Australian Football

Andrew Embley played exactly 250 games for West Coast between 1999 and 2013. He played for Swan Districts and Claremont in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) before being recruited by West Coast with the 57th pick overall in the 1998 National Draft. Playing mainly as a wingman, Embley was a vice-captain of the club between 2004 and 2006, and played in the Eagles' 2006 premiership victory over Sydney. In that game, he was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best on ground, becoming the third Eagles player to receive the award. In total, Embley has played 233 games for the club, the most of any current player, and the eighth-most overall. He has also kicked 204 goals, the ninth-most overall, finishing second in the club's goal-kicking ranks in 2003 and 2006.

Andrew Embley was born to Maurice and Anne Embley on 27 June 1981, in Perth, Western Australia. His father is of Anglo-Burmese and Spanish descent and was born in Rangoon, emigrating to Australia in 1964 with his family after the 1962 Burmese coup and settling in Victoria Park. His mother, originally from Ballarat, is of Italian- and Irish Australian descent. His father played reserves football for Perth, and also represented Western Australia in the 1973 national junior athletic championships in Melbourne. Embley's brothers James (17 games) and Michael (eight games) have both played football for the Swan Districts Football Club. Michael Embley also was rookie-listed by West Coast for three seasons from 2004 to 2006, but did not play a senior game for the club.

Embley attended Trinity College in East Perth, and played junior football for the Bassendean Junior Football Club. Embley made his WAFL debut for Swan Districts in 1998, and was recruited by the West Coast Eagles with the 57th pick overall in the 1998 National Draft.

Embley made his debut for West Coast in the Round 1, 1999, Western Derby against Fremantle, gathering nine disposals and taking three marks. He played nine games in total for the season, as well as 13 WAFL games for Claremont as part of a affiliation with West Coast which lasted until 2000. Embley played 28 games over the next two seasons, mainly as a half-forward flanker, scoring 29 goals including three four-goal hauls. He was nominated for the 2000 AFL Rising Star for his efforts against Port Adelaide in round 14.

Embley established himself as a regular part of the Eagles' line-up over the 2003 and 2004 seasons, playing in both losing elimination finals. He kicked 31 goals in 2003 to finish second in the Eagles' goalkicking behind Phil Matera (62 goals). A 25-disposal, four-goal game against Collingwood in round 8, 2003, earned him three Brownlow Medal votes, the first of his career. He was named vice-captain for the 2004 season and also represented Australia in the 2004 International Rules Series.

Embley played 18 games for the Eagles in 2005, including all of the Eagles' finals and the Grand Final loss to Sydney. He played 23 out of a possible 24 games in the Eagles' 2006 season, playing across the half-forward line and wings. Embley alsokicked 31 goals for the season to be the club's second leading-goalkicker behind Quinten Lynch (65 goals). He also gained five Brownlow Medal votes for the season.

Despite injuries late in the season, Embley played a key role in the team's successful final series. He averaged 26 possessions and kicked five goals across the Eagles' three finals matches, despite playing the semi-final against the Western Bulldogs with a paralysed vocal chord. He took a game-saving mark in the preliminary final against Adelaide in a game the Eagles won by 10 points. He was awarded the 2006 Norm Smith Medal as the best-on-ground player in the Eagles' Grand Final win over Sydney for his 26-disposal, two-goal effort.

Embley played only 13 out of a possible 24 games during the 2007 season, missing seven games between rounds 6 and 12 and four games at the end of the season due to a hamstring injury. He was dropped as Eagles vice-captain for the 2007 season. Embley played 42 out of a possible 44 games during the 2008 and 2009 seasons in a shift to a more midfield role. He played his 150th game for the Eagles against the Western Bulldogs in Round 6, 2008 in a 60-point loss, earning life membership of the club. He received three Brownlow votes for a best-on-ground performance against the Western Bulldogs in Round 19, 2009, getting 32 possessions and scoring four goals.

Embley played 20 games in 2010, including his 200th game in the AFL against Adelaide in Round 10. Embley started the 2011 season with two best-on-ground efforts against North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, and went on to play a pivotal role in the Eagles' stunning rise up the ladder, culminating in a top four finish after a wooden spoon the previous year.

Embley suffered a setback the Eagles' Round 2, 2012 game against Melbourne, when he sustained a shoulder injury that was expected to sideline him for up to 16 weeks. Emblem returned late in the season to play finals. He retired at the end of the 2013 season.