On the 19th of November the West Perth Falcons of the Western Australian Football League entered the second year of their experiment with two brothers, James and Jarod Brunmeier. While a number of AFL clubs have looked to Ireland, the Falcons looked "across the Pond" and found two Wisconsin boys.

The Brunmeier boys came to the Falcons last November as part of an exchange program with the Milwaukee Bombers. They completed a full preseason with the team and then a full season with the club. Both boys played reserves games through out the year and made a major impression on the coaching staff and the club.

James finished the season playing every game (15) in the Reserves, kicking 5 goals while Jarod played 9 games in the Reserves kicking 1 goal and the remainder of the games with the senior A-grade team for Scarborough Amateurs. The boys won the prestigious Carbone/Devita award, named after two of the clubs longest serving volunteers, Vic Carbone and Bart Devita. Vic and Bart choose the Brunmeiers because of their contribution to the club over the first 12 months and for being great examples what playing for the Falcons is all about. According to Falcon CEO, Ken Torrence, “The two boys have been outstanding ambassadors for the Milwaukee Bombers and the USAFL.  The way that they have embraced our club and conducted themselves is first class. To have them both play reserves football in their first season is a wonderful achievement, and when you add to this James finishing 6th in our Reserves fairest and best is beyond all expectations.” According to Falcon Senior Coach, Todd Curley, "Both James and Jarod were very impressive with their attitudes, and the way they prepared themselves to play was second to none. James played consistently throughout the year in the reserves and proved he could play as both a key defender and later in the season also as a key forward. Jarod found things a little tougher as there are many players here his size and there is more competition for spots as a running player, he did prove to be a very good runner in his games at reserves level."

At the USFooty Nationals, James and Jarod were also named into the USFooty All-American Team of the Decade and the USAFL Team of the Decade (50-50 Australian/American). James playing at Center Half Forward for the All-American team and Half-Forward Flank for the USAFL, while Jarod was named on the wing for both teams.

So what should we expect in 2008? According to Jarod, James will be looking to break into the senior team in 2008 while "I'm hoping to solidify my spot in the Reserves." Coach Curley is also looking for improvement. "Due to their experiences this season it would be assumed they will continue to improve, last year they came with no expectations from the coaching staff. Now they will be expected to improve as players the same as all our other players and the how they rate in this area will ultimately have an impact on whether they make the final squad in February to contest season 2008."

What about the International Cup in August? It is likely that both boys would be selected for the Revos, so there may be some issues as to which team they want to play for. According to Jarod, this is likely to be a bigger issue for James. Coach Curley has discussed the carnival briefly with the brothers. "The boys will have the final say."