Career
Standing at six-foot, five inches, he played in the forwards, captaining English club Wigan. West also played representative rugby league for New Zealand and is the father of Super League player, Dwayne West. West was selected to play for the New Zealand national team in the 1975 World Cup tournament.
He was signed by English club Wigan for the 1982-1983 Rugby Football League season from New Zealand side Taranaki.
He was actually 29 when he signed, though Wigan believed him to be 2 years younger. Within weeks of him making his debut, he played in the 1982-1983 John Player Trophy final victory against Leeds.
He became captain in 1984, leading Wigan to Wembley for the 1984 Challenge Cup Final, which was lost to Widnes. He captained Wigan to victory in the 1985 Challenge Cup final.
He retired from the first team in 1989 to lead the reserve "A" Team as Player/Coach, but made a late appearance against Castleford in 1991 due to injuries and a fixture pile up, scoring a try late in the game that gained a standing ovation.
Graeme West played Left-second-row, id est (that is) number 11, and scored a try in Wigan"s 18-26 defeat by Saint Helens in the 1984 Lancashire Cup final during the 1984-1985 season at Central Park, Wigan, on Sunday 28 October 1984, played Left-prop, id est (that is) number 8, in Wigan"s 34-8 victory over Warrington in the 1985 Lancashire Cup final during the 1985-1986 season at Knowsley Road, Saint Helens, on Sunday 19 October 1986, and played as an Interchange/Substitute (replacing prop Shaun Wane), and scored a try in the 28-16 victory Warrington in the 1991 Lancashire Cup final during the 1987-1988 season at Knowsley Road, Saint Helens, on Sunday 11 October 1987. Graeme West played Left-second-row, id est (that is) number 11, (replaced by Interchange/Substitute Brian Case) in Wigan"s 15-4 victory over Leeds in the 1982-1983 John Player Trophy final during the 1982-1983 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 22 January 1983, played Left-second-row in the 11-8 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1985-1986 John Player Special Trophy final during the 1985-1986 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 11 January 1986, and played Left-prop, id est (that is) number 8, in the 18-4 victory over Warrington in the 1986-1987 John Player Special Trophy final during the 1986-1987 season at Burnden Park, Bolton on Saturday 10 January 1987. In 1994, following the sacking of John Dorahy, West was appointed as coach of Wigan, after fans petitioned for him to get the job.
In his first month as coach, at the end of the 1993-1994 Rugby Football League season West secured the First Division Premiership Trophy against Castleford, and then travelled with the team to Brisbane, guiding them in their 1994 World Club Challenge victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos.
He stayed on in that position until February 1997 when, following an early exit from the Challenge Cup in 2 consecutive years, he was replaced by the unsuccessful Eric Hughes. After leaving Wigan, West spent short spells at Lancashire Lynx and Widnes Vikings.
In 2008 he was named in the Taranaki Rugby League Team of the Century. West still lived and worked in Wigan up to the early 2010s, but then returned to his native New Zealand.