The boys were all pumped heading into our first game for 2011 against the Dockers. It had been a long and tough off-season and we were keen to get out there, play some footy and prove our critics wrong.
It was also a pretty proud moment for me personally because I got to lead the team out onto the field and through the banner for my 100th game.
But the match turned out to be a bit of a disaster. We lost by just two points after being in a winning position late in the game and, to make matters worse, we lost both Browny and Stakes in the third quarter with serious injuries.
I was actually at the opposite end of he ground when Browny went down, and at the time I didn’t know how serious it was. He got up dazed and bloodied and at first I thought he might have broken his nose. He was a bit groggy as he walked off the field and it wasn’t until three quarter time that I had any idea of the extent of his injuries.
The fact he was able to still walk off the ground just goes to show you the courage of the big fella.
Considering we were few men down on the bench, I thought our guys put in an enormous performance. Our young guys went hard all day and it was devastating to lose in the final minutes. I thought we really deserved to win the match.
By the time I rocked up to the Gabba on Monday morning, I noticed that my name was up on my locker in recognition of the 100-game milestone.
It’s an ongoing tradition that every player who plays 100 or more games for the Club gets their name etched on their locker. I admit it is pretty special to see your own name among some other past greats at the Club.
The names include players from every era of the Club - Fitzroy players’ names are in blue while ex Bears players are in red. Mine is the first name to appear on that locker in maroon as a ‘Brisbane Lions’ player.
It now appears directly underneath former Bears Captain Roger Merrett who played a total of 164 games for the Club.
He has played more games in the number 24 than anyone else in Club history. It will probably take at least another four seasons, but hopefully I can pass his record one day.
