By Lance Jenkinson
In only his 15th AFL game, Daniel Venables got to experience the exhilaration of winning an AFL premiership.
The Keilor junior and Western Jets product had to pinch himself in the rooms after the West Coast Eagles’ win as it all felt a bit surreal.
“It’s a dream come true,” Venables said. “No words can really explain it. It’s just an awesome feeling.”
Venables shared a special moment out on the ground with teammate Liam Duggan.
They were once teammates at the Western Jets and reunited when Venables was drafted in 2016.
“I got a photo with him with both of us being from the Jetters,” Venables said. “It’s awesome for us two. I played a bit of juniors with him and now I’ve won an AFL flag with him.”
What a day it was for the Western Jets’ program.
Three Jets alumni featured on AFL grand final day, but there were both cheers and tears.
The pain was all on Collingwood forward Will Hoskin-Elliott, inconsolable after his 100th AFL game was ruined by a late match-winning goal from West Coast’s Dom Sheed. But Hoskin-Elliott, 25, did himself and the western suburbs proud on the big day. He finished with 18 disposals, five marks and a goal. It was a break-out year for Hoskin-Elliott, who recorded 42 goals for the season.
Premiership medal or not, Hoskin-Elliott will continue to be revered at his local club, North Sunshine.
The day, however, belonged to Duggan, Venables and the Eagles’ 22.
Venables had a big finals series for West Coast, but was quiet in the grand final with just four possessions.
When the final siren went, the stats mattered little as he had become an AFL premiership player.
“I was on the bench at the final siren and we just started bolting on to the field,” he said.
“We went pretty crazy. You play footy to win a flag and we’ve just won one.”
After joyously celebrating with a “fair crew” of friends and family in the Eagles’ changerooms, Venables harked back to where it all began.
“It was awesome growing up and playing all my junior footy at Keilor,” he said.
“It’s a great program down there and there’s a fair crew of Keilor boys running around in the AFL.
“I’d like to thank the Western Jets, Keilor and Essendon Grammar for the opportunities they gave me.”
Venables was a finalist of the Don Deeble Rising Star award in 2016.
