The stats man with a routine for his cuisine

EXACTLY 14 mushrooms, salmon sashimi and a half-packet of Pods. It’s the fuel of champions. Preparing for football was an exact science for former Hawthorn skipper Jarryd Roughead, who has been given his final farewell from the Hawks in a heartwarming and often hilarious tribute.

Former teammates Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis revealed the Coleman medallist’s “OCD tendencies” in a video tribute, which range from shoe placement to how salt and pepper shakers are arranged and fixing the couch cushions once his wife Sarah had gone to bed.

And without hesitation, the champion forward — a self-confessed “stats man” — rattled off his exact weekly shop and even the exact order he would place at a Hawthorn Japanese restaurant to prepare for games at the top level.

“It got a lot better towards the end,” Roughead smiled.

“If you want a brief rundown, I’d leave Waverley, drive straight to the corner of Glenferrie and Riversdale roads [in Hawthorn]. There’s an IGA there. I’d walk in and I’d grab 14 mushrooms, a brown onion, a can of tomato soup, a can of crushed tomatoes, the heaviest mince at the time — which was about 500 to 550 grams — pasta, a couple of waters, pay, then go to Samurai, have the same meal. I’d go home, cook it [the pasta], walk the dog, eat dinner. “We had a routine, it was fair to say. “[The order at Samurai was] entree salmon sashimi, gyoza, tofu curry, 10 piece California roll with teriyaki sauce.”

Even Sarah was roped into the routine at one point, Roughead admitted, after sharing a treat with Lewis on an interstate trip produced a blistering performance.

“Jordan I roomed together for 12 years. We used to have Snakes and Pods before games,” the 283-game star said.

“I played really well in Tassie one day — kicked eight. And the next week we played in Melbourne. Jordy and I used to share half a bag of Pods each, so I made Sarah eat the other half so I’d play well the next day on the Saturday.” And did it work? “We’re still sitting here aren’t we?” he said, deadpan.

The tribute — led by former Hawks player Daniel Harford — encompassed every aspect of Roughead’s career, from being drafted alongside Lewis and nowSwan Lance Franklin, to his melanoma diagnosis, recurrence and return to football as skipper.

The 32-year-old opened up on having to break the news to his wife that his cancer had returned in 2016 after spots had appeared on his lung.

He said he hoped his legacy at Hawthorn would be that of a team man.

“I’d like to think that I was a great teammate that loved spending time with the boys. For 15 years that’s all I’ve known,” he said.

“I came out of Leongatha as a young boy. I leave as a grown-up, dad, husband … I’m grateful that Hawthorn was able to mould me into the person that I am.”