PRESTIA’S TIGER TALE LANDS SUNNY-SIDE UP WITH STUNNING GRAND FINAL SHOT
FoRMER Suns midfielder dion Prestia has opened up about his astonishment that the difficult move from the Gold Coast to Richmond has paid off so quickly as he prepares for AFL grand final day. Prestia and his Tiger teammates will battle the Adelaide Crows on Saturday at the MCG for the right to be crowned premiers.
WHEN Dion Prestia made the tough decision to leave Gold Coast and join Richmond last year he never predicted he would be in an AFL grand final within 12 months.
It’s a decision that could deliver a premiership to the Tigers when they play the Adelaide Crows on the biggest stage at the MCG this Saturday. Prestia chose to return to Victoria to be closer to his family above all else. And now they could be on hand to watch him live out a true boyhood dream.
“Who would have thought Richmond would be playing in a grand final at the start of the year,” Prestia said.
“To get back and make it a bit easier with my family and to be able to see them every week, it was just a really good timing for me to come back.
“This is just a bonus. It was a tough decision at the time and obviously I’m really happy with where the club is at.”
Prestia had up to four Melbourne clubs chasing his signature but it was the lure of playing in front of big crowds with a strong nucleus that includes forward Jack Riewoldt, defender Alex Rance and midfielders Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin that led to his decision to join Richmond.
Prestia was taken at No. 9 of Gold Coast’s first draft and became a star of the club’s midfield through six seasons.
The clean ball-user was a constant feature of the leadership group and a vice-captain alongside now co-captains Tom Lynch and Steve May.
Prestia was forced to carry the load when the club lost most of their leaders to injury and spent long periods in 2015 on the sideline himself with a knee injury.
The 24-year-old has played some of his best football since his shift to Richmond this season and he credited the ability to be one cog in a high performing outfit for his success.
“It’s definitely been a lot different to what I was doing at the Gold Coast,” Prestia said.
“At the Gold Coast we were struck down by a lot of injuries during my time there.
“I knew coming in to Richmond that I would have players around me like Martin and Cotchin through the midfield who would probably be the ones that get paid a bit more attention and I’m just happy to be playing my role here. We all cover for each other.”