Matt Flynn on West Coast Eagles ruck role: ‘No. 1 role was never locked down’

SuperCoaches – take note. Matt Flynn says he and Bailey Williams are still fighting for the No. 1 ruck role at the Eagles, with Flynn opening up on being dropped after Round 1.

His start to life as an Eagle hasn’t gone to plan but West Coast ruck Matt Flynn is confident a new identity will set him up for success in 2025.

Flynn managed just four senior games last year after crossing from Greater Western Sydney. Just days before round one, the 27-year-old suffered a freak injury during a ruck drill at training, forcing him to undergo surgery to repair a detached tendon where the hamstring meets the knee.

He eventually made his club debut in round 12 but injured his ankle four games later. Unable to cement the No. 1 ruck spot that had been slated as his during pre-season, Flynn spent the remainder of 2024 in the WAFL.

The 202cm big man looked destined to make amends this year and pipped Bailey Williams to the post in round 1 against Gold Coast. But after losing hit-outs 68-13, Flynn was omitted.

Matt Flynn was soundly beaten by Jarrod Witts in Round 1. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

He returned to the WAFL and dominated the opening fortnight of the competition, averaging 23.5 disposals, 49.5 hit-outs, six marks and 1.5 goals against Subiaco and East Fremantle.

After a month in the wilderness, Flynn was named to return against Essendon and produced his best game in the blue and gold.

Flynn finished with 19 disposals, 28 hit-outs, 447 metres gained and seven marks against the Bombers, the eighth-best performance by an Eagles ruckman since Nic Naitanui played his last game in late 2022 using ranking points as a guide.

“I think personally, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs throughout my career and I’ve always just looked back on why I play football and the player I want to be,” Flynn told this masthead after Friday’s loss.

“I went back to WAFL and tried to be a bit of the leader in that space and I just poured myself into the team and tried to help those around me.

“That coincided with me playing some good footy and creating a bit of an identity down there that I want to be known for … to be a presence in the ruck and then to try to impact around the ground. And then to come here today and crack in against Sam Draper who’s played some great footy over the last month, it was really good.

“It’s been an up and down year and hopefully I get a bit more continuity, but I’m loving it over here at the moment, hopefully, we can get some more wins.”

Flynn said he never lost hope of forcing his way back into West Coast’s best 23 but he knows he’ll have to perform to stay ahead of the chasing pack.

“Throughout the pre-season, the number one role was never locked down,” he said. “It still isn’t.

“To lose that spot was disappointing. Then Baz played some good footy against Brisbane and I did my best to support him.

“I guess I didn’t look too much into it. Witts is a good ruckman. I did some good things I’m proud of but there are some things that I’d like to take back. I’m nowhere near the completed product and I don’t think I ever will be. There’s still a lot of work to do.

“It’s good to see reward for effort. It was a great feeling to be told you’re coming back into the side and then the boys performing the way they did … it’s a great feeling to be back amongst it. Hopefully, I’ll hold my spot for the rest of the year and get a couple more wins along the way.”

West Coast faces Hawthorn on Sunday.

Originally published as Matt Flynn on West Coast Eagles ruck role: ‘No. 1 role was never locked down’