West Coast's No.1 Pick Was $203k at Round 0. He's $410k Now, Averaging 68.5 for the Worst Team in the Competition. The Registry Has Been Right About Him All Season.

From "hold if you have him" at $203k to back-to-back 100s at $410k — here's the full Willem Duursma story, round by round.

Willem Duursma was the most-discussed No.1 pick at season start. $203.5k, elevated for a rookie with zero AFL scoring history, Rising Star favourite before a bounce was taken. The registry's Round 0 call: "hold if you have him — wait for Round 1 proof before buying."

That caution turned out right. Not because he failed to deliver — because the first thing you needed to see was whether the role was real.

The Opening Proof (Rounds 1–3)

Round 1: 78. Round 2: 86. Round 3: 104 — cash gen of $13,300 in a single week.

After Round 3 the registry went to buy: "No.1 pick living up to the billing. At $270k with a 40 BE, still comfortably generating cash. Get him before the ownership window closes."

The coaches who waited paid for it. By Round 5 he'd hit 105, lifted his average to 89.4 — ish, and the price had moved to $356.8k. Cash gen was running at $15,330 per round. Elite rookie numbers in any era, from a 19-year-old playing for the competition's bottom side.

The Concern (Round 6)

Round 6: 74 in a 56-point West Coast loss to Fremantle. Sounds okay until you look at the tape — 7 turnovers, 1 clearance from 7 centre bounce attendances, used as an inside mid rather than on the wing where he'd been excellent. The registry dropped to watch: "role shifted inside mid — worth monitoring before decisions."

This was the moment coaches at $373.5k started second-guessing. Was the ceiling gone?

Round 7 answered: 88, BOG, 25 disposals, 11 marks, $392.9k. The registry flipped straight back to buy.

The Grind (Rounds 8–9)

Round 8: 93 in a tight 11-point loss to Richmond. Round 9: 65 in a road loss to Melbourne. The pattern of a genuine SC asset working through a difficult team environment — one ceiling game, one quieter one, both above his 30 BE at that stage.

The registry held through both. The reasoning was clear: at $402.9k from a $203k starting price, the cash machine has delivered. Don't trade on one down score in a road loss to the ladder leaders.

The Resolution (Rounds 12–13)

Round 12: 102. Confidence 8. $410.3k. BE at 60. The registry: "the No.1 pick is still generating at elite rookie rates with a locked role and Rising Star form."

Round 13: 85, average 68.5, BE 52, cash gen at $6,388 per round. Still running.

The full arc — $203k to $410k — played out across three different role configurations, one injury emergency at West Coast that reshuffle his positioning, and a team that has been comprehensively beaten most weeks. He produced through all of it.

That's the ceiling question answered.

Where He Sits Now

Buy if you somehow don't own him. Hold with conviction if you do.

The $203k window is long closed and the easy cash gen of early season is behind him. But at $410k averaging 68.5 with a 52 BE he's still generating, and the role at West Coast is not in question. Rising Star votes and consistent output in a losing team are the markers that matter here — both are ticking.

The one flag to watch: his bye round. If West Coast's schedule creates a blank week, plan for it ahead of time rather than trading on panic. This is a hold-until-the-price-stops-running situation.

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Updated: 8 July 2026. Data sourced from RookieBible intel registry.

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Pre-briefed. Opinionated. The more you challenge it, the sharper it gets. → Ask Our Coach about Willem Duursma