but it has been a tremendous move.

Twomey has fitted in seamlessly at the Lions and has mostly played as a calming influence across half-back using his experience and skill to set up play, but he has also spent time through the middle and up forward.

The result has been him being part of the 2014 and 2015 premierships, and now he is one win away from joining Kyal Horsley, Chris Phelan, Brett Mahoney, Lachlan Delahunty and Clancy Wheeler as being part of a hat-trick of flags.

It is a rare feat through WAFL history with Subiaco (2006-08), East Perth (2000-02), Swan Districts (1982-84), Perth (1966-68), Swan Districts (1961-63), South Fremantle (1952-54), East Fremantle (1928-31), East Perth (1919-23) and East Fremantle (1908-11) the only clubs to have done so.

For Subiaco to now potentially do it twice inside a decade will be remarkable and Twomey would love to be part of it, but he's not taking anything for granted against either South Fremantle or Peel Thunder.

"I think there's six of us left who can play in all three and you get to that point and see guys that have left for whatever reason and they are kicking themselves, but we all want to make some history and to be part of it," he said.

"It doesn’t get done very often and Subi about 10 years ago was the last time it happened so the chance for it to happen is pretty special.

"We know how hard it is just to win one and at Swans we all thought that now that we've won one for the club and that will do for everyone. But if we are now able to go three in-a-row here, it would be the best feeling."

Twomey celebrated his 150th WAFL game on Sunday in the 40-point preliminary final win over South Fremantle made up of 98 at Swan Districts and 52 with Subiaco.

That on top of his two with Carlton in the AFL and then in the VFL with both the Werribee Tigers and Northern Bullants mean it's a career at senior level of over 200 games. With three WAFL premierships already, it's been tremendously successful.

But the 30-year-old isn’t sure what the future in 2017 holds in terms football but he does already have his wedding with Nicole Potente, the sister of West Perth premiership player Steve, locked in for March.

"I'll just wait to see how the season finishes up and then have a talk to Nicole and see if she can put up with all my whinging while playing for another year," Twomey said.

"Apart from that I'll see how the body feels and how the head feels before making any decision."

Before joining Subiaco in 2014, Twomey had an interesting history with the Lions having played in a losing grand final in 2008 and preliminary final in 2009 with Swan Districts against them.

But he had earned a respect for Subiaco and the players he played against and now that he's teammates with the likes of Kyal Horsley and Chris Phelan he sees why they are as successful as they are.

"I always bag Hors for tagging me in the GF back in 2008 and he hates me bringing that up. I didn’t see him in his best year of 2011 and he got drafted after that but now to come back and see how he goes about it, he is an inspiration," Twomey said.

"I didn’t really see Phez at his best against him either because he would have been on the other half-back flank but playing alongside them you understand why they are the best players in the comp. They work harder than anyone and there's no secret that the blokes who work the hardest are usually the best players."

Twomey originally joined Swan Districts in 2008 along with Brett Robinson who both left VFL club Werribee to make the move west. Along with Tim Geappen, they proved an inseparable trio in the early years together at Swan Districts culminating in the 2010 premiership.

Then after Twomey won the premiership with Subiaco in 2014 and Robinson spent a year out of the WAFL playing with South Bunbury, the pair were reunited at the Lions in 2015 and enjoyed another premiership and now are hunting for a third as teammates.

"I'm sick of him, he keeps following me around the bastard. Robbo's my best mate and I'm lucky for a couple of reasons – as players and mates. I met him as a 19-year-old at Werribee and we just automatically linked," he said.

"You just gel up with some players really well and if you look at half our possessions they go to each other. Robbo likes to call us the Krakouer brothers.

"I'm lucky he came back and came to Subi with me and hopefully we can go all the way through and end our careers together now. It's a great honour to be able to play with someone for 10 years."

Twomey might have played most of his best football through 150 WAFL games off half-back, but he's always proven capable of going through the middle and playing up forward.

That included playing an important midfield role in the 2010 grand final win for Swans over Claremont when he played on Luke Blackwell and then in the 2013 state game win over Victoria he won the Simpson Medal by kicking five goals.

But he's happy to play anywhere he's asked on the field.

"It all depends on the day really and how we are going as a team where I enjoy playing the most. The wingmen can dry up a little at Subi because we play such direct type of game that based on a lot of physical contact," he said.

"But at Swans I loved half-back because we flicked it around and we played with a lot more flair so that was great. But I don’t mind playing anywhere. There's no better feeling than kicking a bag so that's always an incentive to want to go forward obviously."

That state game move forward was another idea that Twomey credits to Swan Districts premiership coach Brian Dawson who he played his first 60 WAFL games under leading to being picked up by Carlton.

"It was a pretty lucky sort of a game and a lot of the boys reckon I kicked five from the goal square, but I always say that you still have to kick the five," Twomey said.

"It was a great change up and that was another one of Daws' moves – the genius. I was just lucky to get a game and then I did, it was one of those days where everything fell my way."