Willem Duursma has earned bragging rights over his three older siblings by going with pick No.1 in the AFL draft.
West Coast picked the 18-year-old utility with the first pick in Wednesday night’s draft.
Duursma joins older brothers Xavier (Essendon) and Zane (North Melbourne) in the AFL, while sister Yasmin plays for Carlton in the AFLW.
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But the youngest Duursma trumped his siblings by going the highest in the draft.
Xavier, who at 25 is the eldest, went at pick No.18 to Port Adelaide in 2018 before moving to Essendon at the end of 2023.
Zane just completed his second season at North Melbourne after being taken with pick No.4 in 2023, while sister Jasmin was originally taken by Port Adelaide with pick No.45 in 2022 before joining Carlton.
Former No.1 pick Harley Reid was on stage to hand Duursma his fresh West Coast jumper.
The pair know each other well after Reid had a relationship with Duursma’s sister, Yasmin
During the interview, Duursma was asked about his athletic prowess and whether Olympics were on the horizon if things didn’t work out in the AFL.
“Don’t think I’m that good of an athlete,” he responded before being asked about his love of superhero action comics.
“You’re a big superhero fan. You read a lot of comic books, bit of Batman and Robin action with you and Harley next year?” asked former Hawthorn star Ben Dixon.
Duursma was quick to respond: “If I’m Batman,” he said to roars of laughter in the room.
Presenter Sarah Jones loved it: “If I’m a Batman … love the swagger there.”
St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna said: “Harley won’t like that … Harley’s Batman.”
Duursma stands at 193cm and can play all over the ground. He has showcased elite ability off halfback, but it’s when he has been injected into the midfield that his talent really shines through.
The Gippsland product models his game on Western Bulldogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli and it’s easy to see why.
Speaking to 7NEWS a week before the draft, Duursma said he was happy moving to another state.
“Ever since I’ve really picked up a footy, I’ve just waited for this moment trying to get drafted and then, yeah, it’s finally here,” he told 7NEWS.
“Whether it’s West Coast, whether it’s anywhere else, like, it’d be unreal to go there,” Willem said.
The boy from Gippsland is already a rockstar in his hometown of Foster, two hours east of Melbourne.
While he has already made a name for himself on the footy field, he is also very handy on the stage and still performs as a member of mum Susie’s dance academy.
He performed three shows this week and on Tuesday nights this year, taught ballet and tap.
“It’s definitely helped, you know, especially being 193cm, so obviously you’ve got to be able to move well,” he said.
“Otherwise, you know, you get found out going up against smaller mids.
“But I think that it’s definitely helped. I think that as much as I hate to say it, and (mum) claims it.”
More to come …
