From Busso to the big stage for Amiss

From Busselton to the big stage, Dockers sharpshooter Jye Amiss has enjoyed a meteoric rise since his dominant EGT WAFL Colts year for East Perth back in 2021.

Amiss stormed up the AFL Draft calculations during a stunning season for East Perth, booting a staggering 51.15 from just 15 appearances.

By the end of the year, Fremantle swooped with pick eight, making him the first West Aussie picked up in the AFL National Draft that year and two picks ahead of teammate Neil Erasmus who’s also preparing for his first AFL Grand Final.

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His efforts were all the more remarkable considering he was still living in Busselton and commuting for Colts training once a week.

And his driving buddy? Current Brisbane Lions squad member and fellow Busso boy James Tunstill, who also made his senior debut for Busselton the same day as Amiss back in 2021 during a weekend when the WAFL competitions were called off due to COVID lockdowns.

Tunstill played the last of his 11 games this season back in Round 21 against Port Adelaide and has been talked about as a potential Lachie Neale replacement if his appeal is unsuccessful.

“We did a five-hour roundtrip every week so it ended up being a fair number of hours in the car with him,” Tunstill told this writer back in 2021.

“You learn each other’s music interests and podcasts as well, we found out that we both enjoyed our country music so that’s what we mainly listened to on the trips.

South West products Kade Dittmar, James Tunstill, Jye Amiss and Brady Hough during their WA under-19s days.

“We both like Alan Jackson a lot and Luke Combs and a few American lads.

“We spent a lot of time together which made the trips go a bit quicker I think.”

AAMI WA Football State Talent Manager Adam Jones recalled his early memories of Amiss, who was invited to the summer talent squad after showing a bit as a bottom-ager when he kicked 14 goals from eight games.

It was his first State squad since under-12s because of a horror run of injuries.

“In his 17th year he was playing Colts and I reckon off a handful of games, he had like three touches, three goals and just showed glimpses so we included him in the smaller summer program that we were running back then,” Jones said.

“It was over that pre-season that we realised we could have a special player and his footy started to go on a pretty high trajectory that year and the rest is history from there.

“It was clear that he had some outstanding traits and then he really stepped up in his 18th year to become a very good player.”

Fast forward five years and Amiss has now tallied 96 games for the Dockers, kicking 175 goals, and looms as a key player in the club’s search for a drought-breaking maiden AFL title.