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thanks salim malik
Mega Thread 2016 Media Thread
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Anybody keen for their daily Nat Fyfe perve, he toured the Adidas centre today to do some training and promo stuff, uploaded some videos to his Instagram Story, enjoy! Allikat Tayl0r electricfeel
Already seen it *swoon*
electricfeel
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Thank you for the tag. Very hot indeed. Nice to see Kyle Chalmers in there too!
- Apr 16, 2014
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Posted with the comment:
Better late than never.
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That could potentially keep him out for a while. I feel for him, there have been plenty of times where he obviously wasn't 100%.
rodney hoo
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Exactly but didn't stop the know alls ripping in, we all guess what's happening that is why we on here but have to be careful throwing stones.
Yeah I agree. Assuming he has been carrying an injury for a while (like it has seemed) I hope he stays with us and we give him enough time to get it as sorted as possible. I think we can manage with Sandi and Apeness with Griff as backup for the coming year, and that way Clarke may be fully fit to take over from Sandi once he retires. Throw in a young prospect like Goddard (or English if we take the big gamble) and we could be all set in the ruck department for a long while.
Aw wish I'd known earlier. We never participate in this! And the Footy Show sucks so I haven't been watching it
electricfeel
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Of course Crozier and Sheridan are part of it!
electricfeel
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Haha the freo boys did alright. Son Son showed some good moves doing his own solo dance as Prince. Poor Sutty the dweeb gets the only non shirtless role in their dance.
You really really wouldn't. I know the reviews are usually awful but had a look because of the Freo players.
The players review was as cringeworthy as usual and the only difference was that some of the Freo players were in it. I was surprised that Walters played that large a part and possibly had some dance moves but it was truly hard looking through my figures by that time. Will never watch again.
Mate its just a bit of fun for the boys, need to lighten up a little.
I know everyone bashes the Footy show on here but the with the Revue you know what you are gonna get, players having some fun and making a fool of themselves with the odd good dancer thrown in.
To the poster above here is a link: should be the last half hour or so when it starts
Thanks i enjoyed that a lot.
Freo Quokkas
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Tonga Bob
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Just saw this interview with Pav. Bloody awesome, but I think there's something in my eye...
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/op...e/news-story/ad9913422c9e2b3d1c7fffcebf62c5e6
On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/op...e/news-story/ad9913422c9e2b3d1c7fffcebf62c5e6
On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app
Freo Quokkas
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Ah, I'm not a subscriber to the Herald Sun, online. So I couldn't read it.
Tonga Bob
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Bugger. Neither am I. It worked the first time for me via this tweet, but not the second so I can't paste it in. Try with this...
On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app
Hamish McLachlan: Matthew Pavlich reveals what’s next in life after Fremantle
I HAVE been fortunate in broadcasting to have met some great people. Matthew Pavlich is one of them. A footballer that played 353 games flying out of Perth. A future Hall of Famer. According to those who played with him, a world-class leader. Loyal to a fault. Seventeen years of service to one club. Six All-Australians jumpers. Six Club B&Fs. Seven hundred goals. We spoke about his growing family, autographs at uni, the pressure of captaincy, the lunacy of coaching, an embarrassing first training session, a passionate and protective mother, and what’s next.
HM: Pav, well done: a third package just arrived last week — William James Pavlich. Fantastic.
MP: Thanks, Hame. Healthy and here. That’s all you want, isn’t it? It’s very exciting.
HM: Early days for William, but what’s your first memory as a child?
MP: I think it is being at kindergarten, or at the park with my cousins or family friends. I can also vividly remember being in Dad’s arms at the West Torrens Football Club when he was still coaching. I’m not sure why that is evoked, but it is.
HM: You are very close to your old man, aren’t you?
MP: I’ve got a phenomenal relationship with him; he has been such a significant influence in my life. He taught us about manners, hard work, and how important family is. He taught me everything I know about football. All the fundamentals that I have in my life really came from him. Mum clearly had a significant influence on that as well, but I feel my dad significantly shaped me.
HM: What have you taken from your father into your fatherhood?
MP: One of the big things that Dad always talked about was having fun. Our household was constantly games and laughter. He’s got a wicked sense of humour, my old man, and he has always had a clear line on respect and manners, so if you could be having fun, while respecting everyone around you, you were in good shape. I will try and bring that to life with my brood.
HM: Are you enjoying fatherhood more than you thought you would?
MP: I always wanted to be a father, and was interested to see how I would react to it. I’m surprised how much it has shaped me, and changed my perspective on things. I am enjoying it even more than I thought possible.
HM:You kept the pregnancy very quiet this year, you didn’t tell anyone until the Docker’s couldn’t make the finals? MP:We’ve always strived to keep our personal life fairly quiet, so that’s the main reason we kept it under wraps. I nearly choked on my long macchiato when Lauren told me she might be pregnant again!
HM:Not sure why it would have surprised you …you must have played a role. MP:Good point. Just not so soon!
HM: What would have happened if your third child was going to be born on the first Saturday in October this year, and Fremantle were playing? MP: It’s hypothetical … but in the spirit of what this interview is about, I would say Lauren, not me, would have encouraged me to play … I hope.
HM: Things have come very easily for you on the field, but I gather it wasn’t quite as easy with your now-wife at the start? MP: We met at university early on. Because of the training schedule, getting to lectures and tutes was quite challenging, so I was keen to find someone who could help me out. There was a young brunette that caught my eye. We lost our way with each other for a few years and didn’t start seeing each other until a few years down the track. It did take some time to get her over the line, though, but persistence often beats failure.
HM: All seems to be going OK now? MP: Ha, yes. Lauren is a wonderful person, a huge influence on my life, and a super mother. I couldn’t speak more highly or love her any more.
HM: You are one of the most recognisable faces in Perth and have been studying there for the majority of your footballing career. How do you go walking into a university with all the students staring at you? MP: There have been a few autographs in lectures, and more selfies in recent times — even in postgrad classes! When there are group assignments you get quite a few offers to join groups. I remember in the early days going to lecturers and asking for leniency, because I had to travel for football. One lecturer told me I should maybe make the choice between an education and football. He was pretty blunt. I think I made the right choice, but I understood his point.
HM: Three weeks into retirement, is it like in Shawshank Redemption where Brooks talks about being institutionalised and struggling on the outside? You’ve been with the one firm for half your life. MP: Institutionalised is definitely an appropriate analogy. Three weeks in, and my retirement is in a honeymoon period. It will be interesting to see how I feel when the players go back for their first training session and I have no locker and no role. No doubt I’ll miss it.
HM: What’s on the shortlist of things to do that you’ve missed out on in the last 17 years?
MP: Spending more time with the people that I really care about. As an AFL athlete you sacrifice a lot of fun time with family and mates. I’ve missed a lot of 21sts, weddings and 30ths, so it will be great to just spend some time with my mates who I haven’t seen as much as I would like to. The business opportunities that
I had to put on hold are now on the agenda too.
HM: Is commerce and business what interests you the most?
MP:I think so. I also really like the administration side of the game, so working towards that is something I’m looking to do.
HM:A lot of business and commerce is about managing and getting the best out of people. What do you learn at a footy club about people?
MP: A lot … it’s about diversity, clear values, behaviours and accountability. You learn how to read people really well. You become very conscious that every person is different, and how every person needs specific management and teachings and dealings. The lessons at a footy club are incredible, a lifetime of memories that I will be able to take into the next phase.
HM: You started at 17, it’s now 17 years later and you’re looking at the next set of 17 year olds. How different are they now to when you started? MP: Each new comer is different. Some are respectful and shy, others are full of chat early. One thing that is very different is that everyone is on their iPhone the entire time! Every where they go. Nine guys will be in the lounge waiting for a flight, and all nine are staring at their phone instead of talking to each other. I didn’t even have a phone when I started! Each generation is different though, it’s the transient nature of our game.
HM: Doesn’t seem coaching is on the agenda — do you have to be sadistic to coach? I remember Ross Lyon said coaching sends grown men to places they should never have to go to. MP: In the short term, I can’t see myself coaching. As a player, and particularly as a captain, it’s not the great things that you’ve done that keep you awake, it’s the things you’ve done wrong or didn’t do, and I figure that’s amplified as a coach. I knew as a player and a captain I was constantly thinking about the group and how we could improve. I can’t imagine there are too many spare thoughts as a coach!
HM: How much extra weight does captaincy put on your shoulders?
MP: It’s hard to quantify, but a fair bit. I really loved being a captain, and for nine years it was all I knew, but I equally enjoyed this year when freed up without it. It was nice to have more time to do what I needed to do, and get my body and mind right. It is an all-consuming role.
HM: I once asked Bart Cummings what makes a great horse trainer and he said: “attention to detail”. What makes a great coach? MP: Attention to detail would be amongst the top few. Highly motivated, highly driven, with a clear sense of the direction of the game. Ruthless, but empathetic,
if that can be done.
HM: You do have to be ruthless, don’t you?
MP: I think so, but it can be done in different ways. You can be ruthless and everyone hates you, or you can be ruthless and be looked up to as a father figure. Ross’ great strength is that players understand he is driven and trying to get the best out of you, but at the same time he is going to look after you. I certainly felt that way with Ross as a coach.
HM: On the footy career, your first training session didn’t quite go to plan? MP: (laughs) Not at all! I arrived in Perth after having had a schoolies week down in Victor Harbor. It was quite a warm morning at Aquinas College, about 35C, and we did 90 minutes of ball work. I was keen to impress, so I trained my absolute butt off, going 100 miles an hour at every ball. At the end of the session we had six 1km time trials. At the time I was a bit chubby, but I did the first four trials and held up okay. After the fifth one I went to the sidelines, feeling really fatigued and dizzy; I’d physically gone to a place that I’d never been to before. I started vomiting, and the strength and conditioning coach came up to me to see if I was all right. I told him I was fine, because I didn’t want to show any chinks in the armour. I eventually stood up and started the sixth trial. I got about two-thirds of the way around on the first lap, and I had this feeling that I was running closer and closer to the ground. The guys watching told me later that it looked like I was going down an escalator! I passed out, and was quickly put in the back of the property van and rushed to the emergency ward. All I remember is waking up in hospital with all sorts of monitors and drips attached to me. A bad way to start an AFL career, which I am constantly reminded of!
HM: Don’t worry, that’s how all 353-gamers start their career. Your parents obviously instilled loyalty in you. Who offered you the most enticing deal to leave Fremantle? MP: Port were probably the keenest in around 2002. Port’s offer looked the most attractive at that time. In the end I didn’t take the offer very far though, simply because I was keen to stay at Freo. There were offers from Carlton and Collingwood as well, later in my career. I certainly weighed them up, but I had unfinished business at Freo. I’m a loyal bloke, and I wanted to finish what I had started.
HM: There is a rumour that Collingwood made you an offer that would have made you the game’s first squillionaire. Was the offer large, extra-large, enormous, or “I can’t jump over it” big? MP: It was a solid offer. The Gold Coast offer that came along a few years later made me raise my eyebrows … that was probably in the “I can’t jump over it” zone. But again, although I considered all the options that were put to me, I was always very keen to stay the course at Freo. It felt right and in hindsight I’m extremely glad I stayed and saw it through.
HM: In 2004 you’re watching Port beat Brisbane in the Grand Final. Lauren asked you during the game if you thought you had made the right decision not going to Port? MP: That is true. We were actually on holiday in Port Douglas. When Port were doing their victory lap, she asked me if I was envious. Of course I was, but I said that it wouldn’t have felt truly earned if I was there and doing the lap with Port. That it wouldn’t be as good as winning one with Freo. People ask about the 2013 Grand Final, and how disappointing it was. Very much so, but in my eyes, 2015 was probably more disappointing, not taking the opportunity of minor premier and a home prelim. Having said that, I walk into the next phase of my life knowing those games will not define me. I’m content that I had a crack at it. What’s the Theodore Roosevelt quote? “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though chequered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
HM: “The Man in the Arena”….isn’t a bad one either “its not the critic who counts….not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or how the doer of deeds could have done them better” MP: Yeah either one works! That Teddy knew his stuff didn’t he.
HM: Is it true your mother Jan didn’t want you to go to Freo and told the Fremantle selectors to steer clear of her boy? MP: Pretty much — it was highly embarrassing for me. She had a list of key position players from the various WAFL clubs and was asking the Fremantle recruiters why they weren’t considering these local guys. She was very keen on keeping me closer to home, and kept telling the Fremantle officials that the local guys were better players than me.
HM: Seinfeld — who is a genius — has three rules to life. Work your butt off, pay attention, and fall in love with everything you do. What are yours? MP: Jerry is a genius — that is very sage advice. I wish I was that profound and had Bob Murphy-like articulation, but the three that Seinfeld alludes to are very strong. Work hard and have a good balance — it’s simple but effective. Dad always said that “failure cannot cope with perseverance” … I like that one.
HM: Tell me about Mav, Pav and Sav. MP: According to my mates at school — still my best mates — they are my three distinct personalities. Pav is the person that everyone sees, the affable, hopefully intelligent and approachable public figure that everyone has seen over the last 17 years. Sav was the one, especially early in my career, that if I had a bad game and we lost, would struggle to speak to anyone. Mav is the guy that very few people see; he likes to be the life of the party and can get a little loose … he generally stays in the closet, but does come out to play every now and then. Deep down I like him the best!!
HM: Let’s talk about the AFL Players’ Association. You’re leading the charge from a player point of view: what should the deal look like in your eyes? MP: A significant deal that has an opportunity to set a stake in the ground and set what is the best game in Australia apart from its competitors. At the same time, there needs to be a sharing model with the players that recognises that where the players grow the game alongside the AFL, they will be compensated appropriately. It’s more an alignment the players are seeking rather than anything else. I have really enjoyed the conversations with your brother and others at the AFL, and enjoyed being a part of the process. I think in principle there is a lot we agree upon, but there are some things that we need to continue to nut out.
HM: You recently played your last game. Did you drive to the ground by yourself? MP: Yes.
HM: What was going through your head? Was it different to any other game?
MP: It was; the whole week was a bit different, actually. Knowing that it is your last training session, it was your last recovery, the last time you will wear the jumper, the last time you will run on to the ground, to feel the crowd’s urgings, to be competing with your mates for a common goal. Everything felt quite final. It was a strange feeling.
I was definitely cognisant of all that going into the game, and was thinking those thoughts on the way to the ground in the car by myself.
HM: In a lean year, a win — a good finish. MP: The players played so well and it was a fitting tribute, and I was just really proud of the way they went about it. The crowd was unbelievable, to see 35,000 people on their feet applauding and thanking me. It’s something I will never forget. A humbling and cathartic experience.
HM: After your last game when you came down the race, you got a few moments by yourself. Where did your mind go? MP: I think the previous 17 years of my life flashed before my eyes. It was incredible in some ways. It was the first time that I have ever had a beer after a game in the change rooms, which is a bit depressing. Players, staff and family and friends — just brilliant! You think of the Australian Cricket Team: they do it after every game!
HM: You could bring it back! That could be your legacy. MP: The downside of having a few beers and not recovering properly is far outweighed by the upside of the camaraderie, so there is certainly merit for it. It was a super time.
HM: If I said to you take me to the football moment where you were your happiest, where do we end up? MP: The preliminary final against Sydney in 2013, closely followed by the qualifying final against Geelong down in Geelong prior to that. My 300th game was pretty special.
HM: What is the lowest you have ever felt from footy? MP: In 2008 when we played Melbourne at the MCG. It was early in my captaincy, and I was feeling the pressure. We were up by 50 points at half time, and they came back and beat us. It was a really challenging moment for me as a leader. The following week was the Hall of Fame game, the All-Stars played Victoria and I had to stay in Melbourne for that week rather than help review the game and sort out our team. I didn’t want to leave the hotel, and felt embarrassed walking around the place. It was a time I am glad is behind me, and the club.
HM: Captaincy, top 10 draft pick, six-time best and fairest, six-time All Australian. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
MP: I feel as though the legacy I leave with the club will long endure. I have helped plant a tree that has borne some great fruit over the past few seasons, but will bear much more in the future as new owners of the paddock take over. The culture is strong, and I think
I have played a big role in getting the club to the position it is in culturally — I am really proud of that.
HM: Do you know how many miles you’ve flown for games? MP: I have heard the figure ….
HM: It’s 860,998km, which is over 100,000 more than the next player, Glen Jakovich. I checked. How many of those flights were in economy? MP: The vast majority!
HM: You’re kidding? MP: I’m not. Our club didn’t have the money to do that (fly business). It’s only been the past few years that we’ve been able to enjoy that luxury. I was once at the point that I was actually paying the difference to get up the front.
HM: I have checked for you, and the good news is: you have enough points to get yourself a four-slice toaster from the frequent flyer catalogue. MP: (laughs) A 4 slice toaster … it’s all been worth it then!
HM: It has been a phenomenal career which we have all marvelled at — you are universally admired.
I hope you enjoy whatever comes next. You deserve it. MP: Thanks very much, Hame, much appreciated.
I HAVE been fortunate in broadcasting to have met some great people. Matthew Pavlich is one of them. A footballer that played 353 games flying out of Perth. A future Hall of Famer. According to those who played with him, a world-class leader. Loyal to a fault. Seventeen years of service to one club. Six All-Australians jumpers. Six Club B&Fs. Seven hundred goals. We spoke about his growing family, autographs at uni, the pressure of captaincy, the lunacy of coaching, an embarrassing first training session, a passionate and protective mother, and what’s next.
HM: Pav, well done: a third package just arrived last week — William James Pavlich. Fantastic.
MP: Thanks, Hame. Healthy and here. That’s all you want, isn’t it? It’s very exciting.
HM: Early days for William, but what’s your first memory as a child?
MP: I think it is being at kindergarten, or at the park with my cousins or family friends. I can also vividly remember being in Dad’s arms at the West Torrens Football Club when he was still coaching. I’m not sure why that is evoked, but it is.
HM: You are very close to your old man, aren’t you?
MP: I’ve got a phenomenal relationship with him; he has been such a significant influence in my life. He taught us about manners, hard work, and how important family is. He taught me everything I know about football. All the fundamentals that I have in my life really came from him. Mum clearly had a significant influence on that as well, but I feel my dad significantly shaped me.
HM: What have you taken from your father into your fatherhood?
MP: One of the big things that Dad always talked about was having fun. Our household was constantly games and laughter. He’s got a wicked sense of humour, my old man, and he has always had a clear line on respect and manners, so if you could be having fun, while respecting everyone around you, you were in good shape. I will try and bring that to life with my brood.
HM: Are you enjoying fatherhood more than you thought you would?
MP: I always wanted to be a father, and was interested to see how I would react to it. I’m surprised how much it has shaped me, and changed my perspective on things. I am enjoying it even more than I thought possible.
HM:You kept the pregnancy very quiet this year, you didn’t tell anyone until the Docker’s couldn’t make the finals? MP:We’ve always strived to keep our personal life fairly quiet, so that’s the main reason we kept it under wraps. I nearly choked on my long macchiato when Lauren told me she might be pregnant again!
HM:Not sure why it would have surprised you …you must have played a role. MP:Good point. Just not so soon!
HM: What would have happened if your third child was going to be born on the first Saturday in October this year, and Fremantle were playing? MP: It’s hypothetical … but in the spirit of what this interview is about, I would say Lauren, not me, would have encouraged me to play … I hope.
HM: Things have come very easily for you on the field, but I gather it wasn’t quite as easy with your now-wife at the start? MP: We met at university early on. Because of the training schedule, getting to lectures and tutes was quite challenging, so I was keen to find someone who could help me out. There was a young brunette that caught my eye. We lost our way with each other for a few years and didn’t start seeing each other until a few years down the track. It did take some time to get her over the line, though, but persistence often beats failure.
HM: All seems to be going OK now? MP: Ha, yes. Lauren is a wonderful person, a huge influence on my life, and a super mother. I couldn’t speak more highly or love her any more.
HM: You are one of the most recognisable faces in Perth and have been studying there for the majority of your footballing career. How do you go walking into a university with all the students staring at you? MP: There have been a few autographs in lectures, and more selfies in recent times — even in postgrad classes! When there are group assignments you get quite a few offers to join groups. I remember in the early days going to lecturers and asking for leniency, because I had to travel for football. One lecturer told me I should maybe make the choice between an education and football. He was pretty blunt. I think I made the right choice, but I understood his point.
HM: Three weeks into retirement, is it like in Shawshank Redemption where Brooks talks about being institutionalised and struggling on the outside? You’ve been with the one firm for half your life. MP: Institutionalised is definitely an appropriate analogy. Three weeks in, and my retirement is in a honeymoon period. It will be interesting to see how I feel when the players go back for their first training session and I have no locker and no role. No doubt I’ll miss it.
HM: What’s on the shortlist of things to do that you’ve missed out on in the last 17 years?
MP: Spending more time with the people that I really care about. As an AFL athlete you sacrifice a lot of fun time with family and mates. I’ve missed a lot of 21sts, weddings and 30ths, so it will be great to just spend some time with my mates who I haven’t seen as much as I would like to. The business opportunities that
I had to put on hold are now on the agenda too.
HM: Is commerce and business what interests you the most?
MP:I think so. I also really like the administration side of the game, so working towards that is something I’m looking to do.
HM:A lot of business and commerce is about managing and getting the best out of people. What do you learn at a footy club about people?
MP: A lot … it’s about diversity, clear values, behaviours and accountability. You learn how to read people really well. You become very conscious that every person is different, and how every person needs specific management and teachings and dealings. The lessons at a footy club are incredible, a lifetime of memories that I will be able to take into the next phase.
HM: You started at 17, it’s now 17 years later and you’re looking at the next set of 17 year olds. How different are they now to when you started? MP: Each new comer is different. Some are respectful and shy, others are full of chat early. One thing that is very different is that everyone is on their iPhone the entire time! Every where they go. Nine guys will be in the lounge waiting for a flight, and all nine are staring at their phone instead of talking to each other. I didn’t even have a phone when I started! Each generation is different though, it’s the transient nature of our game.
HM: Doesn’t seem coaching is on the agenda — do you have to be sadistic to coach? I remember Ross Lyon said coaching sends grown men to places they should never have to go to. MP: In the short term, I can’t see myself coaching. As a player, and particularly as a captain, it’s not the great things that you’ve done that keep you awake, it’s the things you’ve done wrong or didn’t do, and I figure that’s amplified as a coach. I knew as a player and a captain I was constantly thinking about the group and how we could improve. I can’t imagine there are too many spare thoughts as a coach!
HM: How much extra weight does captaincy put on your shoulders?
MP: It’s hard to quantify, but a fair bit. I really loved being a captain, and for nine years it was all I knew, but I equally enjoyed this year when freed up without it. It was nice to have more time to do what I needed to do, and get my body and mind right. It is an all-consuming role.
HM: I once asked Bart Cummings what makes a great horse trainer and he said: “attention to detail”. What makes a great coach? MP: Attention to detail would be amongst the top few. Highly motivated, highly driven, with a clear sense of the direction of the game. Ruthless, but empathetic,
if that can be done.
HM: You do have to be ruthless, don’t you?
MP: I think so, but it can be done in different ways. You can be ruthless and everyone hates you, or you can be ruthless and be looked up to as a father figure. Ross’ great strength is that players understand he is driven and trying to get the best out of you, but at the same time he is going to look after you. I certainly felt that way with Ross as a coach.
HM: On the footy career, your first training session didn’t quite go to plan? MP: (laughs) Not at all! I arrived in Perth after having had a schoolies week down in Victor Harbor. It was quite a warm morning at Aquinas College, about 35C, and we did 90 minutes of ball work. I was keen to impress, so I trained my absolute butt off, going 100 miles an hour at every ball. At the end of the session we had six 1km time trials. At the time I was a bit chubby, but I did the first four trials and held up okay. After the fifth one I went to the sidelines, feeling really fatigued and dizzy; I’d physically gone to a place that I’d never been to before. I started vomiting, and the strength and conditioning coach came up to me to see if I was all right. I told him I was fine, because I didn’t want to show any chinks in the armour. I eventually stood up and started the sixth trial. I got about two-thirds of the way around on the first lap, and I had this feeling that I was running closer and closer to the ground. The guys watching told me later that it looked like I was going down an escalator! I passed out, and was quickly put in the back of the property van and rushed to the emergency ward. All I remember is waking up in hospital with all sorts of monitors and drips attached to me. A bad way to start an AFL career, which I am constantly reminded of!
HM: Don’t worry, that’s how all 353-gamers start their career. Your parents obviously instilled loyalty in you. Who offered you the most enticing deal to leave Fremantle? MP: Port were probably the keenest in around 2002. Port’s offer looked the most attractive at that time. In the end I didn’t take the offer very far though, simply because I was keen to stay at Freo. There were offers from Carlton and Collingwood as well, later in my career. I certainly weighed them up, but I had unfinished business at Freo. I’m a loyal bloke, and I wanted to finish what I had started.
HM: There is a rumour that Collingwood made you an offer that would have made you the game’s first squillionaire. Was the offer large, extra-large, enormous, or “I can’t jump over it” big? MP: It was a solid offer. The Gold Coast offer that came along a few years later made me raise my eyebrows … that was probably in the “I can’t jump over it” zone. But again, although I considered all the options that were put to me, I was always very keen to stay the course at Freo. It felt right and in hindsight I’m extremely glad I stayed and saw it through.
HM: In 2004 you’re watching Port beat Brisbane in the Grand Final. Lauren asked you during the game if you thought you had made the right decision not going to Port? MP: That is true. We were actually on holiday in Port Douglas. When Port were doing their victory lap, she asked me if I was envious. Of course I was, but I said that it wouldn’t have felt truly earned if I was there and doing the lap with Port. That it wouldn’t be as good as winning one with Freo. People ask about the 2013 Grand Final, and how disappointing it was. Very much so, but in my eyes, 2015 was probably more disappointing, not taking the opportunity of minor premier and a home prelim. Having said that, I walk into the next phase of my life knowing those games will not define me. I’m content that I had a crack at it. What’s the Theodore Roosevelt quote? “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though chequered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
HM: “The Man in the Arena”….isn’t a bad one either “its not the critic who counts….not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or how the doer of deeds could have done them better” MP: Yeah either one works! That Teddy knew his stuff didn’t he.
HM: Is it true your mother Jan didn’t want you to go to Freo and told the Fremantle selectors to steer clear of her boy? MP: Pretty much — it was highly embarrassing for me. She had a list of key position players from the various WAFL clubs and was asking the Fremantle recruiters why they weren’t considering these local guys. She was very keen on keeping me closer to home, and kept telling the Fremantle officials that the local guys were better players than me.
HM: Seinfeld — who is a genius — has three rules to life. Work your butt off, pay attention, and fall in love with everything you do. What are yours? MP: Jerry is a genius — that is very sage advice. I wish I was that profound and had Bob Murphy-like articulation, but the three that Seinfeld alludes to are very strong. Work hard and have a good balance — it’s simple but effective. Dad always said that “failure cannot cope with perseverance” … I like that one.
HM: Tell me about Mav, Pav and Sav. MP: According to my mates at school — still my best mates — they are my three distinct personalities. Pav is the person that everyone sees, the affable, hopefully intelligent and approachable public figure that everyone has seen over the last 17 years. Sav was the one, especially early in my career, that if I had a bad game and we lost, would struggle to speak to anyone. Mav is the guy that very few people see; he likes to be the life of the party and can get a little loose … he generally stays in the closet, but does come out to play every now and then. Deep down I like him the best!!
HM: Let’s talk about the AFL Players’ Association. You’re leading the charge from a player point of view: what should the deal look like in your eyes? MP: A significant deal that has an opportunity to set a stake in the ground and set what is the best game in Australia apart from its competitors. At the same time, there needs to be a sharing model with the players that recognises that where the players grow the game alongside the AFL, they will be compensated appropriately. It’s more an alignment the players are seeking rather than anything else. I have really enjoyed the conversations with your brother and others at the AFL, and enjoyed being a part of the process. I think in principle there is a lot we agree upon, but there are some things that we need to continue to nut out.
HM: You recently played your last game. Did you drive to the ground by yourself? MP: Yes.
HM: What was going through your head? Was it different to any other game?
MP: It was; the whole week was a bit different, actually. Knowing that it is your last training session, it was your last recovery, the last time you will wear the jumper, the last time you will run on to the ground, to feel the crowd’s urgings, to be competing with your mates for a common goal. Everything felt quite final. It was a strange feeling.
I was definitely cognisant of all that going into the game, and was thinking those thoughts on the way to the ground in the car by myself.
HM: In a lean year, a win — a good finish. MP: The players played so well and it was a fitting tribute, and I was just really proud of the way they went about it. The crowd was unbelievable, to see 35,000 people on their feet applauding and thanking me. It’s something I will never forget. A humbling and cathartic experience.
HM: After your last game when you came down the race, you got a few moments by yourself. Where did your mind go? MP: I think the previous 17 years of my life flashed before my eyes. It was incredible in some ways. It was the first time that I have ever had a beer after a game in the change rooms, which is a bit depressing. Players, staff and family and friends — just brilliant! You think of the Australian Cricket Team: they do it after every game!
HM: You could bring it back! That could be your legacy. MP: The downside of having a few beers and not recovering properly is far outweighed by the upside of the camaraderie, so there is certainly merit for it. It was a super time.
HM: If I said to you take me to the football moment where you were your happiest, where do we end up? MP: The preliminary final against Sydney in 2013, closely followed by the qualifying final against Geelong down in Geelong prior to that. My 300th game was pretty special.
HM: What is the lowest you have ever felt from footy? MP: In 2008 when we played Melbourne at the MCG. It was early in my captaincy, and I was feeling the pressure. We were up by 50 points at half time, and they came back and beat us. It was a really challenging moment for me as a leader. The following week was the Hall of Fame game, the All-Stars played Victoria and I had to stay in Melbourne for that week rather than help review the game and sort out our team. I didn’t want to leave the hotel, and felt embarrassed walking around the place. It was a time I am glad is behind me, and the club.
HM: Captaincy, top 10 draft pick, six-time best and fairest, six-time All Australian. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
MP: I feel as though the legacy I leave with the club will long endure. I have helped plant a tree that has borne some great fruit over the past few seasons, but will bear much more in the future as new owners of the paddock take over. The culture is strong, and I think
I have played a big role in getting the club to the position it is in culturally — I am really proud of that.
HM: Do you know how many miles you’ve flown for games? MP: I have heard the figure ….
HM: It’s 860,998km, which is over 100,000 more than the next player, Glen Jakovich. I checked. How many of those flights were in economy? MP: The vast majority!
HM: You’re kidding? MP: I’m not. Our club didn’t have the money to do that (fly business). It’s only been the past few years that we’ve been able to enjoy that luxury. I was once at the point that I was actually paying the difference to get up the front.
HM: I have checked for you, and the good news is: you have enough points to get yourself a four-slice toaster from the frequent flyer catalogue. MP: (laughs) A 4 slice toaster … it’s all been worth it then!
HM: It has been a phenomenal career which we have all marvelled at — you are universally admired.
I hope you enjoy whatever comes next. You deserve it. MP: Thanks very much, Hame, much appreciated.
Tonga Bob
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thanks Mr Peabody!
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What a legend. Going to miss him.
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Wow. Put down the Gold Coast offer which would have been close to Gary Ablett sized. That's big.
He may not have got done for dui, bumped players heads into goalposts, or even dropped at the knees for frees, but to me he will always be a good bloke.
He may not have got done for dui, bumped players heads into goalposts, or even dropped at the knees for frees, but to me he will always be a good bloke.
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