ISAAC SMITH
EXCLUSIVE COLUMN TODAY
FRIDAY night football!
There’s no better timeslot to play in as an AFL player.
The bright lights are shining, the footy world is watching, and, if you win, you get to relax and enjoy an entire weekend.
Relaxing weekends are few and far between for footballers from March to September.
As always in footy, preparation is the key to success on a Friday night.
At Waverley — where I spent many years with the Hawks — there is a famous quote the players see on the wall every day. It shows the late John Kennedy Senior bellowing “It’s later than you think”.
I have tried to keep this quote at the forefront of my thinking throughout my football career.
Sometimes it’s difficult to get your preparation perfect, but what I have learned is that the more often as a player you prepare more effectively than your opponent, the more often you will have a great weekend.
For any young footballer reading this, my advice is not to scrimp on the preparation you do away from your football club.
This is the unseen professionalism. It’s where many of the great players over the years have grabbed their first advantage on their competition.
I’m talking about paying attention to your eating and sleeping habits, flexibility and mental training, and there are many other aspects to this.
Preparation is also about when to arrive at the ground and begin your pregame routine.
For me, this presents a new challenge this year as I learn and adapt my approach to the drive from Geelong for our Melbourne games, like Friday night’s clash against St Kilda.
Trust me, I already have a good understanding of how nightmarish Melbourne’s arterials can be on a Friday night.
I know all about the loggerheads getting through tunnels and over bridges, and the battles with unexpected road works. Currently the West Gate Tunnel works are causing disruptions on the Princes Freeway.
Driving to play Richmond last week I ended up going through Footscray and the city to avoid the built-up traffic from a crash on the Monash Freeway.
The commute to Marvel Stadium on Friday will not just be difficult for me and my Geelong teammates and coaches, but also for all the St Kilda players coming from the eastern and south eastern suburbs.
When I played for Hawthorn we had nightmares about getting to Docklands on a Friday night.
There were many times when we had players and staff running late leading into a game.
One Friday night we were travelling in to play North Melbourne, but the whole of the city seemed to be at a standstill.
I was forced to detour off the Monash Freeway and landed in South Melbourne. After sitting still on Kings Way for more than 30 minutes I tailed an ambulance down the tram lines, and managed to get to the ground just minutes before our team meeting.
I tell you, preparation is key! Tonight, against St Kilda, is a big game for both clubs.
The Saints were expected to be one of the stronger teams this year, but started a little slower than they would have liked.
That said, they are beginning to put some strong football together, and have won three of their last five matches.
We know they’re dangerous, especially on their home ground, on a Friday night in front of their fans.
As for us? We started slowly as well, but we’ve fought our way back into the top four, and we know just how important a win tonight is for our aspirations of being in a strong position when the mid-season bye arrives in a couple of weeks.
I better go start my preparation!
The bright lights are shining, the footy world is watching, and, if you win, you get to relax and enjoy an entire weekend.