Player Watch #23 Bernie Vince - Retired - Thanks Bernie

Remove this Banner Ad

knackers29 said:
Should we ignore the fact that the hand in the pic is a right hand?
Click to expand...
Either the image is flipped or the person that managed to smudge their right hand like this is a dumbass.
 
As others have said, he came over when we were unfashionable as a destination.

Also, despite being a mature player he always had a lightish frame. He put his body on the line to do the heavy stuff many blokes his size wouldn't. It has probably caught up with him.

Cheers for the service and hard work Bernie.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

knackers29 said:
Great Article from Gawn on Bernie, for those who can bypass the paywall.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...n/news-story/f4ce5cfa06fdad2e4387945c960aa504
Click to expand...
Bernie Vince is more than a larrikin and is lifting Melbourne in its finals bid, writes Max Gawn
SEPTEMBER 02, 2018
Patrick Dangerfield is in red-hot form for the Crows, but I don't think any of us in the Melbourne changerooms that day were expecting what coach Paul Roos threw up in the team meeting.

Bernie Vince was told to tag Dangerfield.

Bernie had been our premier midfielder since arriving at the club a year earlier and this was a bold move from Roosy, pitting best player against best player.

What followed was one of the most physical one-one-one battles I have ever seen. Play after play they fought on the ground and in the air, with several bone-rattling bumps and tackles.

This day, to me, defines Bernie as a player. Completely selfless, he will do anything the team needs of him and he rarely loses a one-on-one.

He had 18 touches and eight tackles that day while keeping Danger to an equal season low of 16.

We lost that game, but Vince’s performance went a long way to changing the way the footy world looked at us — as the so-called ‘bruise-free Dees’.

I can’t help but think of Bernie this week. Unfortunately he has announced he will retire at seasons end, but on the eve of our first finals appearance in 12 years, it was his arrival four years ago that helped transform this club.

Bernie was the country kid who entered the system as a mature-age recruit. Yet he was one who, by his own admission, was nowhere near the standard to play AFL consistently.

He has since matured into a leader and a pioneer of our team.

In some of our darkest moments Bernie’s leadership started to shine. Off-field, he was able to have those uncomfortable conversations while showing genuine care for his teammates and encouraging them to get the best out of themselves.

Whenever Bernie’s career does end this year, he probably won’t be the most missed Vince. Father Tim and mum Serena have been accepted into this club as if they are everyone’s parents. Tim, usually at the bar, has had to be convinced to stay out of the team song at times.

Bernie’s four sisters, who can party harder than him, have always been by his side and heavily involved in his journey.

The relationship between the Vince family and Melbourne Football Club is now standard here, but it wasn’t always this way.

Knowing each other purely as colleagues was how we rolled for a while. But through Roos, Vince and others who arrived at our club from 2014, it became clear that just knowing each other wasn’t enough.

Being truly invested in not only a teammate, but a brother, is the new standard. In my opinion, this was driven by Vince and his family. I know my parents have felt more included and involved at the club since the arrival of the Vince clan.

This has been the untold story among the group in recent years. Because every player has a story and it’s their loved one’s that has turned them into the person they are today.

Yet for all that, it was Bernie’s on-field leadership that’s been his biggest strength.

This guy has been unwavering in his approach to the contest and has always performed those selfless acts that we don’t necessarily see on the broadcast.

His durability and desire to get the best out of himself has been totally underrated.

He’s viewed as the loveable larrikin, but he is so much more than that to us.

Five years and hardly a missed training session, let alone a game. Five years and five personal best 2km time trials. Five years of constantly putting his head over the ball.

A 13-year career, 100 games at two clubs and a best and fairest winner at two clubs, this is a self-driven leader who will go down in my eyes as a champion.

And I don’t think he’s done yet. Hit with a shoulder injury that would have most out for a long time, he could potentially be available for a future final if we get there.

Speaking of which, we’re not done yet either.

It has been a long 12 years since this team played in September, nine of which I’ve

been involved in.

It has created a sense of excitement around the place. Not just in Nathan Jones, but others at the club who have been here since this painfully-long finals drought started.

Our head physio Sam Pietsch has been here for almost the whole 12 years, our property

steward Anthony Brown and our head of IT Pete Roberts.

They can feel it. Then there’s our tremendously-loyal supporters, most of whom weren’t alive or were too young to remember 1964.

On the flight home from Perth after the Round 22 win over West Coast that guaranteed our finals participation I sat next to Steven Smith’s wife, who was incredibly excited. She mentioned Steve had played 200-plus games without a final for Melbourne through the 70s and 80s.

But with all this excitement, players and coaches have had to channel it. Making the tournament is not a successful year. But doing something in finals is.

We haven’t just scraped in and are making up the numbers. We deserve to be here.

Let’s use this excitement as fuel to power a game style which thrives on energy.

I’m excited for what the future holds for Bernie with his lovely wife Abbie, but I’m also excited for what Bernie and the rest of us can do in the coming weeks.

I know he will keep pushing in the coming weeks just like he has for the last 13 years.

If we can take some inspiration from Bernie this weekend against Geelong, you should see 22 brothers go to work and relish playing beside their best mates on the biggest stage of them all.
Click to expand...
 
Brilliant article. That’s giving us all a look into the inner sanctum. Really interesting that it was Bernie and his family who changed the culture of the club off the field. Being genuinely close to your team mates is such an important part of success in team sports. Makes me love him even more.
The comment by Gawn about five preseasons and give personal best 2k time trials says everything. He never dialed it in, but kept improving every year, even at the end of his career. That is amazing and inspiring. Gawn picking up on something like that makes me think he should be our next captain too.
 
What a bloody champion, as others have said he chose us when we were nothing and has helped drag us out of the mire. The perfect combination of likable larrikin and hard nosed campaigner when he wanted to be. Very sad he won't be going around next year. If we did happen to make it to the big dance I'd be all for him playing if he can be anywhere near fit... He is the type of player that can win you a GF.

That article is a brilliant insight as to how footy clubs work. Kudos to Bern and his whole family, we are all indebted to you!
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Theseventhhamster said:
Hire that man. Part time coach or something.
Click to expand...
Yep hire him as a part time coach that also plays down at Casey and can help the next wave coming through the VFL
 
* I love this.

And this:

Five years and five personal best 2km time trials.

I did not know that! Man crush on Bern still growing
 
00Stinger said:
Yep hire him as a part time coach that also plays down at Casey and can help the next wave coming through the VFL
Click to expand...
Just hire him as head of morale or morale lead or something!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Scythe94
Player Watch #23: Shane McAdam – traded from Adelaide
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
190
Views
7K
mrmonkey
mrmonkey
Scythe94
  • Locked
Preview Changes/Preview – Round 23 v Hawthorn
11 12 13 14 15
Replies
359
Views
10K
TheBoss
TheBoss
Dory_77
Game Day Round 23 v Hawthorn, MCG - Gawn 200th, ANB 150th
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
443
Views
5K
Jamurp
Jamurp
Scythe94
Prediction Best 22/23 Discussion: 2023
2 3 4 5
Replies
119
Views
8K
mrmonkey
mrmonkey
Dory_77
  • Locked
Game Day Round 23 v Brisbane
27 28 29 30 31
Replies
752
Views
20K
Dory_77
Dory_77
Dory_77
Preview Changes round 23 v Brisbane
2 3 4 5
Replies
117
Views
4K
Daemon
Daemon
Dory_77
  • Locked
AFLW Season 7 Round 9 v Essendon, 5:10pm Sunday 23/10 @Casey
Replies
15
Views
786
SugarHealey
SugarHealey

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top