West Coast Eagles Wiki
Alex Witherden
Photo: aflphotos.com.au
DOB
10/9/98
Height
186cm
Weight
80 kg
Junior club
Geelong Falcons/St Joseph's JFC
Arrived
Traded from Brisbane at the end of the 2020 season with pick 86 for pick 58 and 2021 SYD third-round pick
Number
Debut
Round 5 2021 vs Collingwood
(259th Eagles player)
Games
62
Goals
3
B&F Top 10
1
Best Finish
8th (2023)
Last app.
Round 23 2024 vs Carlton
Departed
Delisted at the end of the 2024 season
Other clubs
Geelong (TAC Cup) 2016
Brisbane (AFL) 2017-2020
Sydney Uni (Sydney AFL) 2025

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

  1. 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/