PIE RUNNER PUTS BLOCKS ON STEVO
SHATTERED Collingwood runner Alex Woodward says he is racked with guilt about his part in the goal that put West Coast ahead in Saturday’s Grand Final.
Woodward said yesterday he had been told by coach Nathan Buckley not to blame himself in the moments after the Grand Final loss.
Still hoping to resume his AFL career after four knee reconstructions, he has been running for the Pies in amid brilliant VFL form.
But trying to get out of the way of a Taylor Adams free kick, he unwittingly blocked Jaidyn Stephenson getting to the ball as it headed in Elliot Yeo’s direction.
From the replays, Adams’s kick from defence skewed left off his boot, but Woodward still blames himself for the Yeo goal that saw them surge ahead in the third term.
“When it comes to my personality I am my own harshest critic,” he said.
“No one can make me feel any worse than I am right now. But this game is a game of inches, and I am feeling a lot of guilt, I am still shattered.
“‘Bucks’ is an unbelievable character and for him to wrap his arms around me, he said I shouldn’t blame myself.
“I really want to put myself in that headspace, but I couldn’t help it. I am still a bit emotional about it.”
Former Hawks midfielder Woodward was trying to deliver a message to a Pies player in the central corridor, unaware Stephenson was behind him.
The irony is that next year AFL runners will almost certainly only be allowed on the field for the 45 seconds after a goal, so that situation will not arise again.
Told Adams’s stray kick had played a big part in the incident, Woodward said he was reluctant to even view the footage.
“To be honest, I don’t want to look back at it, I don’t think it’s a good moment for me and my footy career,” he said.
“I was caught by surprise, I tried to get out of the way as quickly as I could.
“I wasn’t quite aware of my surroundings with ‘Stevo’ being there. Just little moments like that, I think I will feel guilty for a little while.”
Woodward started running for the Pies in the pre-season, put together a scintillating patch of form in the VFL when his knee was ready for a return, then continued running for Collingwood through the finals.
He is desperate for another chance but shattered to be involved in this incident after such an enjoyable year with the Pies’ senior side.
“I had started running in the pre-season . . . it was part of my rehab for my knee. I felt like footy was quite cruel to me in a lot of ways,” he said.
“For me to find the passion again through being a runner, it was something I was quite grateful for.
“I have received a lot of support (in the past 24 hours), which is something I appreciate.
“I was on the skinny side and the majority of players were there.
“Next thing I knew the ball was coming my way and it caught me by surprise so it’s a hard pill to swallow.”
Buckley said: “Woody’s shattered, he’s blaming himself.
“We had a player who ran into him, I think it was Stevo, and Yeo takes the mark and goes back and kicks the goal.
“It’s one of those marginal situations that happens in a game.
“The reason I grabbed him is he can’t be blaming himself.
“Things happen in life, things happen in football.
“He was trying to get out of the way, and it didn’t work.”