Hille gets reward of Grand Final for dedicationSaturday, September 21, 2024 - 2:05 PM - by Chris Pike

WHEN Shayne Hille made his 2015 WAFL debut at East Perth he had every reason to expect to play in a Grand Final before his 131st game, but the hard work and dedication to his craft is now worth it for the chance at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Hille was playing colts at the Royals in 2013 and 2014 when the league team played in Grand Finals in each season so when he moved into the senior program in 2015 and made his league debut that season, he had every reason to expect to be part of plenty of finals.

He has turned himself into a crucial member of the East Perth team over his 130-game career as a crafty small forward with the ability to kick crucial goals, apply plenty of pressure and really, play a role not many other people want to.

However, success has been a long time coming and it wasn’t until two weeks ago that Hille got to play in the first winning final of his career when East Perth beat Swan Districts in the second semi-final.

That win now means that Hille gets the chance to play in his first Grand Final this Sunday afternoon at Optus Stadium also against Peel Thunder, and it's hard to imagine many people more deserving of the long-awaited opportunity.

Feeling ahead of Grand Final

Now that he is 130 games into his WAFL career and 28 years of age having made his debut at East Perth back in 2015, Hille can't hide how excited he is now be getting ready for Sunday's Grand Final against Peel at Optus Stadium.

It has been something he has been waiting a decade to be part of having memories of watching the 2014 Grand Final at Subiaco Oval back on a wet and dreary day where the Royals lost to Subiaco.

East Perth hasn’t been back to a Grand Final since and he can't wait to be part of it now on Sunday.

"I'm feeling excited more than anything. Having had to wait so long to get there and realising that it's not every year you get to have these runs at a Grand Final let alone a finals series and finishing on top, there's just that real feeling of excitement," Hille said.

"I think the nerves are just because you want to get out there and play, and I'm not thinking too far ahead worrying about the result.

"Win or lose it's a fantastic opportunity to play in a Grand Final so I want to enjoy the occasion, and then once we're out there you want to perform your best and do what you can to contribute to a win.

"But at the end of the day this is what you've worked for your whole life, and for me it's been the last 10 years at the footy club. So just to get out there and run around on Sunday will be a dream come true. Then hopefully after that if we're standing there with the cup in our hands that will be the ultimate reward."

Sticking with it waiting for success

When Hille was coming through the colts at East Perth and watching the league team play in the Grand Finals in 2013 and 2014, he had no idea that it would be a decade before another appearance but he also knew it wouldn’t be an easy team to break into.

With the Royals still in partnership with the West Coast Eagles, Hille knew that opportunities might be tough to come across as he moved into the senior program, but what he has done now over 130 games is make himself an invaluable member of the team.

He has done that by playing the role of a small forward who takes his opportunities, puts on great pressure and more than anything, has become the ultimate team player and teammate.

Even through the tough times in the back end of the alignment with West Coast and then the growing pains of some lean years when the Royals were rebuilding, Hille always remained committed to East Perth and is now glad that he did.

"I played colts that year in 2014 and watching the Grand Final on a wet and wild day against Subi, and I was dreaming of being out there myself coming into the senior team the next year," Hilel said.

"Because we were an aligned side I wasn’t really expecting to get any games at that point because West Coast were a pretty strong team, but lucky enough I found a spot in the side that the team needed when I was young.

"I've kind of made that my own and that's something that I am proud of from that perspective. I've probably played a role that a lot of people don't want to play, but I've made it my own and from there have been able to forge a pretty good career for the most part in terms of longevity.

"Playing 130 games is not a number many people reach these days and hopefully there's a few more, but I'm absolutely proud of what I've been able to accomplish so far and hopefully there's more to come.

"I've always had a great support network around me with my parents, and family and friends, and a partner to get me through it all."

Challenging small forward role

The role that Hille has played now right throughout his 130-game career isn’t the most glamorous one and it isn’t the one that might grab the headlines like his big name teammates Hamish Brayshaw, Angus Schumacher or Mitch Crowden.

However, it is the sort of role that is so crucial for the Royals because of the defensive pressure he applies in the forward-line, the important goals he kicks and the link in the chain he can be from defenders or midfielders, to his taller forward teammates.

It's a role he never saw himself playing having always been a midfielder before Brian Dawson saw this role for him ahead of his debut in 2015.

And he also thought at times he might move into the midfield at some point, but now that he has made a career out of it, he's proud of the position in the team he's been able to make his own.

"I started my whole career and all my juniors, and even colts, as a midfield and inside midfielder at times. I was small in stature, but certainly the contact and physicality never worried me and I enjoyed those hits and everything," Hille said.

"Then I had the speed and skills to break away from stoppages, but when you move up into the big ranks and are surrounded by a lot of boys who are similar if not better than you, and stronger and fitter, then you just have to find a way to differentiate yourself.

"When I first got the tap on the shoulder from Brian Dawson to play against Perth as a small forward, I thought eventually I might move back into the midfield.

"But now all these years later, I'm glad I stayed in this role and it's something I've been able to make my own and I've enjoyed it, and the challenge of it every week."

Journey for East Perth to this point

After Hille had found his feet in the East Perth team in the first four years of his career, suddenly the Royals were almost back to square one to build a competitive senior team once the alignment ended with West Coast at the end of 2018.

Hille wanted to be part of building up the Royals culture first and foremost, and then building up a playing group who could grow together and eventually be part of success once the hard yards have been done.

Looking back now and Hille was part of a reserves Grand Final team in 2018 with plenty of pieces there that the more success they are enjoying now was there including Stan Wright, Nathan Eaton, Christian Ameduri and Kye Willcocks.

There were some hard times in those early years post alignment, but East Perth were clearly on the rise and with some targeted recruiting combined with the local contingent, the growth has been impressive.

President Bronte Howson and chief executive Dean Turner had a vision and the Royals were back to finals in 2023, and now are minor premiers and into a Grand Final in 2024, and Hille couldn’t be prouder to have been part of the journey.

"I've felt like at times I've been around a couple of different clubs at East Perth in my time. We had the alignment era, the post alignment era, and now what is hopefully the more successful era," Hille said.

"We did start from the bottom. We built the foundation of good people both on and off the field at the football club, and we focused heavily on local talent and invested a lot of time into boys through our metro and country zones.

"A lot of them now are starting to reap the rewards and it's great to see guys like Stan Wright, Kye Willcocks, Christian Ameduri, Sam Van Diemen, Scott Jones, Nathan Eaton now starting to reach those 50 or 100 games.

"To have been part of that and seeing that growth it all started from building a culture that we wanted to do together.

"The big thing was that we have come to today is that we've all dug in through the hard times and now this is some of the reward for that, and Bronte and Dean have been instrumental in setting that up for us.

"East Perth is now the place that other people want to be at which is something to take pride in with how far we've come."

Best two teams in Grand Final

While at different times during the 2024 season Swan Districts, Claremont, East Fremantle and South Fremantle looked capable of being contenders, it's hard to say anything but the best two teams are now in Sunday's Grand Final.

East Perth and Peel have been jostling over top spot all season, they played off for the minor premiership in Round 21, and now they are doing battle in the decider at Optus Stadium.

The Royals and Thunder have a win each against one another this season too, and Hille is expecting nothing less than one hell of a contest now in his first Grand Final in the 131st game of his career.

"It's a bit of a changing of the guard as well which is exciting to be part of to see teams like Swans being up there again along with ourselves and then even Peel and East Freo last year compared to going back a few years when it was always Subi, South and West Perth winning," Hille said.

"To be playing off against Peel, we lost against them in Round 3 and then we beat them a couple of weeks ago, and there hasn’t been too much between the two teams. For both of u to walk out there on Sunday, it's a credit to both sides and we're in for a cracking game of football that's for sure."