In the end, it was a gangly kid from Northam who helped drag West Coast out of their darkest hour.
In 2007, the Eagles hit rock bottom as the club’s culture spiralled out of control.
Ben Cousins was sacked amidst his drug-fuelled antics, while then-skipper Chris Judd defected to Carlton.
The situation was a mess.
And with the AFL threatening to hand down crippling sanctions unless swift action was taken, the Eagles had little margin for error.
In the form of coach John Worsfold and chief executive Trevor Nisbett, West Coast boasted two strong figureheads who could set the club on the pathway to recovery.
But if they couldn’t find a key leader in the player group to drive the standards, their plan was doomed.
In stepped Darren Glass.
The 192cm defender had established himself as one of the more unassuming players in the team since arriving via pick No.11 in the 1999 national draft.
While Cousins, Judd, Daniel Kerr and Dean Cox provided the razzle dazzle, Glass brought the hard edge.
Spoiling was his business, and business was good.
But the Eagles needed more from him. They needed a leader.
Up until that point, Glass preferred to let his actions do the talking.
But with West Coast in dire straights, Glass stepped up to the captaincy and immediately set about transforming the culture.
The club would endure three lean years of on-field results, culminating in a wooden spoon in 2010.
But with the off-field culture improving, the tide eventually turned, with the Eagles making it all the way to the preliminary final in 2011.
Glass won four All-Australian jumpers, three best and fairest awards and one premiership during his glittering 270-game career.
But Nisbett said the 33-year-old’s finest achievement was the way he led the club during its time of need.
“I think he has always said that you have to work through the challenges and he’s been a part of a cultural change which I think puts him further up in the estimation,” Nisbett said.
“He led the charge. He was the linchpin.
“You don’t have any chance if your leader doesn’t buy in, and he was the first one to put his hand up and say, ‘I’m in, we need to change this culture’.
“It took us three or four years to do that.
“He has now left a legacy.”
Glass announced his AFL retirement on Thursday, with nagging hip and ankle injuries forcing his hand.
He rated the likes of Matthew Pavlich, Matthew Richardson, Barry Hall, Jonathan Brown and Lance Franklin among his toughest opponents.
Although the Eagles are currently languishing in 11th spot, Glass says their strong culture and hard work ethic will eventually lead to greater rewards.