News Brett in Peake form

[stkildathunda]

Dont normally post articles seperately but this is a brilliant article by Robbo about the moment that turned Peakes career on its head. Theres also a great message for everyone in there.
Brett in Peake form for the Saints

And here was Peake, sitting next to him in the car as they made their way back to Melbourne, wondering why he was just a footballer.


"'Do you want home truths?' That's what I asked him," Cole said.
"It all came about when he said he wished he had as many waves as me in the life, the perfect surf I've had in my life.


"I said I'd give 90 per cent of them up just to once run on to the MCG, to represent the club, and how they'd have to carry me off in a body bag. That's how it started. 'Do you realise what your life is to someone like me? It's like this, mate. I see you with the most perfect life I could imagine. You surf pretty well, life is wonderful, except when you run out on the ground. I don't understand it, Brett. It's your commitment. I sit there at the ground with other fans, trading insults and blowing up, bleeding for the club. And where do you fit?


"When you came across from Fremantle, I thought, 'Yeah, that's good, he's quick, he's tall, he can run'. But you're one (of) the most disappointing people to come to our club'.


"It was two hours and basically the home truths came out.
"'If the worst thing in your life is losing (sic) a couple of Grand Finals, and you had your d--- shown on the internet without getting paid for it - and I'm talking about the club in general here - well, you know, I've had more s--- go down in the past two weeks.


"'I've got a wait on cancer results and I'm fighting for my life, I'm fighting against bankruptcy, but I don't lay these things on you. It's life, mate. What's wrong with you? Wake up to your f---ing self, will you'.
"I just laid it on to him, because that's what surfing is about. Surfing teaches you, that you get up and get knocked down, and then it's how you recover. It's a state of mind.


"I painted him a picture about the responsibility he carries.


"I said, 'You became a member of the club, you were invited by St Kilda Football Club, and when you play for the club you take on 120 years of history, and good, bad or ugly, it's about how you run out there every day.


"'And, to be quite honest, when you run out on the ground sometimes, mate, you skirt around the outside, you're making up the numbers. All we ask for is to have a crack. When you go to a match, win, lose or draw, just have a crack. Give me a break'."


Peake sat and listened. But it changed him. It had to change him, for Peake's career was effectively over. "You could say I had a ticket booked back to Perth at the end of the year," he said.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

Heard Robbo talking about this last night. Best article related to a Saint I've seen in a while.

Staggering to see that he is clocking 17kms a game. Awesome stuff.

Should also be a reminder that youth isn't everything. Peakey is 28 and is playing the best footy of his career. Youth = potential, but potential doesn't always equate to success.

 

[AFLOnline]

Just read it in the Sun then.

17km... Crawford, Cousins and even Sir Robert would be impressed with that much.

 

[SamFisher25]

has been playing magnificent footy for us since he arrived.
i dont understand why so many 'experts' had failed to realise how good he is.

have heard him being called a spud. well i just laugh. pretty bloody good spud IMHO!

 

[Plugger35]

Great article, quite inspiring stuff.

I always thought Peake had the potential to be a good player from watching quite a bit of him at Freo, it was just his workrate and mental attitude which let him down. Now that he has improved in those areas he has started to fulfill his potential and we are the better team for it.

I think all the people that wrote him off and laughed at us for recruiting him are looking a bit foolish now. Hopefully he can keep this great run of form going and continue to embarrass his critics.

 

[SamFisher25]

and farren ray. pushing for another granny with the chance of a flag while his old club cant even make finals.

 

[Persevering Saint]

Absolutely fantastic article - so much more in there than just Peake and football (although that was awesome too!).

Just goes to show. I know that when Peake came over, I was one of those who immediately wrote him off. In doing so, I didn't realise who he could become as a player, but I also did what I think alot of us do (and I sometimes still do, I freely admit) - I forgot that he's a person, not just a character, or a stat. This article reminds me that Peake - and hell, all the boys - are real people, who wrestle with real life, and that part of that life is their job on the footy field. Too often, we want our players to be automatons, who just play without being totally stuffed in the head after a gutsy GF draw and a humiliating bitch-slap of a GF2. They aren't robots. They're people.

 

[SamFisher25]

BP good footballer great bloke

 

[Squizz]

Great read. Thanks for the link.

 

[Murraj1966]

Every St Kilda player needs to hear that sort of talk.

Absolutely brilliant and Peake's recent performance proves it works.

 

[Persevering Saint]

Makes me think that, as a bonus, we may have scored a player who will be a MINT mentor for some younger players, especially "recycles" in the future. "Dean, go have a chat to Brett..."

 

[Rough_Edges]

Brett Peake's turnaround has been amazing.

At round 6 I thought he would never play AFL football again, and to be honest, I didn't want him too! He was gone for all money.

His turn around in the past 6-8 weeks since returning to the side has been amazing. It's one of those very rare occasions where the player realizes it is now or never and they completely revive there career.

All of a sudden, his kicking isn't as bad, he is utilising his pace which I don't think he has done nearly enough of before now, and he is kicking good goals.

I love it when a player just completely proves me wrong like Peake has done.

He'd be in our top 8 B&F voting since returning to the side.

Good on him!

 

[West Vic Saint]

Against the Dockers I noticed the crowd really got behind him when he had the ball. Probably because everyone saw him on the back page of the Herald-Sun and read the story about his struggles.
Most Saints fans had no respect for him at the start of the year but now he is loved.

Is cult hero going too far?

 

[thomas_m18]

If he had a funny mo or a weird hairstyle or an interesting goal celebration, maybe...

There's still time for him to grow a mo, I guess.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

If he had a funny mo or a weird hairstyle or an interesting goal celebration, maybe...

There's still time for him to grow a mo, I guess.

No passion for the patented Peakey jump in the air fist pump post goal celebration?

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

and farren ray. pushing for another granny with the chance of a flag while his old club cant even make finals.

Yet Bullflog fans still claim he's soft. I laugh every time.

 

[Hawkthorn33]

Really good article, thanks for drawing our attention to it.

Pretty inspirational really, the whole story not just the Brett Peake turning around his form part! I want to hear more from this Cole bloke sounds like he has many pearls of wisdom!