But ruckman Robbie Campbell says there has been a noticeable change among players since that last Saturday in September.
“I’d be lying if I said no. Winning a flag was pretty amazing and it was pretty surreal. None of us had won an AFL premiership before besides Dewey (Stuart Dew). None of us really know how to act or feel now,” he said.
“But now it’s all about 2009. As exciting as 2008 was, it is something we’ll all cherish a lot more when we’ve finished our footy careers.”
Campbell says the jubilation of winning the premiership was unlike anything he had ever known.
“It was crazy. I was just so happy to share it with all my teammates. I’d love for it to come around again because it is probably one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever had in my life. It was definitely a feeling I’d like to emulate again, be it in footy or something else.”
But a new season brings new challenges and there are plenty of Hawks chasing a run in the ruck.
With Simon Taylor and Brent Renouf as his understudies and Max Bailey coming back from a knee reconstruction, Campbell says there is fierce competition for the main gig.
“That’s good. If they’re pushing for a position then it’s only going to make me better to try and make sure I keep my position. Some of the people outside might think there is a bit of bitterness or worry about who is going to have the spot but we’re pretty close as a ruck group,” he said.
The competition reached its peak late last year when Taylor was dropped for Renouf on the eve of the finals. Renouf performed well enough to hold his spot and Taylor missed out on the premiership team despite playing 18 of the 22 home and away games.
Campbell said Taylor’s conduct after losing his spot highlighted the strong character of the group.
“He wasn’t bitter about it, he was very helpful in terms of helping us prepare for the grand final as well as we could,” he said.
“That shows good character in him but also us as a ruck group in that we’re supportive and knowing that whoever gets picked is the best fit for the team.”
One of the more memorable, if not strange moments of 2008 was the sight of Campbell posing for a photograph with a fan as the crowd rushed on to the Telstra Dome to celebrate Lance Franklin’s 100th goal of the season.
He admits it was an unusual time and place to be asked for a photo but said he was happy to oblige.
“The funny thing was we had a meeting the week before in Perth when we played West Coast. They ran all the players through the procedure of where to go (when Franklin kicked his 100th) but I wasn’t playing that game and missed the meeting,” Campbell said.
“So I was just standing 30m away from goal waiting for people to get off. Everyone else was congregated in different parts of the ground and I was standing by myself wondering where everyone was. It just sort of happened and I tend to be a bit too nice for my own good when it comes to that stuff, I don’t tell people to go away.”
But more importantly, what did Clarkson make of Campbell’s interaction with the fans?
“He didn’t mind but I was lucky we won that game by 10 goals. He did see the funny side of it but if we had have lost he probably would have got a bit upset.”
Dream Team watch – Robert Campbell is rated a $270,200 ruckman in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.
