HAWTHORN ruckman Lloyd Meek spent the first six seasons and 31 games of his career as his teams' second big man, only getting opportunities to cover an injury or if the coach decided to play two ruckmen. It's why a phone call from Sam Mitchell ahead of round three this season meant so much to him.
The former Docker had been overlooked for Ned Reeves to start the season but responded well in the VFL as a standalone ruckman, leading Box Hill to wins against Essendon in a practice match and then Casey in round one.
The Hawks, meanwhile, had dropped their first two games at AFL level and been cleaned up at stoppages, losing the clearances against the Bombers (40-31) and Melbourne (35-23) and prompting Mitchell to dial Meek's number after the review.
"It was the first time in my career that I'd been picked over someone else and not given a game due to an injury or to share the role with someone," Meek told AFL.com.au this week after one of the best games of his career in round 18.
"It was before round three and the first game I played this year. He called me early in the week and said, 'I'm putting your name in the middle of the whiteboard and then everyone else we're picking around'.
"It just fills you with confidence when the coach that you respect so much just says, 'This is your time to go'.
"I think I probably made more of it in my own head than what others do … but it's the moment where you can trust yourself, I suppose, to say, 'This is the time'."
Meek has certainly seized his moment in the 12 games since, averaging 36.6 hitouts (No.2 in the AFL), and 10.4 taps to advantage (No.3) as the 203cm ruckman builds excellent chemistry with the Hawks' young midfield group.
His performance against former team Fremantle in round 18 was crucial in the Hawks getting over the line, finishing with a career-high 51 hitouts against star Luke Jackson, whose arrival at the Dockers prompted Meek to seek more opportunities.
His improvement this season, however, has come down to more than just Mitchell's belief and the chance to play consistently at AFL level.
"We've played two rucks in the past and come back to one now, so I'm in a lot more ruck contests around the ball and a lot more centre bounces. Then there was the ruck rule changes and being able to cross the line," Meek said.
"The timing of our team and our team chemistry is also getting better and better with where we're at as a club, so the better the team is going, the better personally I'm going to be able to fit into that and vice versa.
"The other one is probably just how much I've been able to take pride in the little things for the last seven years in the system, and eventually things start turning your way a little bit."
Those who have watched and helped Meek over a long period of time insist there is no player who works harder on his game and his emergence this season has been no fluke.
His work ethic was forged partly during a school rowing phase as he followed a successful family tradition of rowing in 'Head of the Lake' crews for Ballarat Grammar.
His attitude has also proved crucial in the AFL system, maintaining gratitude through disappointments and focusing on being a highly coachable player even when things weren't going his way.
The value of hard work and a positive attitude were also instilled on the 26-year-old while growing up on his parents' sheep and crop farm in Mininera, a small rural town two-and-a-half hours west of Melbourne where he returned during the pandemic to lend a hand while injured with the Dockers.
Visiting the family farm more has been one of the benefits of returning to Victoria to play with the Hawks, while golf and a Bachelor of Commerce (finance) have also kept him occupied away from football.
Meek has remained close with former Fremantle teammates, including Sam Switkowski and a host of others he lived with through his time at the club. He also highlighted Aaron Sandilands, Joel Corey and Justin Longmuir as coaches who had formed a foundation for his career.
Now a Hawk, however, Meek was enthusiastic about the young group of midfielders at the club and the mix they had between mateship and holding each other to high standards, hoping he could now become the centrepiece ruckman of the group.
"It's been my goal for a long time to be that in a team and it's something I've aspired to," Meek said.
"I've always looked up to rucks that play that pivotal role, especially from a leadership point of view as well, like (Max) Gawn and obviously (Jarrod) Witts from Gold Coast.
"I've got a long way to go before I get to that and I think the consistency of performance is something that I'll need to keep going, but it's definitely something I hope to be."
