Heppell chalks up 200 for Dons
BEING recruited in a tent at a Burleigh Heads caravan park is one of the great AFL draft tales.
Dyson Heppell was starstruck when his hero James Hird walked into the family‘s lodgings the night before the 2010 National Draft.
It was the first time he‘d spoken to Essendon and 24 hours later they selected the Morrish Medallist in the first round at No.8.
Now Heppell (pictured) sits alongside Hird on the club‘s honour board as a captain and will join him as a 200-game player on Saturday when he leads the Bombers onto the SCG on Saturday night to face Sydney.
“I‘m humbled by the whole journey and experiences I have been fortunate enough to have over the last 11 or 12 years,” Heppell said. “To be all at Essendon, the team I grew up barracking for is pretty cool.”
He‘s been through a lot over the journey including Hird’s dismissal during the infamous drugs scandal and is onto his sixth coach (if you include interims) in Ben Rutten.
Injuries have cruelled him in recent times while he‘s also lost three elimination finals but in his laconic country way the kid from Leongatha shrugs it off and moves onto the next challenge.
“Footy can be a tough caper at times, it certainly has its ups and downs and you build a hell of a lot of resilience which is something I have certainly taken from it,” Heppell said.
“Part of me thinks I’d rather a journey of going through hard times and different circumstances and having to work through that.
“I think some of my proudest moments are getting through adversity and coming out the other side stronger. I have loved every minute of it.”
Heppell, 29, recently took a moment to reflect about his milestone which gave him even more appreciation for the career of Essendon’s games record holder Dustin Fletcher.
“I was talking about that with a mate the other night, Fletch played 400 which is just outrageous,” he said. ”I don‘t know if got I’ve 300 in the tank but we’ll keep chipping away.” Dealing with adversity has become second nature for Heppell, particularly this season with Saturday night‘s epic comeback victory over Hawthorn a muchneeded release of the pressure valve.
The critics have been lining up to whack the Bombers and the skipper told them to “jam it” after his team, which had been decimated by five late withdrawals, got over the Hawks.
He went again on Tuesday when quizzed about how some commentators had made a big deal out of the players being pictured laughing at training during the team’s form slump.
“I heard it (the criticism) second-hand, I didn’t see much of it, but people send a couple of things through,” Heppell said. “I’m always an optimistic, positive type of bloke and I’m always going to come in as my authentic self and that’s enjoying my time here and celebrating my teammates, whether that’s in a win or a loss.”
Heppell says the late withdrawals – Jordan Ridley, Jake Kelly, Matt Guelfi, Alec Waterman and Sam Durham appeared to have recovered from the illness which swept through the club.