Past #43: Sam Gibson - #63 '12 RD - 130 consec. NM games (club record) - NM --> ADL for pk91 '17 ND

[Sopwiths North]

I made the journey over to "that" team's website (bleagh) to bring you what was said about our Gibbo on his retirement:


Adelaide midfielder Sam Gibson has announced he is retiring from the AFL at season’s end.

The 32 year-old informed his teammates on Tuesday of his decision to hang up the boots after a career spanning 135 AFL games, seven seasons, and two clubs.

Gibson said the time was right to retire and transition into the next phase of his life, with a view to utilizing his tertiary studies and moving into the construction industry.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to play at the highest level with both the Kangaroos and the Crows.” Gibson said.

“North Melbourne gave me a chance when no-one else would and I had six wonderful years at Arden Street with some friendships and memories I’ll cherish forever.

“It was a privilege to come to Adelaide late last year and be a part of this football club. There’s a fantastic group of players and coaches here that will no doubt have success in the near future.

“For me, I’m looking forward to the next chapter, either here in Adelaide or back in Melbourne. I was a graduate engineer before I was drafted and hope to get back into construction, which is something I really love.”

Crows Senior Coach Don Pyke described Gibson as a true professional.

“Sam has only been with us a short time but his dedication and professionalism in his preparation has been a great example to our younger players” Pyke said.

“We wish him, his wife Jade and son Sebastian all the very best going forward.”

After several years of playing at VFL level, Gibson was recruited to North Melbourne with pick No. 63 in the 2012 rookie draft. Highly regarded for his professionalism, Gibson played 130 consecutive games for the kangaroos between Round 12, 2012 and Round 23, 2017.

He joined the Crows in exchange for pick No. 91 in last year’s national draft and played five games in the tricolours, averaging 22.6 disposals per game."



And for us, a little trip down memory lane:




And it DID keep you in the side next week. And the week after, and the week after that, and...

oh dear. Bit teary now. Well done, dear Gibbo! We love you. Now go build that aqueduct.

 

[amaz199]

Elite runner.

That goal against *Essendon and the ecstasy that followed after. Never forget the joy he brought to the North world.

Great player.

Good luck with your engineering career Gibbo!

 

[shinboner magic]

Assistant coach ????

 

[Sopwiths North]

Assistant coach ????

Once the aqueduct's done. He's also working on a *monorail to Arden Street.

(*someone please post appropriate Simpson's gif*)

 

[Twinkletoes]

Elite runner.

That goal against *Essendon and the ecstasy that followed after. Never forget the joy he brought to the North world.

I sent in a text message to SEN during the KB/Gibbo interview mentioning that moment v *, saying it was as loud a roar as I've heard for North live, and KB read it out asking Gibbo if he remembers it.

He not only remembers it but cherishes it, telling KB that was our first finals win for years and something he'll never forget.

Top bloke Gibbo!

 

[Sopwiths North]

I sent in a text message to SEN during the KB/Gibbo interview mentioning that moment v *, saying it was as loud a roar as I've heard for North live, and KB read it out asking Gibbo if he remembers it.

He not only remembers it but cherishes it, telling KB that was our first finals win for years and something he'll never forget.

Top bloke Gibbo!

Thanks for posting that 'toes. I think Gibbo was genuinely hurt when he got dumped by us. I still feel bad about how abruptly and without warning he had the door shut in his face, after how much he'd put in for so long. But he's adaptable! And so it goes.

Think my fave memory of him was the match (can't for the life of me remember who we were playing) when some opposition crashed him into the barrier, and he was bleeding from it, but he ran back out and played on, and any time an ump got near he hid his bleeding hands from them, or just turned the other way so they wouldn't see. It worked too! Smarts and heart. That was our Gibbo. Ooh, and lots of running (and tackling!) too!

 

[Twinkletoes]

Thanks for posting that 'toes. I think Gibbo was genuinely hurt when he got dumped by us. I still feel bad about how abruptly and without warning he had the door shut in his face, after how much he'd put in for so long. But he's adaptable! And so it goes.

In the KB interview he was asked about that and he said yes he was taken aback by it, and was shitty and flabbergasted briefly but he knew with where the club was at (looking like it was on the decline), and given his age, that they couldn't hold some of the promising kids back any longer and he 100% accepted it. He was subsequently thrilled to get the opportunity with Adelaide and added that he was absolutely chuffed watching those North kids playing so well this year.

He finished by saying "the club made the correct decision and this year has vindicated it."

An absolute ripping bloke is Gibbo.

 

[The Other Dean]

Think my fave memory of him was the match (can't for the life of me remember who we were playing) when some opposition crashed him into the barrier, and he was bleeding from it, but he ran back out and played on, and any time an ump got near he hid his bleeding hands from them, or just turned the other way so they wouldn't see.

Against West Coast over in WA, iirc.

Anyways, onya, Gibbo.

Shame he couldn't have played out his career with us but, like the great man himself, I understand the reasons for moving him on.

Anything else to be said about him, I'm sure was covered in the 5,000-odd posts I made defending the bloke.

Long may his consecutive games record for North continue to bring a smile to this poster's face.

 

[Keith Ape]

Always loved his hard running and enjoyed some pretty sweet goals. I was happy he got picked up by Adelaide and had another shot...shame it didn't work out for him.

Apparently dislikes kids but I don't blame him one bit. Little grubs.

Rock on, Sam.

 

[Heaps of fun]

Always loved his hard running and enjoyed some pretty sweet goals. I was happy he got picked up by Adelaide and had another shot...shame it didn't work out for him.

Apparently dislikes kids but I don't blame him one bit. Little grubs.

Rock on, Sam.

Helped clog up a competitor's list. Good on ya, Sam. Team efforts right to the end.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Give him a game you Crow rats!

Congrats Gibbo, you were a monument to persistence.

Now it's time to start knocking out sons for North Melbourne with that glamour missus.

 

[Sopwiths North]

Give him a game you Crow rats!

Congrats Gibbo, you were a monument to persistence.

Now it's time to start knocking out sons for North Melbourne with that glamour missus.

He's got one out already! "Sebastian" I believe is his name. Will be looking out for "Sebbo" come 2035 or so. (good lord, 2035! !! That's it, no more father/son maths.)

 

[giantroo]

 

[tazaa]

Gibbo played up in Darwin recently too
Trying to do the gun for hire show post retirement

 

[Snake_Baker]

Onya Gibbo!

Now it's time to breed North Melbourne sons with your supermodel missus.

How former North Melbourne wingman Sam Gibson went from engineer to AFL star and back again

• January 29, 2019 8:00am
• Josh Gabelich@gabelichjosh
• Source: FOX SPORTS

Sam Gibson has sat here before, but this time is different. This time, he is back behind his desk at McConnell Dowell, seven years after he packed up his stuff at the construction company and moved into Arden Street.

By the time he walked into the North Melbourne Football Club for the first time at 25, Gibson had already completed a degree at Melbourne University and worked as a civil engineer for nearly a year. Most players are drafted at 18 and debut before they are on the other side of 20. Gibson was never like most players.

He got an early taste of an elite environment, but was chewed up and spat out after one year on Hawthorn’s rookie list, where he spent the entire season playing for Box Hill.

That was where he returned after he was delisted and that was where he piled up ultra-consistent performances week after week, year after year, until the Kangaroos finally offered him a lifeline with the 63rd pick in the rookie draft at the end of 2011.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Sam Gibson is drenched in Gatorade after his first game against Gold Coast in 2012.Source: News Limited

Gibson played his first AFL game at 26 and then played the next 129 games in a row. Despite Gibson finishing equal sixth in the 2017 Syd Barker medal, Gibson’s remarkable run was brought to an end when he was a casualty of North Melbourne’s bold rebuilding strategy.

He played five more games for Adelaide last season after they snapped him up, finishing a career that took longer than almost anyone else to get going with an average of 22.6 disposals across 135 games.

“Looking back now, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I was really happy that I was educated before I played AFL,” Gibson told foxfooty.com.au this month after transitioning back into his old life as a civil engineer.

“I think going through the way I did meant I could really make the most of my footy because I went through the system a bit more mature and a bit more realistic about life in general and the opportunity I was given.

“But if you told me that at 18 I would have said ‘piss off, I just want to get on with this’. The one thing that I think escapes people is people mature at vastly different rates, whether it’s physically or mentally to cope with the demands of footy.

“This bias towards 18-year-olds because they think the sky is the limit and they can mould them into whatever they want them to be, when there are 24-year-old guys who just took longer for them to click. Guys are missing out on opportunities because of that bias of youth.”

Sam Gibson on the burst against Brisbane at the Gabba in 2016.Source: Getty Images

Not many people are as qualified as Gibson to argue for the draft age to be shifted back a year. But after transitioning out the other side of the game, that is exactly what the 32-year-old thinks should happen.

“The argument is made about pushing the draft age back and I don’t think that’s a bad idea,” he said.

“Of the 70 or 80 who are drafted, there are probably only 10 who make an impact in their first year. Why wouldn’t you give them a year out of school to give them a kickstart on a degree or to use that time on what they want to do outside footy?

“Once you’re inside the footy bubble, it is such a professional environment and you’re there for such a short time that it becomes very easy to just put everything you’ve got into footy. Then you start to neglect all those other things.

“When you mature you actually see how doing things outside of footy actually helps your footy; it makes you a more well-rounded person.”

Renowned for his elite endurance, Sam Gibson motors to one of his many time-trial wins.Source: News Corp Australia

When Gibson first arrived at North Melbourne he only had a one-year contract and decided it was wise to keep working one day each week at McConnell Dowell. If things didn’t work out, at least he would have a job to go back to at the end of the year.

Fortunately for Gibson, things worked out very well. He signed a two-year contract at the end of that first season after playing the final 13 games — including the elimination final — and cut ties with the construction company. At least for the time being.

As his second chance at AFL level blossomed, and as he entrenched himself inside Brad Scott’s engine room, Gibson never stopped preparing for life after football. After all, it was a life he already knew so much about.

“Being drafted late you feel like you’re a few bad games away from your career being over, so I always had a view of what was next,” he said.

“I was always pretty keen to utilise the contacts we had at the club. I did internships and informal setups across a few years. I spent heaps of time developing a network.

“I learnt by experience that there are so many well connected people involved in footy clubs who are willing to help young guys for no other fact than they play footy.

Gibson might now be out of the AFL, but he isn’t hanging the boots up yet.

He will run around for the Sorrento Sharks in the Nepean Football League this winter, as they reload after losing to the Frankston Pines by a point in last year’s grand final.

“I actually don’t have a huge amount of links anywhere because all the guys I went to school with and all my mates growing up don’t really play footy,” the Camberwell Grammar product said.

“I got introduced to a few of the Sorrento guys through mutual friends and I was at that point in time that I thought it was best for me and best for my transition to actually play somewhere. It just seemed like a good fit and I’ve jumped in. They’ve got some great off-field networks as well which was a big factor.”

There is little doubt that one of the most successful mature-age rookies — and one of the best value for money picks in the history of the draft — won’t have an issue transitioning into the next phase of his life.

After all, he has already sat in this seat before.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/ho...n/news-story/a3c298a4d9dfb0de78a0b02fb5f3b265

 

[King Corey]

He copped a lot of grief on the board but the gap between Sam Gibson's best and worst was extremely narrow. One of the most reliable players we've had to turn up and give his all week in, week out. Wish a few of his more credentialed ex-teammates could get near his consistency.

Swallow, Bell, S.Thompson and Gibson are all players who seemed to bring at least a baseline level of performance to almost every game they play. Interesting that all of them came via a delayed or interrupted pathway of some sort by the time they reached North's senior list.

 

[Roobound]

He copped a lot of grief on the board but the gap between Sam Gibson's best and worst was extremely narrow. One of the most reliable players we've had to turn up and give his all week in, week out. Wish a few of his more credentialed ex-teammates could get near his consistency.

Swallow, Bell, S.Thompson and Gibson are all players who seemed to bring at least a baseline level of performance to almost every game they play. Interesting that all of them came via a delayed or interrupted pathway of some sort by the time they reached North's senior list.

I think you could add Spud to that list as well KC.

 

[tazaa]

That goal against Essendon forever remembered

I also remember he butchered a near certain goal when Higgins was free on the outer wing and all Gibbo had to do was get the ball to him.
By any means necessary.
And he swung around on his left on the half back flank and put the ball 5 rows back into the members

* me

 

[The Other Dean]

That goal against Essendon forever remembered

I also remember he butchered a near certain goal when Higgins was free on the outer wing and all Gibbo had to do was get the ball to him.
By any means necessary.
And he swung around on his left on the half back flank and put the ball 5 rows back into the members

**** me

 

[benbanjo]

He copped a lot of grief on the board but the gap between Sam Gibson's best and worst was extremely narrow. One of the most reliable players we've had to turn up and give his all week in, week out. Wish a few of his more credentialed ex-teammates could get near his consistency.

Swallow, Bell, S.Thompson and Gibson are all players who seemed to bring at least a baseline level of performance to almost every game they play. Interesting that all of them came via a delayed or interrupted pathway of some sort by the time they reached North's senior list.

Bargains everyone of them, and im not even gona start with how the Bell trade should have set us up for a decade to come.

 

[giantroo]