He was their captain from 1979 to 1980, and in 1981 won their best and fairest, finishing ahead of that season's Brownlow Medallist Bernie Quinlan by nine votes.
He returned to Western Australia in 1982 and took on the role of captain/coach at East Fremantle taking them to the grand final in 1984, 1985 and 1986, winning the 1985 Premiership.
[1] He was controversially sacked and replaced by John Todd at the end of the 1987 season, despite 11 wins and being close to taking his side to the finals in their first year.
Over the decade commencing from 2000 the DSR achieved recognition and success with multiple Premier Awards and in 2016 received a Commendation from the Western Australian Public Sector Commissioner for outstanding results in climate and culture surveys.
In the Queen's Birthday 2019 Honours List, Alexander was made a Member of the Order of Australia "for significant service to sport and recreation, and to public administration.