Almanac Footy: Adam Selwood – I can’t thank it enough

 

With the tragic passing of Adam Selwood on Saturday, Matt Zurbo’s interview with Adam from a few years ago is posted as a tribute to him. 

 

I Can’t Thank It Enough

Adam Selwood

 

We grew up in Bendigo. We were townies. For most part of our life Dad managed the menswear store in town – suits and some formalwear, while Mum worked at Bendigo Bank. It was pretty much just a normal town living really.

 

Having said that, we were pretty fortunate, we grew up on an acre block, with a tennis court in there. A lot of the kick-to-kick with my twin brother Troy involved playing sort of indoor football games – making goals out of the posts on the tennis courts, the netting, the fence on the outside. We were just always picking targets, trying to articulate them and hone our skills.

 

There’d be times when Troy and I would go out and it’d be a simple kick-to-kick, then other times we’d decide to play a one-on-one match which it always ended up in tears and maybe a bit of blood, or someone getting locked out of the house for a while. Just what brothers got up to, I guess. Joel and Scott used to come out a far bit as well, but they’d be the sidekicks until they grew up.

 

We were pretty much ambitious right from the start. Having a twin brother not only enabled you to want to get better, but also have countless conversations of what it would one day be like being able to play AFL. The dreams were always there. Obviously, we didn’t know how hard it would be to get there, but once we started progressing through our junior football and we were two of the better players in the team and we realised it might be a realistic opportunity for us. We just had to keep pushing ourselves.

 

But, yeah, having that twin brother, allowed me to always have someone to kick to. You could see where he was improving and where you needed to, or just help each other out.

 

For me to get drafted I required Troy to have a really good Under 18 football season. I was injured, only played 5 games and, yeah, just couldn’t get myself out on the park. The games that I played I showed a bit of promise, but looking back, it wasn’t enough evidence for recruiters to pick me up. The year Troy got drafted, he represented Vic Country, All-Australian honours, had a really good year at the Pioneers. He went in the first round, which also put my name on the map as a future prospect. Someone who could provide an AFL club with maybe a bit of a speculative pick that could come back in their favour if I could get the body right.

 

I hear about when the four Daniher brothers ran out together for Essendon. For us it was just about playing AFL. The situations were different. Obviously, probably in their time, it was more-or-less a zoning. We always understood that if we put our name up to become an AFL player that we could get shipped away anywhere. In hindsight I think it was the best thing for us, because, barring Joel, we were all quite similar types of player. Scotty, Troy and myself, I don’t think three taggers would’ve fitted into the same team. You wouldn’t have wanted that rivalry when it got to the top level.

 

We could’ve been at the Swans in the mid-2000s and might’ve been able to squeeze a few games out together. (chuckles)

 

Troy and I went to different high schools growing up so when that transition was made to separate our lives, it wasn’t as difficult as what it might’ve been. Also, from a twin point of a view, it was good for Troy and I to get drafted to two different states. Brisbane, their fans and their football club, got to know Troy and understand Troy and hopefully enjoyed what he was able to bring. I was on the other side of the country enjoying the same sort of recognition in West Australia. So we didn’t get mixed up on who we were, or what type of player we were.

 

When I got drafted, I’d never been to Perth so obviously the heat hit me straight away. Within the first three or four sessions I was sunburnt, and had a tiny bit of heatstroke. I learnt pretty quickly the importance of hydration heading into training, but other than that it was a wonderful city! I got put in with a great host family that enabled me not to worry so much about the cooking and the cleaning, washing my clothes. They enabled me to fit in with the city straight away. The footy club was always first class, a brilliant club to come to – financially very stable, but also had resources to get the best out of myself.

 

John Worsfold to me, growing up in the 90s supporting Hawthorn, was a bit of a thug- the guy from out West that would run around trying to take everyone’s head off! So, to head over to Perth and get to know John for who he was as a coach and as a person, was really surprising. He’s a very level headed guy that’s quite softly spoken. I was really impressed with John straight away.

 

The playing group, you still had remnants of the old premiership players in McIntosh and Jakovich and Peter Matera running around. That was just amazing for me to be able to stand alongside them at training, and think I was one of their teammates. Then you had the new waves of the Kerr’s and Judd and I guess the Cox’s and Glass’ that were just starting out as well. You were looking around and there was all this amazing talent! I didn’t know exactly where I fitted in the mix, but the one thing I always knew that I had a strong work ethic. If I was to ever leave the football club, 1 year or 11, I could walk away and the players knew that I gave it my best shot and I definitely worked for what I ended up receiving out of the footy club.

 

John’s very educated and astute which you guess you expect out of your coaches, but the fact that he was a pharmacist and the education he went through and the dedication he showed throughout his career… being a country Victorian, I wouldn’t have known. I would’ve just thought he’s just the big fit bloke that played in the half back line and when the ball went in his area, he wet the man. But, now, when you look on the highlights, he was a fantastic player! And out West, oh, if you say a bad word about John Worsfold, you’d better board the next plane out of WA! (chuckles)

 

John was a talented player and to be captain at 21, he lead West Coast through that era of greatness exceptionally. He was so fit everyone thought he was a lot more mature than what he was. He won a best and fairest as a ruck-rover and probably could’ve stayed on ball really but knew that for the team to succeed he needed to make way for the Kemps and co.

 

I was emergency 9 or 10 times before I debuted. It was so frustrating to be so close so often! I finally got my first run against Adelaide, Round 19, 2003. It was definitely earned by the time it came around. I knew by then I could play WAFL. Back then it wasn’t the sort of rotations it is now. I started on the bench, didn’t get onto the field until about the 20 minute mark. Mark Ricciuto had started with no tag on him, just head-to-head, but he was beginning to get hold of us. The message came down, “Selwood you’re on and you’re going straight to Ricciuto. Just try to quiet him down…” I thought, ‘Well, that’s a good introduction to footy…’ and went out there and put the arm across. I didn’t want to stir the beast but once I got out there it was – Okay, here I am, I’m playing a man’s game. Hopefully I could do a good job, and stay in the team for the rest of the year… Which it didn’t happen. Those who were out injured came back the next week. But my performance was strong enough I came back in for the final against Adelaide. My first two games were versus the Crows.

 

The name and the strength of the man, his stature in the game, I was extremely nervous running onto the field, but the adrenaline kicked in straight away and I knew I had a job to play He still played his game and played a reasonable game, but I did a pretty good job, first up in your first game as well.

 

It was an interesting stage, because yeah, after that final Ashley McIntosh retired. Jacko, we knew he was nearing the end, and halfway through the next pre-season he pulled the pin. Peter Matera retired. We were starting to look around. Juddy had a great first season. Him, Cousins, Kerr, we had Michael Gardiner. You knew the mid-field was on the way to being something special.  Coxy was still a very green ruckman. We knew he was really well skilled, but, back then, I wouldn’t have thought that he would’ve got to the heights that he did. When he came off the rookie list to become a 6 all-time Australian was the icing on the cake. Just what we needed to be able to achieve success four years later or three years later.

 

Next year I battled through the pre-season with osteitis pubis, unsure on what it was. It’s an injury where you can’t really go to the guy next door, “Oh, you’ve had it, how do you get it better?” You’ve just got to listen to the physios and the advice they give. I had a bit of a late start and finally got myself in the team. The performances stepped up from where they were the year before. I really saw 2004 as a year that I could consolidate a spot and start my career. But the osteitis pubis won. After three games my season was over. What it taught me that year was how to deal with adversity. I knew that the performances I had earlier in the year showed I was capable of AFL footy, it was a matter of just fighting through the injury. We were able to get the surgery done and completed and allowed me to have a very strong 2005 pre-season for the 2005 season. The one I thought I might’ve been able to have in 2004.

 

Now, from being a coach, it’s really important that players are alerted to what type of pain they’re going through. There’s a fair bit of pain that’s good, that makes you mentally stronger and physically challenge yourself, but there’s other areas you need to put your hand up. For me back then, with the groins, I needed to be on the ball, in constant communication. If pain was arising, it meant that it wasn’t going to get better and it wasn’t something that you could just fight your way thought. Players learn throughout their first to third year on the list – they always have one little incident where they’ve probably pushed too far and it’s caused them to have a rest for 4 to 6 weeks, because, probably, of just bad management on their behalf.

 

The longer you’re in the system, you have more and more conversations with doctors and physios that teach you about I guess the body and what injuries are and whether you can deal with the type of the injury that you have and it’s just the pain in the mind that you’ve got to be able to manage.

 

Yeah, I mean, I probably, I thought it was a consolidating year. I still thought that I was between players 18 and 22, getting selected every week. I had a role to play and that was probably to bring that defensive accountable side to the mid-field but these guys I was playing against, I was only a 5 gamer going into the season that when I lined up on the likes of Adam Goodes or Mark Ricciuto or Shane Crawford that I’m dealing with the best in the AFL and I was only one or two bad games away from actually from losing my spot. It was a fantastic learning curve and I think as the season progressed, I realised I had the capabilities of week in, week out, cope with the demands of AFL football but also the role of playing that defensive mid within the team. When I was injured in Round 22, that attitude, it probably got me back in for the Prelim that year.

 

Round 22 I copped a good one and almost missed the finals. Adelaide again. It was a kick from full back – Banners grubbed the ball along the ground to me. I took it, then copped the late contact from Roo, knocked unconscious. I got my wits about me quite quickly but knew that something was wrong with the head so ended up getting stretchered off. I couldn’t partake in the game any longer and it was really a matter of waiting probably two or three hours post the game to see if there was any crack or break in the jaw. The scans came back all clear, then it was concussion I had to deal with. I ended up missing the first final, but was able to play after that. Coming back for the Prelim.

 

 I had a good game against Adelaide that I thought I was able to have a real influence on the match and help the team get into the Grand Final that I thought; OK, I think now I understand the demands and hopefully next week I carry that form on. But from this point onwards I’ve sort of drawn a line in the sand that I knew that I could probably stick around for another 5 to 10 years anyway.

 

After the game I was really excited. Even being 21, I knew that Grand Finals don’t come around that often, so I took the opportunity to soak it all in for a couple of days. Really, when I look back at it, the moment probably got the better of me that the week. My performance on the day wasn’t anywhere where I wanted it to be. It was a hard, but great learning experience. I knew getting to a Grand Final didn’t mean that I’ll be able to roll up the next year and expect the same thing. That week was a rollercoaster. An incredible high knowing that I put in a good performance, to knowing that I missed an opportunity I may never get again.

 

The 2005 Grand Final. When you played Sydney it was contest-by-contest. They had very dower type of players. You knew, with them, that although momentum was in your favour, it could be stopped at any moment. They had a job to do, the Sydney players. And individually, they loved the battle, the war of attrition, finding out one-on-one if they could beat you. And that’s how it was played. We let them get away in the second quarter, but kicked three in the third to be only two points down going into the last. And it was a hard fought three goals.

 

Drew Banfield had a shot at goal and hit the post, which if he had have kicked that, it felt as though that we were about to break their back. When it didn’t go through it went down the other end and O’Loughlin or Hall ended up getting a quick side goal to get them back in front.

 

I was on the bench in the end, which is probably where I deserved to be. The game, especially a Grand Final, is so much harder to watch from there. I’d rather be in the moment, out on the field, no time to think. On the bench I felt like just any other supporter. There was a string of behinds in the last five minutes, we’re four points down. We had about three entries in that final minute to no avail. Cox kicked it in one more time… You look back now and the mark Leo Barry took, for their side of the story, it was amazing! Something that’s going to go down in football folk law. It was nice to be part of such a historic battle, but I definitely would’ve liked Sebeey to have taken that mark for us, or Ashley Sampi to get a free kick, go back and slot the goal.

 

We did a lot of drinking after the Grand Final. I guess we were drowning our sorrows, stewing on what could’ve been. It was probably good for the group that we had to play an exhibition game in London. To get away and just talk about what actually had happened, instead of going off in our own directions. We were able to have some good nights and understand that it was going to a long road back. That we had to get ourselves fully fit. There were a few injuries leading into that Grand Final, we didn’t have our best 22 out on the park. OK, well we need to get everyone fit and healthy this time! Go in for your surgery now. By the time next year comes around, we want to put our best foot forward ! Everyone sacrificed whatever they needed to sacrifice to get their bodies right, their preparation. If we put our best 22 out on the park on the biggest day, we knew we’d be able to take it a step further.

 

The overseas game in itself against Fremantle, I guess got a bit out of hand. The strategy Freo took into it was that it was their preparation for the following year. Good luck to them, but I think they irked some of our players, who thought it was just an exhibition game. Yeah, we didn’t handle the situation greatly. I guess the crowd got what they wanted to see – a bit of action. There could’ve been some damage done that day, so it was lucky that everyone sort of escaped and we just went on and had our off-season. Then got ready for the following year…

 

That was the biggest melee or brawl that I’ve been involved with. Being in close I saw a few fists fly, that, yeah, players could’ve come off a lot worse than they did. It took a far while to calm down from and it continued on into the summer. We didn’t see each other out socially but I knew that players when they were going to play Fremantle the following year, they had a ledger to square.

 

The rivalry between the Eagles and Freo is getting to a point now where it’s a good rivalry, healthy, but back in the day they had the Josh Carr’s and Troy Cook’s – those real tough type of players that tried to get under our skin… and were very good at doing it! You tried to stay focused on the game but sometimes the situation got the better of you. It wasn’t unhealthy, just what it was. Players just tried to intimidate physically, and the game was less structured. You were able to wrestle on the ground or have a melee every now and then, without it affecting what you were trying to achieve as a team.

 

These days, step-up and structures are what the game’s about, really. But, look, the passion’s got to be there! Passion for the game, passion for your team! With free agency, we make sure that players are passionate about the footy club, too. The situation for them is forever changing and what we saw back in my time when I first started it was genuine passion for loving the game, now there’s a lot more distractions that can cause players to become a lot more lost and influences that sort of steer them in the wrong direction. Now I’ve retired, being a development coach, it’s become about trying to teach them the good habits, about loyalty and passion towards themselves and the club that will enable them to become the best player they can be, through being the best person.

 

Being a development coach, I’m there to mentor and to make sure they’re… finely tuned to be able to adapt to what they’re about to come up against. Some players are easier, they simply adapt to the system and it’s about just making sure they’ve got control of the wheel and you just need to tell them the destination and they’ll get there and every now and then they’ll sway and you sort of just nudge them back on course but there’s others that need a hell of a lot of work whether it’s off field or whether it’s with their skill level, whether it’s with mental toughness so it’s a really good challenge and for a guy who’s been there and it was never easy for me and I come against all those sort of different facets that to be able to rely on your experience but then put it in I guess in an educational way as well, yeah you can really see the guys grow and you can see when they get it and hopefully in two or three years times I’ll look back and you’d like to think that you played a fair part in getting them ready for AFL.

 

A lot of it is simply getting ready for life – a lot of it is. They need to be stable in their day-to-day to perform. I try to focus on making sure that they’re a well-rounded person – they’ve got good character and they’re elite in what they do to prepare. If I can help them get that personal side order, they then know, when they run out on the field, the prep is all done, their life is stable, all they have to do is perform. All the skill development and acquisition that we do with them, that will flow and that’ll be forever ongoing, but it’s been able to be a bit of a life coach for them so when they come up against adversity, which we all do, they’re ready to deal with it, rather than just fall in a big hole.

 

Playing during the whole Benny Cousins saga, and understanding it, the culture of the club was… it was heavily influenced by people who had the issues that they had. Who wanted to go down the social path that they did. There was a divide in the group that… being a young player, I knew wasn’t my place to get involved with. I knew I wasn’t the Ben Cousins type of player that could dabble in those sort of things and get away with it. In the end it lead to a lot of change behind the scenes. That was good.

 

I didn’t think there was a major part of the club, or the playing group that needed to be changed but what it did was enable us to reflect on what we wanted to achieve as a team. It was more than just winning games of football and winning premierships. It was about leaving a legacy, creating a culture that players want to come to. Also, having teammates that you really respect in all regards of their life.

 

It forced players to change and others found it harder than some but it was a three to four year process that now set this football club up for years to come. Players now know when they come what’s expected of them. Now, we’re not totally there yet, but heading in the right direction.

 

’06, well, we didn’t really look when the fixture came out – When do we play Sydney again? I think we understood that we needed to just get ourselves in the best position possible. We had our own issues with certain teams throughout the year. I know that we found it really difficult to break Fremantle. Sydney didn’t even come around until Round 16. By then it was the right time of year, we needed another challenge.

 

Which it was. A two point game this time. I mean, Sydney, they’re incredible. You know we all looked at each other after games, every time it would be within a goal. We were just – How’s this happened again? We talk about healthy rivalries, it was genuinely… you really respected the player that you played against. You understood that we had different skill sets as teams. Sydney were an intensely accountable, dower, mentally strong-willed team. Where as we had more that free flowing skill, that burst away. At different times of the game you could see the dowerness get on top of West Coast… And then you could see Judd and Cousins and Kerr get away from Sydney and kick those goals that needed to be kicked. They were fascinating games, great games, that obviously go down in folklore, the way those one-goal-or-less margins went on for a period of time.

 

Yeah, it, obviously there was a fair bit of reflection close to that match for me individually and it was more dealing with the pressure of I guess getting there, understanding that one of my goals was obviously as a player, to be my best, but then it would’ve meant a hell of a lot to become a premiership player and for us as West Coast players, we don’t get to play in front of 90,000 or 100,000 too often. I remember ’05 I ran out and I looked at the crowd, you know I wouldn’t have thought that it would have had the impact on me that it did and so it took a bit of reflection there to understand that I can’t let that get the better of me again. Going into my second one so shortly after the first Grand Final, I was ready for it. I journalised everything that I needed to, leading into the week, had conversations about the game but I also knew when to release as well so the parade and all the other things that add to the excitement of the day, it came and went without much fuss. As a result, for me personally yeah I was able to get my hands on it early that enabled me to settle into the game and feel comfortable and yeah I look back at it and it was.

 

I was playing the first half of the year in the mid-field and Mark Nicoski got injured which forced me to go back to fill his role. We had Tyson Stenglein that could do the defensive roles in the mid-field so I played on Buchanan that day. Amon played a really good game ’05 and we saw him as a vital cog, a barometer in their forward line. I had played on him once before and understood how he played. He was just a guy that just worked extremely hard. Amon wasn’t blistering quick, he didn’t kick the miraculous goals, but he’d try and tire you out, throughout the whole game. I knew that I had him done in the first half but I knew that he’d keep working hard. It was a four quarter effort. Aerobically, I knew that had him for fitness so when the ball turned over and got back into our hands, I really tried to stretch him back into our forward line, just get him away from goals as much as I could.

 

He was a really good player, you know, especially in that period. Buchanan and Schneider were very similar the way they played. West Coast regarded them extremely highly. Beau Waters, Schneider was his match up for the day. Beau and I had a really good understanding if one of us was blowing up and we needed a bit of a chop out that we could hand each other over to certain players.

 

The match ups for both teams really worked in, I guess, both team’s favour – if that makes sense. It was a total battle, with no real clear winner or outstanding player on specific match-ups. You just knew that mentally you had to stay in the game and eventually there would be one winner, and you knew it wouldn’t be by too much.

 

The last five minutes all I could feel was adrenaline! I honestly couldn’t feel the pain. You just had to do your job, there was a lot of stoppages. We were one point up, it was in their forward-line, and the last five seconds there’s anotherstoppage. I knew what Amon was about to do and by studying tape, you understood what was required in that moment.

 

He was a left footer, it was a boundary throw-in. I knew where he was going to track and I thought well if I go into the stoppage with him, fair chance that he’s going to try and get a block and wrap around on his left foot so I sort of sat out of the stoppage and I tried to meet him on the other side so if he did get his hands on it, I was there waiting for him, which probably was a good decision on my behalf. I didn’t know how long, was left in the game and I actually bought myself in view of the camera and when the ball went up and the siren sounded I was front and centre or just behind Coxy and in the celebrations so I was pretty happy with that as well.

 

Daniel Kerr went to kick the ball inside the corridor and a risky kick and probably away from our game plan in regards to where we needed to kick the ball at certain times of the game. He fluffed the kick a little bit and it required Rowan Jones to sort of just lead out and make a contest. I think it was a 2 v 1 and Jonesy was able to bring it to ground and sort of help came in. The ball got turned over but with, I guess without Jonesy’s work it was a really dangerous part of the ground where they could’ve turned it over and had a free shot on goal but we were able to get the ball out of bounds at their half forward flank and it was just a matter of then locking in and pretty much just playing the way Sydney played. Just, if they’re going to get a kick, it’s going to be a scrappy kick. Our defenders are one-on-one and they knew exactly what Sydney structures were and just bringing the ball to ground. Look, if they’d have kicked a goal, it was going to be by pure luck, or for one of a better term, bit of arse, and actually getting beaten by falling asleep on the job.

 

My defining moment was when the siren sounded. I’ll never forget. It hit like a shock. Then it was more, I guess, walking around, the lap of honour and the relief of knowing of what had happened. I probably cherished that the most. I knew, despite only being 22, what I’d been through to get there, the injuries, losing a Grand Final the year before, thinking it might have been my only chance, all the hard work we’d put in… Really, being able to just walk around, enjoy it with the fans and the players but look at the medal that I’d been presented. Yeah… And lift the cup up!

 

I had played my role which was hugely pleasing for myself that you contribute throughout the season but also on the day that when it mattered.

 

After that sense of relief, or mixing in with it, I thought ‘OK, I’ve achieved what I needed to achieve and now I’ve got obviously a career in which I have to keep trying to trying to achieve more.

 

Getting back to Perth after the ’06 Grand Final and understanding what it meant to the city, really overjoyed me. I mean I shared that night with my family and had a wonderful night and it was fantastic for us but it showed what football means to the city and what success means to West Coast fans as well. We got off the plane and the streets were lined up from the airport to the Subiaco Oval, which was fully packed with supporters – the whole oval! I just couldn’t believe how much of an impact a game of sport has on people’s lives. It overjoyed me to think, well… you play for yourself and you play for the team and the club, but you also bring a lot of joy into other people’s lives. By achieving what we achieved, it put people in Perth on a high for months and months! That’s when it first kicked in, when the relief of  winning turned to happiness. That following day back in Perth.

 

I never quite realized when I first came over from country Victoria, but being the inaugural club over here there was still a fair bit of; They forget us out West. We’ve got our own champions, our own stars, that people never know about. By being able to bring a team into the AFL and produce I guess initially the WA players and put them on a stage where everyone can see them, was a really big deal for Perth and Western Australia. Now, it’s a little bit different because of the draft and I mean 50% of our squad’s Victorian or Eastern Staters, anyway. But WA people are really passionate and I guess ‘cause they feel they’re forgotten about, they’re so far away at times, by being able to achieve something within Australia and put the attention back on them, it’s a really big deal.

 

By ’07 all four Selwood brothers were in the system. I played against Troy a few times before then. It was quite weird playing on your twin. I didn’t like it. I sort of wanted to get off him and just play my own game. I was too focused on the contest with Troy rather than the match.

 

Joel, he was just a young kid that was out there playing. Really, you’re sort of playing your game, but you’re trying to look out for him as well and see how’s going. Yet he’s playing for the other team. It was probably stranger to see Joel out there because he was always four years younger – you realised that you were growing up. And that he was, too.

 

There was no going easy on each other. It was always full steam. AFL footy, you could never hold back. If you did, brother or worst enemy, you’d be questioned.

 

Then there was the time we got each other on the wing. There couldn’t have been a better hospital ball set up for Joel, it was there to be done. I probably put a bit more into it than take a step back. We clashed heads. It took a fair bit out of Joel, but, the way we hit, I was totally winded, if not concussed. Joel had seen red and let me know that he was up and about. Didn’t care that it was my home turf, which was interesting. (chuckles) If he’d had the opportunity to do it again, he definitely would. So would I.

 

By then I was a defensive on-baller. Gary Ablett Jr., oh man, he was the hardest I played on! His awareness of how to get the football, his strength in the contest and speed. It was a matter of restricting his influence on the match, rather than going in with set goals of keeping him to x amount of touches.

 

A guy like Gary, you take your hat off to him. I used to think maybe it was because he was playing in Geelong and he had great teammates around him. To be able to go to the Gold Coast and prove himself again, being that stand out player in such a developing team is extraordinary. He’s got so many tricks that he can go to, so many strengths. You try to match it in one area and there’s another area that he can use to get the footy. You give it everything. Everything! But when it’s done you’ve just got to bow down and appreciate the fact that you’re playing on such a wonderful player.

 

After a game against an Ablett, or, say, Stevie J, it’s exhausting! Stevie J is a pretty physical player, he didn’t mind a scrap behind the play, where Gary was just in the moment and kept hunting the ball. Each had their own challenges… Stevie J you just had to look after yourself in terms of not getting reported, whereas Gary just continually hunted the ball. To stay switched on and try and limit his influence was just an exhausting process.

 

Adelaide were always there. They were my first two games and my last. I tore my quad in the WAFL the week before and there were heavy discussions with the coach. It was quite meaningful for me to get that one last opportunity to play with some great players that I had been teammates with, including my brother. I’d put in some pretty strong performances in the WAFL, so it got left in my hands. In the end, I said, “How about if I just put the sub-vest on. Hopefully the game pans where you only need me for a quarter…” It was a wonderful feeling being able to run out with the guys that I played a lot of footy with. Yeah, just to finish it off on a high note. High note in terms of playing, the result wasn’t so great.

 

Andrew Embley’s a rare specimen. A wonderful teammate. There’s not too many people like him out there that have that animated, friendly personality, and can then cross the line and do what he can do.

 

West Coast’s future? As of now, 2015 pre-season, we’ve got a really good, young coach that’s taken the reigns and really astute with the game and in touch with the playing group. Our bad run with injuries is over, the draft picks are coming through, it’s exciting times, there’s high hopes, big expectations. West Coast supporters are impatient. It is important for us to get results on the board and it’s really getting our best 22 out on the park and I feel as though if we can do that then we’re starting to look finals and hopefully higher than that as well.

 

For me, well, footy’s been my life. It’s taught me how to be a man, about dealing with responsibilities, adversity. About working through different challenges. It’s a sport, but for me, for who I am today, I put everything I’ve learned, all those lessons, back to the game. The on and off the oval stuff, what it’s been able to teach me, I can’t thank it enough.

 

 

More from Matt Zurbo HERE.

 

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