OUR WILL’S FLAG TRIBUTE
Geelong’s Schofield dedicates incredible flag win to dad and late best mate
“I had his initials on my hand and it probably gave me a bit of motivation … That was the way (dad) used to play his footy”
FORMER Geelong College student and Newtown Football Club junior Will Schofield has dedicated his premiership medal to his late father John and close mate Andrew McArthur.
The West Coast backman played a starring role in Saturday’s thrilling five-point win against Collingwood, nullifying the impact of dynamic Collingwood forward Jordan De Goey, who had loomed as the man most likely to win the match off his own boot for the Magpies.
Schofield formed part of the Eagles’ rock-solid defensive group with Tom Barrass, Tom Cole, Jeremy McGov- ern, Lewis Jetta, Liam Duggan and captain Shannon Hurn, who combined for 45 marks and conceded just six goals after quarter time.
The 29-year-old said he called on his late father’s resilience and perseverance to shut De Goey out of the game and paid tribute to his family at West Coast for supporting him following the tragic death of McArthur in March.
“I had his initials on my hand and it probably gave me a bit of motivation for smacking De Goey and Stephenson around all day,” S Schofield said. “That was the w way (dad) used to play his fo footy. He was low on talent but high on effort and I tried to do the same.
“It is difficult, he ( De Goey) is one of the top three small forwards in the game and he is a terrific athlete and a massive talent.
“But I had all week to prepare for him and I did my work and that has been a really good trait of us as a team.
“We prepare for what is coming up so that when you get in tight situations like that you know what you are doing.
“You don’t have to be nervous and I don’t think anyone was nervous in that last quarter, it was going to go either way but that wasn’t going to define us as a footy club or as people.
“I lost one of my best mates during the year to a bike accident, he was a Geelong boy as well, so I played for them and this is great.”
Schofield had only been dropped from the West Coast side three weeks ago, but earned a recall after teammate Brad Sheppard suffered a hamstring injury in his team’s qualifying final victory.
It saw Sheppard relegated to the sidelines with injured pair Nic Naitanui and Eric Mackenzie, as well as suspended midfielder Andrew Gaff, but Schofield said while the whole club felt for those who missed out, they needed to stay focused during the lead-up to the game.
“Being in the team so long, you start to understand that footy goes that way and every year we have got guys missing out,” he said. “Your heart breaks for guys and they are just unlucky. This year we have won a premiership and 'Shepp' has missed out on that and he has been our most consistent bloke for five years, so my heart breaks for him.
“But there was no use worrying about him and curling up our toes because he missed out or ‘Gaffy’, ‘Nic Nat’, Eric (Mackenzie), guys who have retired — footy goes on, and it is a brutal industry.
“I was cemented in the team and did a hammy and came out, so I only had myself to blame, but that is footy and that happens sometimes. I had to try to keep positive and here we are.”