West Coast debutant Lucca Grego’s former coach says newest Eagle is tough like Joel Selwood

West Coast’s latest debutant Lucca Grego has drawn comparisons to Geelong great Joel Selwood ahead of his first game against Sydney. Grego will become the Eagles’ 10th debutant this season and final from the 2024 draft class after being named at half-back to take on the Swans at Optus Stadium on Saturday. Former Sydney and St Kilda forward Trent Dennis-Lane coached Grego at Western Jets before he was drafted by West Coast and praised the teenager as a “tough little cookie”. “What you see is what you get with him,” Dennis-Lane told The West Australian. “He loves having a dip, there’s that little bit of Joel Selwood about him in the way he puts his head over the ball. “He’ll cop the knock, cop the hit, blood, stitches — just strap me up, get me back out there and keep going. He’s been doing that since he was 16 when I first met him so he’s a little tough cookie.” The sentiment was echoed by teammate Tom McCarthy, who said Grego was “strong for a young fella”. “He’s got good skills and good power coming off half-back,” McCarthy said. “His running power is pretty good. I think the one thing you’ll get composure in is his kicking and breaking the lines. “I think they will complement each other well.” Grego’s late season debut is a reward for persistence for the 18-year-old who has played every game for West Coast’s WAFL side to break into the team. Dennis-Lane said he was not surprised that the 184cm defender would push for his first appearance so late in the year because of his “never-give-up attitude”. “Grego is probably one of the best self-starters I’ve ever come across,” he said. “He was always in at training first. I knew what time it was by when he’d roll through the doors. He used to get in about 4.30pm, which is about two hours before training would start and he’d want to do some weights, do some tape work, do some touch, do some craft. He was always looking for that little extra way to get better. “I always used to say to the recruiters, he’s the most professional kid in the Coates League. That was his point of differenc,e which is going to help shape his career moving forward. “It’s probably why he is debuting in the last game of the year because he has that never-give-up attitude which is awesome to watch when you’re coaching him.” Drafted with pick No.48 last year as a midfielder who could also play in defence, Grego captained the Jets, averaging 23 touches. Dennis-Lane said Grego was so versatile that he could play anywhere if needed. “He can play anywhere, which is a great tool to have, especially in the AFL. Versatility is key because it opens so many doors for you,” he said. “We started him off as a midfielder. There were higher-level opportunities at Vic Metro on the half-back line, so he plugged into that for a bit, and then he went back to playing as a midfielder at the Jets in his top-age year because we needed our best players around the ball. “Anywhere from midfield to half-back is suited for him but he can pinch hit forward as well. He knows where the goals are. He didn’t kick overly straight in his bottom-age year for us, but he had a few shots, so he knows where the sticks are.”