Given that I risked a one-week suspension if I took the charge to the tribunal and the result didn't go my way, some people suggested my choice was simple: did I challenge the reprimand offered to me with the hope that I'd remain eligible for the Brownlow Medal or do I cop it on the chin so I can play in this week's match with the Bulldogs?
When I woke on Tuesday knowing that one choice would definitely allow me play on the weekend, there was no decision to be made.
Since Alastair Clarkson came to the football club in late 2005 we have had one goal in mind – securing our club's 10th premiership. Almost all decisions made around the club have that end goal, so what would you have done?
I get up every day and think ‘What can I do today to help us win our next premiership?’ So for all the hours of the week we put into our work, the risk of not actually getting to use that to perform on the weekend has little merit.
With an occupation that makes up a significant part of your being, having it taken away from you (even for a short time) can be very difficult to deal with.
As AFL footballers we are blessed to have one of the most enjoyable occupations imaginable but, like any job, there are some hard parts – things about our lives that frustrate us (and our loved ones).
One of my strong beliefs about anyone who is about to embark on an AFL career is that you have to throw your whole being into it.
I'm yet to see a player (no matter how talented) sustain an AFL career without full commitment. I have seen numerous players, with less natural talent, outwork the competition to forge a career when perhaps the odds were against them.
This is what makes missing games so difficult. I know Jimmy Bartel spoke about the sacrifices you have to make if you want to compete at the top level.
We might only work our 25 to 35 hours in any given week and most other jobs, from the local handyman to the most gifted neurosurgeon, would love to work these hours. Our commitment, however, is when we are not at work.
As professional athletes we are always ‘working’, be it going to bed a bit earlier and missing the end of that movie, ordering a salad instead of a chicken parma, missing a good friend's birthday drinks or forcing a smile when you're grumpy and someone says 'hello' in the street.
On some level, we are always at work but it is definitely all worth it.
For all the 21st birthdays and engagement parties I have missed over the years, running out on to the field each Saturday surrounded by 21 of my mates who are all working towards the same distant goal – I know I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
Certainly nothing could have interrupted my preparation to give us every chance in holding that ever elusive premiership cup.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL.
