WAFL Ones To Watch : Michael Sellwood (Peel Thunder)Monday, May 19, 2025 - 11:11 AM

Premiership WAFL player Michael Sellwood has generated buzz around AFL circles for some time now.

He had a consistent draft year and immediately broke into Peel Thunder’s league team the following season to play 15 games.

Sellwood would be a handy addition to any AFL list with a mix of youth and experience on his side.

As a ball winning defender, Sellwood has made a habit of accumulating the football, having averaged 23.7 disposals per game this year including 30 two weekends ago against West Perth, as well as taking 7.5 marks per outing.

His disposal by foot is impactful, with a penetrating left boot his main weapon.

Peel players know he is a threat off half back and try to get the footy into his hands as much as possible, trusting him to begin their forays forward.

Opposition forwards know how damaging Sellwood can be but have had trouble stopping his impact over the last few seasons.

Now in career best form after 42 WAFL league games, the 21-year-old collected 19 disposals and was one of the better players for the Kia WA State team in their 30 point victory over South Australia at the weekend.

Sellwood also has a history of winning, having played in three consecutive Grand Finals in the last three years.

In 2022 he was an important part of Peel Thunder’s WAFL Colts premiership, defeating West Perth by just two points after surviving a late scare from the Falcons.

Alongside now AFL players Clay Hall (West Coast) and Josh Draper (Fremantle), Sellwood’s 20 disposals and nine tackles that day were crucial to the victory.

In 2023, after breaking into the Thunder’s League side as a 19-year-old he was a member of the Grand Final team that fell to East Fremantle at Optus Stadium.

2024 was the year that Sellwood established himself as one of the top players in the WAFL competition at just 20 years old, playing 21 matches and averaging more than 19 touches per game as well as seven marks per contest.

He played a pivotal role in the Thunder’s ascent from runners-up to premiers, starring in the Grand Final last season at Optus Stadium against flag favourites East Perth, with 21 disposals, four marks and three tackles.

After breaking out in 2024, Sellwood has now become one of the most reliable players in Western Australia, backed in by senior coach Adam Read to be Peel’s main distributor out of defence and entrusted with a major role in their gameplan.

The 186cm prospect has an elite work rate and was stiff to miss out on being added to an AFL list at the end of last season.

He has spent time training with the Fremantle Dockers in the past, matching it with the talented list under Justin Longmuir, and attracted interest from multiple clubs prior to November’s AFL draft and the subsequent pre-season Supplemental Selection Period.

Sellwood will be an exciting player to watch as Peel Thunder seek to climb back up the ladder and into finals contention again.