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Tom Cole
Photo: aflphotos.com
DOB
28/5/97
Height
185cm
Weight
80 kg
Junior club
Bendigo Pioneers/Sandhurst JFC
Arrived
Pick 36 in the 2015 national draft
Number
Debut
Round 10 2016 vs Gold Coast
(227th Eagles player)
Games
113
Goals
4
Honours
Premiership medal (2018)
B&F Top 10
2 (2021, 2024)
Best Finish
8th (2024)
Other clubs
Bendigo (TAC Cup) 2015
East Perth (WAFL) 2016-2018

Defender Tom Cole was a member of the 2018 premiership side after being drafted from country Victoria in the 2015 national draft.

West Coast career[]

Hailing from Sandhurst, the junior club that produced the Selwood brothers, Cole represented Vic Country and played several VFL matches for Geelong before being drafted to West Coast. On being drafted, Cole was described as a classy medium defender/midfielder who was highly skilled by hand and foot and thrived in contested situations.

Cole immediately showed great promise on a half-back flank at East Perth, showing a willingness to run and take the game on, and after eight straight weeks as an emergency finally broke through for two senior games mid-year. His form tailed off slightly later in the year as the long season took its toll.

After a decent pre-season campaign, Cole suffered a quad injury on the eve of the 2017 season. He recovered to be a solid performer in the backline at WAFL level, and managed to add four senior games following the mid-season bye. On track for a Round 1 berth following a strong pre-season in 2018, Cole suffered the tragic loss of his father Russell to cancer on the eve of the season.[1] He was called up early in the season and became a fixture in defence from that point on, earning a Rising Star nomination late in the year and a premiership medal on Grand Final day.

Cole struggled to find the same form in 2019, and after playing the first 12 games was dropped in favour of Jackson Nelson. He returned for two games, but spent the rest of the latter half of the year in the reserves. Hampered at the start of 2020 by a fractured thumb, Cole broke into the side during the club's unsuccessful first Gold Coast hub stint, and became one of the year's success stories. Used on the wing on occasion, he kicked the first three goals of his career over a three-game period. He continued that form through 2021, playing every game in a defence that was under siege at times, and finishing in the top ten of the best and fairest for the first time.

Unfortunately, he was able to build on that the following season, with an ankle injury suffered during the pre-season keeping him out for the year and seeing him placed on the inactive list. Cole almost lost a second straight season after suffering a stress reaction in the same ankle, but was able to return in the second half of the 2023 and played the final couple of months, proving a calming presence in an under-fire defence.

Finally getting a clear run in 2024, Cole played every game, generally in defence with the occasional stint on a wing, bringing up his 100th appearance during the year and finishing in the top 10 of the best and fairest.

Stats[]

AFL Gm G B K M H D T Cl WAFL Gm G B K M H D T
2016 2 0 0 13 8 13 26 2 1 EP 16 2 1 132 65 167 299 20
2017 4 0 0 17 7 16 33 10 0 10 0 0 74 31 75 149 33
2018 21 0 1 151 73 124 275 51 6 2 1 0 14 4 13 27 4
2019 14 0 0 107 67 53 160 47 8 WCE 7 0 0 80 29 38 118 22
2020 15 3 0 95 49 62 157 30 7 N/A
2021 22 0 0 203 105 98 301 44 8 WCE 0
2022 0 0
2023 12 1 0 108 67 86 194 29 5 0
2024 23 0 1 222 98 137 359 71 14 0
Tot 113 4 2 916 474 589 1505 284 49
Avg 0.0 8.1 4.2 5.2 13.3 2.5 0.4

News[]

24/11/15: Midfielder heads all-interstate draft crop

5/5/16: Uncapped defender signs extension

26/5/16: Cole to debut against Suns

30/7/18: Defender receives Rising Star gong

2/11/18: Premiership trio re-sign

Tribunal record[]

Year Rd Charge Outcome
2019 6 Misconduct against G.Miers (GEE) Accepted $1,000 fine
2019 15 (WAFL) Striking T.Reed (SF) Withdrawn by Match Review Panel

References[]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cole_(footballer)

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/T/Tom_Cole.html

http://www.wafl.com.au/players/view/6463

  1. Bridget Lacy, The West Australian (31 July 2018), "Late father driving Rising Star nominee Tom Cole’s success at West Coast": https://thewest.com.au/sport/west-coast-eagles/late-father-driving-rising-star-nominee-tom-coles-success-at-west-coast-ng-b88913179z
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