GAZZA WRITES FOR THE ADDY
THERE are a couple of nerves about tonight’s match, but, to be honest, the overwhelming feeling is excitement about finally getting back out there on home turf.
It has been nearly eight years since I last played for the Cats at Kardinia Park, now GMHBA Stadium.
This is a place I love, a place I grew up around (even if it looks a lot different now) and a place that holds so many amazing memories.
One of the main reasons I came back home to Geelong was to help this side play finals and, ultimately, win a premiership, because that’s what we play footy for.
I can remember back to my last game at Kardinia Park as a Geelong player in Round 22, 2010, when we had a good win over West Coast.
What stands out from that day was how good the supporters were, the goodwill I received from everyone, before I ultimately went to the Gold Coast a few weeks later.
Even when I came back as a Gold Coast player for the first time, I can still remember being nervous about the type of reception I would get.
I was preparing to be booed and jeered, but when I stepped on to the ground — from the unusual vantage point of the opposition rooms — the crowd cheered me on and showed me nothing but support.
So for that, I am eternally grateful and I hope to reward your support.
It will be exciting tonight against Carlton.
Not just the occasion of being back at Geelong, but because we, as a team, need to put in a good performance and make up for the disappointing performance against Essendon. Myself included. I know I didn’t have my best game and I was honest when I spoke to the media after the game.
As I told the reporters, everyone has bad performances in their careers and the only thing you can do is front up the next week and make amends.
For me, I am learning a new role on the run and while that’s not an excuse, I feel I will get better with time.
For 13-14 years, I’ve been running around as a midfielder, but since coming back from the hamstring injury this year, I’ve spent time forward, at times playing loose down back and at times the extra man at the stoppage. So we’re just working out the best fit for the team. The body is still feeling good. Until I suffered that minor hamstring injury just before the JLT Community Series, I felt I had a really good pre-season.
That’s probably what made the setbacks so frustrating, that I felt I was ready to go after months on the track and then had to cool my jets.
After the second setback, in Round 3 against West Coast, that was really frustrating. So we sat down with the doctors and the physios and had a really good look at what we needed to do to make sure we got on top of the issues.
Ultimately, we were probably a bit conservative, but as the games roll on, I definitely feel I can improve.
One of the most precious things about being back home is being close to family.
Mum is a 15-minute drive from where I’m living and Dad is not too far away at all, which is nice, and it was great to drop by Queens Park the other week to watch Nathan back playing footy for Modewarre again.
I get to spend quality time with them now, rather than just conversations over the phone.
It has been nice to do things that people take for granted, like going for
a hit of golf together, or just catching up for a feed, especially after tragedy rocked our family with the passing of my much-loved sister Tash last year.
When I started playing AFL footy, we trained two or three times a week. Now you really only have one-and-ahalf days off — and often that is taken up with other commitments.
It’s nice after training some nights to go down and see Mum and spend time with her. That’s something I missed for seven years.
It’s easier to see Dad and obviously easier for him to get along to games too.
I’m hoping he comes along this weekend, it would be nice to have him there and it would be a buzz for the other guys, too, I’m sure.
Dad has enjoyed seeing me back in the hoops. To be honest, he does not say too much about the footy, but I know he would have been keeping a close eye on the games.
When he first heard that the trade had gone through and I was coming back home, he was one of the first people to call and congratulate me.
I could just sense his joy and how happy he was to have me back home, just so we could be closer as a family.
When you look out across the ground, it is clear how far the club has come.
The light towers, the new grandstands that almost stretch around the whole ground now and, on-field, a list that gives us confidence we can challenge for a deep run into the finals.
We are also heavily involved in the community — probably more involved than people realise — and I am proud to play for a club that plays such a proactive role in society.
The passion is as strong as ever. Both from the people within the club and the fans in the street and in the grandstands ds who continue to support us through gh thick and thin.
Hopefully, tonight, night, we can put a few more smiles miles back on the faces of you, u, our supporters, in an important match for the Cats.
It’s good to be back. See you tonight.
Go Cats!
“Dad has enjoyed seeing me back in the hoops. To be honest, he does not say too much about the footy, but I know he would have been keeping a close eye on the games.”