Cadwallader crucial to East Perth's premiership chancesThursday, September 18, 2014 - 1:19 PM - by Chris Pike

MUCH of the talk surrounding East Perth this season has been about its partnership with the West Coast Eagles, but it is the Royals' WAFL players who will likely be the deciding factor in winning a premiership on Sunday or not with Dean Cadwallader as important as anyone.

Cadwallader has now played 40 matches with East Perth since making his debut in 2010, but his last three against Peel Thunder, Claremont and then the second semi-final against Subiaco could very well have been his best in just about best on ground performances in a new role across half-back.

East Perth is coming off losing last year's WAFL grand final to West Perth by 49 points but the Royals have been on top of the ladder through most of 2014 ending the year as minor premiers and then booking a grand final sport with a 32-point second semi-final win over Subiaco at Medibank Stadium.

While East Perth did have Blayne Wilson, Callum Sinclair, Josh Hill, Ashley Smith, Fraser McInnes, Patrick McGinnity, Adam Carter, Sam Butler, Dom Sheed, Brant Colledge and Jacob Brennan, it is their WAFL-listed players who have been key to their strong 2014 season and likely will be again the difference makers in Sunday's grand final against Subiaco.

That includes full-forward Josh Smith, ruckman Paul Johnson, co-captains Brendan Lee and Craig Wulff, wingmen Steven Payne and Freddie Clutterbuck, defenders Nathan Blee and Kyle Anderson, and the lively Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls.

Then there is 24-year-old Cadwallader who has had quite the journey to get to his second grand final with East Perth now in as many years.

Cadwallader burst onto the scene in 2010 as a hard-running wingman averaging 17 possessions in the first 11 games and kicking 13 goals before ending up testing positive to a banned substance and copping a two-year ban.

However, he wasn’t content to walk away from the game and returned in 2012 playing some good reserves football and then was ready to roll in 2013 and had a strong season playing 21 games mostly as a wingman and half-forward kicking 25 goals.

That saw him spend most of last year's losing grand final to West Perth as a half-forward and he had a limited impact before then undergoing surgery in the off-season meaning he had a slow start in 2014.

He played a reserves match in Round 2 but then not another one until Round 6 from which time his form built solidly in a new role running off half-back.

Coach Brian Dawson certainly made him bide his time with eight straight reserves matches, but his form built steadily before he earned his first league game of the season in Round 16 against East Fremantle.

He then played some good football but by Round 22 against Peel, put in a best on ground performance with 26 possessions before another 23 disposals and nine marks in the final round against Claremont and then 27 possessions and seven marks in the second semi-final.

His coach Dawson made Cadwallader work for his spot, but has been pleased with how once he got his opportunity back in the league team this year he made sure he cemented it.

"He had a slow start because of a hernia operation so he missed the first few weeks of the season and the pre-season games obviously so it was a slow burn for him," Dawson said.

"He slowly built up and showed some good form in the reserves and then had to bide his time for a couple of weeks at least to find a spot in the seniors.

"He has done his job well since he's come in and has certainly earned his spot in the finals team. We've been pleased with his last four or five weeks and his games have been quite good."

Dawson is gearing up for his fourth WAFL grand final as a coach after two with Swan Districts and now his second with East Perth, and he has always liked to have attacking and creative players setting up play for his teams off half-back.

At Swan Districts that included Wayde Twomey, Travis Casserly and Graham Jetta, and now at East Perth it includes not only Cadwallader, but Blee, Brennan, Carter and Wilson.

Dawson, though, has been impressed with how quickly Cadwallader has taken to the role running off half-back after spending most of 2013 forward of centre.

"I guess he started as a wingman and he has played a bit of wing/half-back mostly, but last year we used him as a forward and I guess we were looking to change up his role this year," Dawson said.

"We thought that the half-back/wing role again might suit him so we could get him around the ball a bit more, and give him a bit more space to work with where he can use his speed and foot skills. That was probably the thinking behind it and it's been fruitful so far."