WAFL Star Returns to Country Roots
Former Swan Districts midfielder Aidan Clarke has officially been cleared to return to his junior club, marking the end of his State league career and a homecoming for the talented footballer. The dynamic player made his 100th appearance at WAFL level during the final home and away round of the 2025 season before deciding to return to his football origins.
Bulldogs Welcome Back Local Talent
Clarke will rejoin the South West Football League side Bunbury, where he previously starred as a junior. The footballer had an impressive underage career representing Western Australia and claimed the prestigious Pike Medal for best on ground in the Bulldogs' 2017 grand final victory. After committing to Swan Districts full-time in 2019, which followed a stint with Lower South West Football League side Deanmill, Clarke now completes his football journey by returning to where it all began.
He won't be making the move alone either. Harry Creasey, another Bulldogs junior and former West Coast WAFL player who won the Eagles' reserves best and fairest award in 2022, will also return to Bunbury. Creasey played a crucial role in Bunbury's run to the 2024 grand final but spent the previous year with Melville in the Perth Football League.
Adding to the Bulldogs' strengthened lineup is Brenton Hilton, a former teammate of Clarke's who has been a regular in Swan Districts' league side over the past two seasons. These significant additions will bolster a Bunbury side that showed promising form early in the 2025 season, winning their first seven games before ultimately suffering defeat in the preliminary final against Busselton.
Coaching Changes in South West Football
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the SWFL, East Fremantle premiership star Cody Leggett has been appointed as the new coach of Donnybrook. Leggett, currently playing for Wanderers in the Northern Territory Football League, retired from State league football earlier this year after an impressive 139-game career spanning 11 years with both the Sharks and Perth, including a grand final victory in 2023.
Football's transfer window is set to close for the year on Sunday before reopening for the 2026 season at the start of February, giving clubs limited time to finalise their playing rosters.
Premier Cricket Stars Shine at WACA
In other Western Australian sports news, some of Premier Cricket's most promising talents will have the opportunity to showcase their skills on the hallowed turf of the WACA Ground in coming weeks, potentially pressing their claims for Big Bash League selection.
Continuing an initiative launched last year, WA Cricket has organised three T20 matches at the iconic venue featuring Perth's top cricketers, divided into teams representing the city's northern and southern regions. The first contest took place on Tuesday night, with subsequent matches scheduled for December 9 and December 22.
Among the standout participants in the initial game was Will Malajczuk, an 18-year-old from Subiaco-Floreat who earned selection in WA's squad for their first One-Day Cup game this season and even spent a day training with the Australian squad last week. Also featuring was Brock Larance from Willetton, the Premier T20 competition's leading run-scorer.
The Perth Scorchers recently completed their 18-player squad for the upcoming BBL campaign with the signing of WA fast bowler Brody Couch, though the club maintains the ability to call up replacement players should any squad members be lost to national selection or injury. At least one position could become available due to the expected absence of wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who will likely spend much of the summer with the Test squad.
Several established Scorchers players participated in Tuesday's contest, including Mahli Beardman and Nick Hobson, alongside WA-contracted players Keaton Critchell, Baxter Holt, Teague Wyllie, Corey Wasley, Simon Budge and Jordan Quiggin, demonstrating the depth of talent in Western Australian cricket.
