FREMANTLE captain Nat Fyfe has been his own "toughest opponent" at stages this pre-season as he searched for motivation following two difficult years that had drifted by.
Maintaining the rage, as the dual Brownlow medallist puts it, had been a challenge as his mind floated down unhelpful paths and told him he'd already achieved enough in his brilliant career.
But after a long recovery from a right shoulder reconstruction last July that was followed by multiple setbacks, Fyfe has emerged with renewed motivation and clarity about the player he wants to be again.
"The hardest thing about a high performance industry, or life in general, is maintaining the rage, maintaining that motivation," Fyfe told AFL.com.au this week.
"And when you go through significant physical adversity like I had, sometimes you lose connection with where it is you want to go.
"I genuinely feel sometimes the biggest battle I have is against myself. I can be my greatest ally or biggest foe depending what time of year it is.
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"I was still working through that space [this pre-season]. Your mind wants to look back at what you've done and say that's enough, and it's never enough. But sometimes if you allow it to it wins."
Fyfe said the past two seasons had seen him get out of the way of his younger teammates to an extent, knowing it was the best thing for the rebuilding Dockers.
It's a period that has seen Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong flourish in the midfield and finish top five in the best and fairest in 2021, with each now holding positions in the leadership group.
In the same period, which has seen Fyfe push forward more frequently, his disposal and clearances averages have dropped to their lowest since 2016, when a broken left leg ended his year after five games.
In short, he has drifted away from being the dominant onballer he was, but 2022 promises to be different.
Coach Justin Longmuir declared last month that Fyfe would be a midfielder in 2022, and there is a sense that the time for getting out of the way is over, allowing Fyfe's goals for his team and himself to align again.
"It was asked of our senior players and myself to allow an environment where those younger players could get some opportunities," Fyfe said of the past two seasons.
"We certainly did that and we got some good results out of that, but now is the time to step back and lead from the front and play my best footy, and for our senior players to do the same thing.
"It gives me a sense of motivation again because my individual goals line up with that of the team. When that congruence happens, it's incredibly motivating."
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Fyfe's renewed motivation is clear to see in his remarkable physical transformation this year.
The 30-year-old was left noticeable trimmer last December after undergoing a second round of surgery to repair a bone crack in his right shoulder and battling a subsequent infection.
Fyfe didn't run for a period of four months, losing significant muscle mass, but he has since added 8kg back on to his frame and looks to be in peak condition ahead of the new season.
He is considered likely to play in round one, and was emphatic that his previous shoulder issues would not hold him back from being the best player he can be this season.
Once motivated to be recognised as the game's best player, Fyfe has watched as Christian Petracca and Marcus Bontempelli have come to hold that mantle, depending on your preference.
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It's easy to assume that chasing them down would now drive Fyfe, who won his second Brownlow Medal only two seasons ago and was named captain of the All-Australian team in that 2019 season.
"Earlier in my career, yes … but it's not like that anymore," he said.
"I just want to be as good a player as I can possibly be.
"It doesn't mean I'm not looking and watching what the other best players are doing, particularly with their preparation.
"But for me it's all about that battle with myself."
