A toast to Micky B. - our very own goofy, purple-hearted, waddling wonder midfielder - whose footy story is a testament of the values of courage, persistence, and resilience.
After being passed over and suffering heartbreak draft after draft, he went back each year to ply his trade in the vfl and never gave up on his dream to be an AFL footballer. Too slow, ran weird... Who knows what the clubs who passed him over were thinking.
Thankfully, Freo saw what was unseeable for a lot of people and picked him up in the rookie draft of 2009.
Like the champion he is, he took his opportunity and hit the ground running, bursting into the scene in 2010 as a first year racing towards Brownlow contention. But as if he hadn't been tested enough, a horrendous broken leg took him out and had doubters wondering if he would ever make it back. No one should've wondered after seeing Mick courageously trying to stand on his shattered leg immediately after getting up, to see if he could play on.
If there's any player who epitomises the passion of the Purple Army, it's Mick - that's probably why he's such a fan favourite.
A hundred games has been a long time coming for Micky B. Join me in raising my glass to the class clown who made it big and who always wears his heart on his sleeve about loving the club who gave him his chance.
Moments:
(Mick bursting out of the blocks in his first year in the AFL.)
(Anguish as he's stretchered off the field in 2010.)
http://m.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl...s-never-in-doubt/story-e6frf9jf-1226077664777 - Mick's family talks about his character the week before his come-back game in 2011
(One of our heroes in the 2013 QF at Kardinia Park in our 2nd quarter fight back. Mick has always been our talisman against the Cats.)
(That goosebumps moment in Geelong R20 2014 when Mick exhorted his teammates to play for the jumper - Watch that moment here.)
After being passed over and suffering heartbreak draft after draft, he went back each year to ply his trade in the vfl and never gave up on his dream to be an AFL footballer. Too slow, ran weird... Who knows what the clubs who passed him over were thinking.
Thankfully, Freo saw what was unseeable for a lot of people and picked him up in the rookie draft of 2009.
Like the champion he is, he took his opportunity and hit the ground running, bursting into the scene in 2010 as a first year racing towards Brownlow contention. But as if he hadn't been tested enough, a horrendous broken leg took him out and had doubters wondering if he would ever make it back. No one should've wondered after seeing Mick courageously trying to stand on his shattered leg immediately after getting up, to see if he could play on.
If there's any player who epitomises the passion of the Purple Army, it's Mick - that's probably why he's such a fan favourite.
A hundred games has been a long time coming for Micky B. Join me in raising my glass to the class clown who made it big and who always wears his heart on his sleeve about loving the club who gave him his chance.
Moments:
(Mick bursting out of the blocks in his first year in the AFL.)
(Anguish as he's stretchered off the field in 2010.)
http://m.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl...s-never-in-doubt/story-e6frf9jf-1226077664777 - Mick's family talks about his character the week before his come-back game in 2011
(One of our heroes in the 2013 QF at Kardinia Park in our 2nd quarter fight back. Mick has always been our talisman against the Cats.)
(That goosebumps moment in Geelong R20 2014 when Mick exhorted his teammates to play for the jumper - Watch that moment here.)
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