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WESTERN BULLDOGS SELECT MARCUS ADAMS IN AFL DRAFT

Tuesday, November 24, 2015 - 9:42 PM by Chris Pike

WEST Perth has provided another AFL talent with Marcus Adams rewarded for his outstanding work the last two years with the Falcons selected by the Western Bulldogs at the Draft in Adelaide on Tuesday night.

Adams was taken by the Bulldogs with selection No. 35 at the AFL Draft at the Adelaide Convention Centre giving the 22-year-old the chance to now show his talents at the top level that he's shown with West Perth the past two years.

The 22-year-old originally came through the ranks at Swan Districts and played colts, reserves and league football in 2011 but then took a break from WAFL football for two years.

He resurfaced at West Perth in 2014 and spent the majority of the season performing well as a hard leading, strong marking and long kicking centre half-forward.

However, it was late in the year when he truly found his calling when he was used in a key defensive role. After showing good signs over the last month of 2014 in defence, that's where Adams spent all of 2015 to great effect.

His speed to close down his opponents, strength to win one-on-one contests, spoiling and marking ability, and then pace to run and carry the ball and long kicking skills all contributed to him becoming one of the best defenders in the WAFL and in turn a draft prospect.

Adams always was likely to be taken in Tuesday's AFL Draft and it was the Western Bulldogs who picked him up with selection No. 35. 

The drafting of Adams continues an outstanding 2015 for West Perth products in the AFL.

Four players from West Perth took part in the grand final between Hawthorn and West Coast, and several stars reached significant milestones.

Brad Hill played in his third successive premiership with Hawthorn in 2015 to continue the remarkable start to his AFL career while his Hawks beat an Eagles team in the grand final featuring West Perth draftees Mark LeCras, Jack Darling and Mark Hutchings.

On top of that during 2015, Nathan van Berlo reached 200 AFL games with Adelaide, Stephen Hill brought up 150 with Fremantle as did LeCras at West Coast while Darling also played game No. 100 at the Eagles.

Rohan Bewick (Brisbane Lions), Blake Acres (St Kilda) and Nick Robertson (Brisbane Lions) all had good seasons in 2015 as well at their respective clubs where they will remain again in 2016.

While Adams was West Perth's only player selected in the National Draft on Tuesday night, there is another opportunity for the likes of Clint Hinchliffe in the Rookie Draft on Friday morning.

In all, there were seven players from the WAFL system in 2015 selected in Tuesday's draft.

South Fremantle's Callum Ah Chee was the first taken at selection No. 8 by the Gold Coast Suns followed by Peel Thunder's Josh Schoenfeld (Gold Coast) at 34 and Adams at 35.

Claremont's Declan Mountford (North Melbourne) was the next to be selected from the WAFL at No. 60 followed by Subiaco's Shane Yarran (Fremantle) at 61 and Sam Menegola (Geelong) at 66, and Swan Districts defender Nathan Broad (Richmond) at 67.