Tallan Ames Named 2025 Ball Legend

You will be hard pressed to find a single person with the lifelong dedication and passion to the Swan Districts Football Club as Tallan Ames, and the 266-game premiership star still has goosebumps over being the 2025 Ball Legend.

Ames grew up a stones throw away from Steel Blue Oval and dreamed of playing for Swan Districts, and got to live out that dream across a 266-game career that started in 2002 and finished in 2017.

He spent time as a mobile ruckman, and a tall and athletic wingman early in his career, but it was as a key defender he really made his mark.

Along the way he played in the 2010 premiership triumph, earned life membership, won a Swan Medal as the fairest and best and represented Western Australia on four occasions along with being captain for six years.

Ames was almost lost for words when informed by President Peter Hodyl that he would be the Ball Legend for 2025 as he harked back to thinking of the greats of the club saw given that honour in his own playing career.

“Looking at the list from when it started in 2000 and there are people I got to play with like Joel Cornelius and Shane Beros, and some absolute legends of that club.

“I definitely think back to the greats of our football club I remember seeing on the ball and it was always something special to look down and recognise the players that have gone before you, ” Ames said.

“Over that period of time there was Stan Nowotny who I catch up with at the 200 Club every year, Travis Edmonds who I played with towards the back end of his career, and it’s a fantastic and humbling honour to understand that I’m continuing the tradition of the Swan Districts Football Club even beyond my playing days now.

“It’s just unlucky that I don’t have the official reason to go and kick my own head around the ground like our current black-and-white players will have the ability to.

“It’s just an absolute honour and I’ve got goosebumps running up and down my legs just thinking that I’m part of a checklist of legends of those that have come before me.”

The thing about being the Ball Legend for 2025 that brings Ames the most joy and pride is the fact that even beyond his outstanding playing career is that he is still being remembered and recognised.

Not for one second did he play for those sort of accolades, but it sure does mean a lot to him and he’s glad that the current day players will be able to have a look at what he did in his career just as he did during his own playing days.

“The big ticket there is that you are still being recognised for your service and achievements after you’ve hung up the boots,” Ames said.

“It’s pretty easy for myself and the reason I played for Swan Districts for so long is because I live around the corner, and I still do.

“I still make myself present at every home game as often as I can because during my playing years it literally equated to half my life being engaged at Steel Blue Oval.

“We’ve got great supporters as we all know, and we’ve got a great football department which has continued to develop great players within Swan Districts and beyond, and everyone at the club wants to be there.

“It just breeds a family culture and the want to be around for no other reason other than it’s an enjoyable part of our lives, and a great place to be where everyone comes together for the one cause.”

Given how big of a part of Ames’ life the Swan Districts Football Club and Steel Blue Oval has always been, it’s no surprise that he remains as heavily invested as ever.

While the running on the oval now is limited to when he’s there with his three dogs, he is part of the Town of Bassendean council where he is fighting the good fight for the entire town, and the Bassendean community.

“I do have three dogs that I run around the oval with and that’s good fun, and I’m still involved at the football club more from a social perspective and I’m part of the Swansmen Association, the Past Players and Officials, and am a Judda Bee sponsor,” Ames said.

“Anything that I can do to support the football club other than being part of the football department I still enjoy doing to the best of my ability. The family is still involved as well and my partner, Renee, loves coming along on game days.

“Now that I’ve given my all in the boundaries of the white picket fence, I want to find ways to see the club continue to grow and be successful so that ties into being a Town of Bassendean councillor.

“We’re in the process of redeveloping the Steel Blue Oval precinct moving into the future and that’s about having the communicated engaged in the precinct and not just the football club.

“It’s about so much more than football for the Town of Bassendean and that’s what I’m advocating for with the maintenance and upgrade of the precinct for use by the football but the entire community.”

One aspect of the 2025 WAFL season that Ames can’t wait for is to once again see Swan Districts’ games record holder Tony Notte, a former long-time teammate of his, still out there in the black-and-white jumper.

“Maybe if I had a few less beers like Tony I’d still be playing as well, but he’s just an absolute superstar,” Ames said.

“He’s an amazing family man and it would be very hard to find someone outside of the white line who have a bad word to say about Tony.

“A few opponents on the field might say a few bad things just because they can’t stop the bloke and he always gets in the way, taking marks, spoiling the ball, kicking goals and doing it all.

“But everyone respects him for how he puts his body on the line and what an elite competitor he is. I’m looking forward to watching him play again, and we keep saying that he’s still in career best form because it’s true.”

SWAN DISTRICTS BALL LEGENDS

Haydn Bunton Jr (2000)

Phil Narkle (2001)

Bill Walker (2002)

Ron Boucher (2003)

Keith Slater (2004)

Fred Castledine (2005)

Keith Narkle (2006)

Ken Bagley (2007)

Stan Nowotny (2008)

Joe Lawson (2009)

Garry Sidebottom (2010)

Don Langsford (2011)

Travis Edmonds (2012)

Duggan Anderson (2013)

Brad Shine (2014)

Tim Barker (2015)

Tony Nesbit (2016)

Thomas Mullooly (2017)

John Turnbull (2018)

Eric Gorman (2019)

Peter Manning (2020)

Shane Beros (2021)

Joel Cornelius (2022)

Mike Richardson (2023)

Bill Skwirowski (2024)

Tallan Ames (2025)