Menegola’s hard road

The determined Cats’ midfielder faces his biggest moment

IT couldn’t be more apt that Geelong midfielder Sam Menegola is an avid cyclist.

When you’re on your bike, only you can control whether you get to your destination.

You push the pedals that take you forward, no one else.

For Menegola, that also mirrors his football career.

A player once dubbed not good enough by two AFL clubs — Fremantle and Hawthorn — finds himself as a key cog in the midfield at his third, heading into tonight’s qualifying final against Richmond.

That success is down to no one other than Menegola and it doesn’t surprise his former coach at Subiaco, Jarrad Schofield, that the ball-winning midfielder is now starting to make waves in the AFL world.

“(His success) is no surprise at all to me. I know how he prepares himself both on-field and off-field,” Schofield said.

“He is the type of guy who lives off everything you say and will do anything to improve himself.

“So when you are around guys like Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield, Harry Taylor and the coaching staff, it’s no surprise that he is playing such good footy.”

Subiaco rolled out the welcome mat for Menegola after he was delisted by Fremantle at the end of 2014.

In truth he hadn’t had much luck. Five serious injuries in six years had stopped any serious momentum Menegola was trying to build at the elite level.

Each time he had bounced back and this would be no different.

“Setbacks? I don’t call them setbacks, I call them limited opportunities to really show his strengths,” Schofield said.

“We are now seeing that. Sometimes players take a little bit longer to get a grasp on what AFL footy is all about. But the one thing he always has had is commitment.

“He has a mental application and mental dedication to not give up. It comes back to him wanting to improve all the time.

“He is just a dedicated athlete, a professional.

“I looked at him (when he came to Subiaco) and just saw a kid who hadn’t reached his full potential. And I thought I could hopefully add something to his game.”

Shunted into a lockdown role during his time at the Dockers under Ross Lyon, a frustrated Menegola wanted to show the footy world he had more to offer.

“I wanted him to play that hybrid half forward, wing role. But after having a discussion about what he wanted to do, he wanted to explore and have a crack inside,” Schofield said.

“The opportunity to put him on ball was a no-brainer for us.

“I’m a big believer that if a player is invested and wanting to play a role then you have got to give them that opportunity to explore that. That’s what we did and his game went to another level.”

A serious ankle injury would derail the start of Menegola’s 2015 season in the WAFL, but when he finally returned in Round 11 he set the competition on fire.

Despite not playing a reserves game, he finished his return with 35 touches and two goals.

Schofield knew he had a player on his hands.

“It was a serious ankle injury and he came back after 12 weeks out and didn’t miss a beat,” Schofield said.

“The sheer work he’d done offfield meant he could come straight into the team. He loves cycling and he does that now during his off days.

“It was a no-brainer to bring him straight back in.”

Menegola would go on to almost win the WAFL best and fairest, the Sandover Medal.

If the season had gone a week longer Schofield was confident Menegola would have won that medal.

He averaged 27 disposals and more than a goal a game for Subiaco and in the grand final he had 30 touches and booted a goal.

“Schoey just gave me a role that really suited me and went away from obviously the tagging and negative defensive roles that Freo had me playing to giving me a licence to take the game on and attack and win my own ball,” Menegola said after being drafted by Geelong in 2015. I’m a pretty different player to what I was last year and just able to hopefully play to my strengths a little bit better.

“Working under Schoey compared to where I’d been was obviously quite different.

“He was really positive, urged me to take the game on and get the ball in my hands and use my leg speed. He was really encouraging on backing myself in.”

Interest was high in Menegola and if his performances on the footy field didn’t put lights and sirens on his head then his effort at the draft combine did.

He ran a staggering 14.13 beep test, putting him at the absolute elite running level.

It gave Menegola confidence that his name would be read out during the 2015 national draft.

Geelong seemed keen and in the end it was the first to pounce, using what is in hindsight, a bargain pick 66.

“Sam was a good fit for them, being a big-bodied midfielder that can run,” Schofield said. “Geelong would have known about Sam be- cause he had been in the system. But him playing on the inside made recruiters stand up and take notice that he had more to his game.”

Menegola hit the ground running at Catland after a knee injury delayed his start to the season, ripping it up at VFL level.

A 46-disposal and two-goal VFL performance was enough for him to finally belt the door down at the selection table, and he made his debut against Adelaide in Round 18.

Menegola went on to play out the rest of the season including Geelong’s preliminary final loss to Sydney, averaging 24 touches a game.

But 2017 hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Menegola failed to impress in Geelong’s loss to Collingwood in Round 6 and was dropped.

However, the footy gods were smiling and he was a late inclusion in the Round 7 loss to Gold Coast.

He managed 22 touches and three goals to be named one of Geelong’s best.

He hasn’t looked back since, establishing himself as one of Geelong’s most influential players through the middle of the ground.

“Even at the start of this year, I was out of the side in Round 1 and 2 off a really good pre-season. I had a couple of weeks where I wasn’t that great. I probably wasn’t doing a lot wrong, but just because our list is so strong, I wasn’t in the side,” Menegola said earlier this year.

“Bits and pieces like that constantly remind you that the AFL’s pretty hard. I feel like my footy stacks up and it belongs at that level but I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable.”

Menegola’s disposal and defensive pressure has also improved in 2017.

“Overall it’s been a year that’s had its moments. There has been some really good bits and bits I’ve had to work on,” Menegola said.

“The team has probably been similar. We’ve had patches where we’ve been really strong and patches where our footy hasn’t been where we would like it to be.”

Geelong will face its biggest moment of 2017 tonight.

A win over Richmond will give it direct passage through to a preliminary final and put the Cats just one win away from a grand final.

And for those who know Menegola, one thing is for certain. He will be pushing harder than a ride up Challambra Cres to get Geelong there.

“He is the type of guy who lives off everything you say and will do anything to improve himself.”

— JARRAD SCHOFIELD