LOUREY CONTINUES TO BE THE ANSWER FOR FALCONS IN ATTACK

A KEY forward target has been something West Perth has been craving for some time and Michael Lourey has delivered just what the Falcons were after in 2015 as the leading tall goal kicker in the WAFL, and now he hopes the ultimate success as a team is only two wins away.

West Perth did win the 2013 premiership without that one key forward target that could hold down full-forward instead relying on a host of different options in attack.

While that proved successful, the Falcons remained on the lookout for a true full-forward who could provide a strong target in attack, kick his two or three goals a week, take some big marks and at least create a contest, and that's where Lourey came into play.

Following 141 goals in 70 games in the VFL with Frankston and Sandringham, including representing Victoria against Western Australia in Northam in 2013, Lourey was looking for a fresh start with his football and the 25-year-old signed on with West Perth in 2015.

The fit has been tremendous for club and player with Lourey having played all 20 home and away games, plus last week's 109-point qualifying final win over Peel Thunder, and kicking 39 goals so far.

That only sees him behind Subiaco's Shane Yarran, Peel Thunder's Leroy Jetta and Claremont's Jack Bradshaw on the WAFL's goal kicking list, none of them who are key position players, and he has been a pivotal part in West Perth now being one win away from a grand final.

Whether it comes this Sunday against Subiaco in the second semi-final at Medibank Stadium or potentially in the preliminary final next Sunday at HBF Arena, West Perth's next win will cement a second grand final for the Falcons in the last three years.

However, for Lourey it will make a nice change for him to be involved in the business end of a season having not played in a final at all until this year since 2008 in the VFL with Frankston.

One of the main selling points from West Perth to get Lourey to sign was the chance for that team success he craved, and now the big man is excited knowing it's so close.

"The club approached me and saw themselves as being similar to Hawthorn back in 2008 when they probably got one before they were ready, and then missed out the next year and then after that were primed for success. I thought that sounded like something I wanted to part of and now we are one win away from the grand final," Lourey said.

"My last premiership would have been about under-15s back in the juniors, so it doesn’t really count. So it's been a life dream to win a premiership in senior footy and hopefully that can happen this year. It's an exciting time of the year now and I just can't wait to get out there on Sunday, and hopefully we get the win to get the week off."

Lourey is now looking forward to Sunday's second semi-final where his likely opponent will be Subiaco's five-time premiership winning full-back Darren Rumble.

He has already played on him twice this season so is looking forward to another contest against the 227-game veteran who has played for WA five times and in the five flags for the Lions.

And then up the other end of the ground, Lourey hopes to end up kicking more goals than Subiaco full-forward Matt Boland whom the pair have plenty of history together going back to school days in Melbourne and in the VFL with Sandringham.

"The first time we played them we went with them for the first quarter and then the rain came, and we slipped off a bit. The last time we played them our backs just stopped everything that went in and we had a good win. I think this will be a good, tight tussle and hopefully we can come out on top," he said.

"He (Rumble) is tough. He is strong and experienced, and it will be a good match up again for me. He's a good player so I look forward to the challenge of going up against someone with so much finals experience.

"I went to school with Matt and then at Sandy I played with him for a couple of years. He's probably one of the best marks I've ever seen, and he doesn’t miss hardly when he gets a chance because he's a great set shot. He's a good player but I'd definitely like to kick more goals than him this week."

Lourey is no stranger to being the main focal point in attack like he is at West Perth this season, but the larger grounds in the WAFL is something he has enjoyed to allow him find more space and to both get out on the lead up the ground, and to stay closer to goal at different times.

"For most of my time at Frankston and Sandy I played full-forward or centre half-forward so I have been a focal point, and it's good that people put a lot of trust in you to be the person for them to kick to," Lourey said.

"The grounds are just so much bigger over here so there aren’t as many stoppages or congestion like there is back Melbourne. A ground like Port Melbourne might fit into a lot of grounds over here two or three times, so you just have to run a lot more over here and you have a bit more space to work in, so that's good as a forward."

West Perth might be a tight-knit playing group having shared the 2013 league and 2014 reserves premiership together, but Lourey settled in quickly upon arrival for pre-season training in January.

He now has quickly enjoyed having the service from midfielders like Rohan Kerr, Andrew Strijk, Aaron Black and Shane Nelson as well, while continuing to be amazed that fellow key position players Marcus Adams and Nick Rodda are still so young.

"It took me pretty much one or two weeks to settle in and now I couldn’t think of anywhere else I'd rather play. I'm so happy that they got me over here and now I just can't picture myself playing at any other club," he said.

"When I first got here, I couldn’t believe that Marcus and Rods were only 21 and I just couldn’t believe the size of them. Both those guys have ridiculous marking ability and are extremely good players so I enjoy when they are up forward with me, and I am glad I don’t have them defending me.

"The midfielders and backmen make it pretty easy for the forwards when we have so many good players up there like Strijk, Nelson and Black who hit you up all the time like they do. So my job is pretty easy."

While football whether at AFL or state league level seems to leave full-forwards like Lourey ending up with smaller goal tallies at the end of a season nowadays, it doesn’t diminish their importance and there's little question he had a significant impact on the Falcons ending up in second position.

However, Lourey doesn’t feel too much pressure to kick a bag of goals or to take a handful of big marks given that he knows if he at least creates a contest, then Matt Johnson, Steve Potente, Kody Manning and the like will all be ready to swoop at ground level.

"I think footy in general has changed a lot where there just isn’t many of us big forwards. I looked over the weekend at the VFL as well and the top goal kicker kicked 38 or 40 just like over here so it seems like those leading goal kickers end up kicking less and less goals every year," Lourey said.

"I know that every time I can make a contest and bring the ball to the ground that the boys will swoop on to the ball, and all of them can snap goals quickly and kick multiple goals. So the other teams can stop one or two of our forwards but we've got so many options with guys who can kick three or four, so it's a good forward-line to be part of.