On Anzac Day we attended a dawn service in the rubber plantations of Long Tan where on August 18, 1966 about 120 Australian soldiers fought off 2500 Viet Cong in an amazing victory for the Australians.
When you listen to the story of that day it’s hard to imagine what it would have been like to be there.
But if I were put into a time machine and dropped into the middle of that battle and I could chose one player in the AFL to be with me, who would it be? The one that stands out like a beacon to me is Paul Chapman.
Chappy has all the personal qualities you need when you go into battle. Talent, courage, mental toughness, desire, selflessness and a work ethic that is second to none. We have many great players in the competition but Chapman is the only one I can think of that is an A-grader in all these areas.
He really has gone to another level this year after an injury-plagued 2008 and a grand final nightmare. He looks to me like he hasn’t forgotten that last Saturday in September and wants to redeem himself and inspire his team to do the same.
When he is around the footy something always seems to happen. Whether he is winning the hard ball and dishing it out or he is putting on a block, so the likes of Gary Ablett and Jimmy Bartel can get a clear possession or passage to the ball.
When he isn’t performing the one percenters, he is getting his own ball and using it superbly. He is one of the great kicks in the competition and has the rare ability to always look inside and find a teammate in the centre of the ground. As we know, these days if you can enter your forward 50 through the centre of the ground you are almost certain to get a scoring opportunity. The forward can lead left, right or up the middle and with the rules not allowing defenders to hit arms all you need is the ball to be placed in front of the forward and there is nothing the defender can do.
His courage is undeniable, placing his head over the ball or backing back into the pack never taking his eye off the ball and for someone who is 179cm, he has to be pound for pound one of the best marks going around.
When you watch Geelong play it’s hard not to focus on Gazza, but with him being out for the next two weeks, do yourself a favour and watch Chappy go about his duties and I’m sure you’ll agree that he would make a fine recruit for any battalion!
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
