(259th Eagles player)
Victorian-born defender Alex Witherden played 62 games for West Coast after four seasons with Brisbane.
Brisbane career[]
After playing TAC Cup for the Geelong Falcons, Witherden was drafted by the Lions early in the 2016 draft despite suffering a serious broken leg during his draft season. He played 53 games in his first three seasons in Brisbane, but was squeezed out of the lineup in 2020, adding just six more games.
West Coast career[]
With Shannon Hurn nearing retirement, West Coast approached Witherden and convinced the contracted defender to move West, securing a trade with the Lions on the final day of the trade period. His first season was stop-start, as the former Lion took his time to break into the senior side and struggled with a groin injury.
Witherden continued to struggle for selection in 2022, falling out of favour in the second half of the year, but had a solid 2023. With the side struggling, he played almost every game and finished in the top ten of the best and fairest. Witherden survived being dropped early in 2024 to play 18 games despite battling a hip complaint, but was surprisingly delisted at the end of the year, finishing his career as an Eagle after 62 games in four seasons.
Post-AFL games[]
Witherden signed with Sydney AFL side Sydney Uni as a playing assistant coach.[1]
Stats[]
| AFL | Gm | G | B | K | M | H | D | T | Cl | WAFL | Gm | G | B | K | M | H | D | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 166 | 59 | 34 | 200 | 18 | 3 | WCE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 46 | 42 | 190 | 17 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 207 | 100 | 72 | 279 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 99 | 46 | 32 | 131 | 7 | ||
| 2023 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 304 | 117 | 140 | 444 | 50 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2024 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 196 | 74 | 112 | 308 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 11 | 17 | 45 | 5 | ||
| Tot | 62 | 3 | 0 | 873 | 350 | 358 | 1231 | 127 | 25 | ||||||||||
| Avg | 0.0 | 14.1 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 19.9 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
News[]
12/11/20: Eagles finalise Witherden deal as trade period concludes
Tribunal record[]
| Year | Rd | Charge | Outcome | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | PS 2 | Rough conduct against A.Brayshaw (Fre) | Accepted 1-match suspension |
References[]
https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/A/Alex_Witherden.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Witherden
https://wafl.com.au/player/alex-witherden
- ↑ Aidan Cellini, zerohanger.com.au (9 January 2025), "Axed Eagles defender locks in new home for 2025": https://www.zerohanger.com/axed-eagles-defender-locks-in-new-home-for-2025-157757/