Nothing in tank for premiership Hawk
MORE than one AFL recruiter scoffed when Josh Gibson’s name was brought up in 2004.
Perceived as a “podgy party animal”, Gibson spent much of the year playing VFL reserves with Port Melbourne and was far from setting the world on fire after being overlooked in his under-18 year with Oakleigh Chargers.
Coaches saw a developing defender who had the drive and determination to get to the top but some recruiters could not be convinced.
“Josh was just a genuine footballer. He could win his own football and he was very rarely beaten one-on-one,” former Port Melbourne coach Saade Ghazi said.
“I remember him playing in a game at Coburg in the reserves. A recruiter came up to me and said, ‘Have you got anyone here?’ and I said, ‘Josh Gibson will play 200 AFL games’.
He said Josh is a bit of a party animal and look at his body shape. I said that’s up to an AFL club to get him in and change that.”
North Melbourne decided to take a chance on Gibson when “no one else would”, selecting the left-footer at Pick 7 in the 2005 Rookie Draft.
But it was Hawthorn that became the big beneficiary,
Gibson yesterday announcing his immediate retirement from the game after 160 matches, three premierships and two best-and-fairests in the brown and gold.
“Some guys say they finish with some in the tank. I know I’ve got nothing left in the tank,” Gibson said during an emotional media conference, for which he had “pre-ordered tissues”.
“I guess that’s the way I’ve played. I’ve always trained hard and tried to give everything all the time and I can retire knowing I’ve given everything I can and it’s my time to go.”
Gibson joined the Hawks with groin troubles at the end of the 2009 season – lured by the prospect of premiership glory – and leaves the club after a year ruined by the same injury, the 33-year-old having been sidelined since Round 12.
Gibson had begun training strongly again in recent weeks but told Clarkson that he did not want someone else to be dropped so he could play a farewell game while still “not quite 100 per cent”.
“It’s not really what I’m after,” Gibson said.
“I’ve had a great career and had a lot of highlights in that time so one send-off game isn’t the be all and end all.”
The peak of those was his first premiership in 2013, which Gibson described as “the best day of my life” after the pain of losing in 2012.
Clarkson labelled Gibson as a “ferocious competitor” and great leader who “set the standard”, while pointing to bestand-fairest wins in premiership years of 2013 and 2015 as a reflection of his standing at the club.
“There were pretty handy teammates in those sides,” Clarkson said.