STRUGGLES OVER FOR BIG CHARLIE
CHARLIE Dixon says he wasn’t in the right headspace to do what his team demanded when he was axed three weeks ago, but going back to the SANFL helped him rediscover how to be a good teammate.
Port Adelaide’s 200cm key forward returned to form on Saturday when he kicked three goals in the 47-point win over the Swans.
At the time, the call to drop him after just five games back from a serious broken leg was seen as harsh, but Dixon agreed it was the right move.
The Cairns product revealed he was struggling with personal issues off the field which was affecting him on game day.
“I was a bit disappointed because I’m a competitor and I want to play but we had a good chat and at the end of the day I was struggling with some stuff off-field, personal stuff, not footy, which I have done for a while,” Dixon said.
“I wasn’t in the right mindset to be out there and that’s what he (Hinkley) made the call on.
“I had to go back and work on my form and be a good teammate. I was able to go back and focus on keeping the forwards together, making sure we’re a unit and bring everyone in before and after goals, that brings you out of your own mindset and allows you to worry about someone else.”
Hinkley said he was pleased to see Dixon rewarded on the scoreboard.
“He never not gives (all his) effort, Charlie, we all get that, and it goes undervalued a little bit with what he has to do sometimes. He stands under the heap and everyone piles on top of him and gets crashed in the packs,” Hinkley said. “He works really hard for the team, he doesn’t always get the results that he would like personally.”
— Reece Homfray