West Coast NGA prospect Wes Walley opens up on viral name, Eagles draft hopes, nasty shoulder injury

He’s in West Coast’s sights.

Eagles NGA prospect Wes Walley has spent the year making a name for himself, even catching the eye of former AFL player turned footy influencer Daniel Gorringe.

And now the 17-year-old is set to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of West Coast’s draft assistance package as he eyes one of four additional rookie spots at next month’s AFL draft.

Walley is a commentator’s dream.

So was his dad, Wes Walley senior or ‘Buddy’ at home. And so was his grandpa ‘old boy’, the original Wes Walley.

Named after West Indies cricketer Wesley Hall, the moniker now spans three generations of Walley’s, with Wes hoping to be the first to make it to the AFL.

“It would mean the world to me and my family,” Walley said. “My whole family loves footy.

“It would be a dream come true. I’m not fussy, I just want my name called out.”

Walley has long copped it for his unique name, initially much to his frustration.

But he’s grown into it in recent years and now wants to be bigger than the picture books.

Walley went viral in February when Gorringe declared he had the ‘best name in sport,’ a social media post that received nearly 26,000 likes.

After that, everyone knew his name.

“I woke up to 500 mentions on Instagram,” Walley said. “It was pretty incredible.

“I remember when I was lining up for my first goal at league level, they (the opposition) started yelling out ‘Where’s Walley!’

“They’ll say anything to try and put you off your game. It was pretty unexpected to hear league players calling my name.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s good exposure. The jokes come with it. I get it a lot at school.

“At the start, I got a bit annoyed by it, to be honest. But coming into footy and hearing it a lot more, I started enjoying it a lot more.”

West Coast has first dibs on Walley, who is viewed as a late-round or rookie selection.

The Subiaco product has already had a taste of life as an Eagle, training with the club as part of the AFL National Academy earlier this year.

“It was breathtaking,” Walley said. “The level they train at is incredible

“Obviously, it was amazing to train with Harley Reid, but also Tim Kelly. Watching him on TV, then all of a sudden standing next to him, you feel like you can learn so much.

“Also, Reuben Ginbey and the intensity and integrity he plays with.”

Walley also almost lined up for West Coast’s WAFL side late in the season until Subiaco interim coach Nigel Hamilton granted him a league debut.

“It was a 50-50 on what I would do, but I ended up impressing the Subi coaches,” Walley said.

“Nigel pulled me aside one day and said, ‘It’s your time. I want to see your X-factor and everything you can provide.’ I didn’t believe it to be honest.”

After kicking two goals against Vic Country in his only game as an underager last year, Walley played all four of Western Australia’s games at the National Championships in 2025.

He played his entire top age season under duress after unknowingly injuring his shoulder last year, the troublesome joint popping in and out around “three times a game.”

“My strength was slowly decreasing throughout the season, but I was blind to it and didn’t take any precautions,” Walley said. “I just wanted to play footy and boost my draft stocks.

“If I took a contested overhead mark or tried to tackle, most of the time it fell out and I would hold my shoulder for a few seconds. It would pop back in but I was playing in pain. It was a big mindset game.”

Walley has recently had latarjet surgery and is set to be fit for the start of pre-season, ideally in blue and gold.

Walley could be joined by fellow Eagles NGA graduates Tylah Williams and Koby Evans as well as father-son prospect Charlie Banfield.