Dayne Beams exudes casual. He is laidback off the field, seldom drawing the spotlight away from higher profile, more celebrated players. He is softly spoken, taking time to consider his thoughts before sharing little anyway. Even his on-field persona seems understated. He flows through the game, weaving a spell of his own, rather than ignites it.
Yet for someone so quiet, he sure made a lot of noise in 2012. Strolling through a door of opportunity, Beams produced a football season of such excellence that he was rewarded with one of the game’s highest individual honours, that of a club best and fairest.
The roll of more recent Copeland Trophy winners is impressive: Scott Pendlebury last year ended a three-year run of Dane Swan. Travis Cloke and Alan Didak earned the honour before them, while revered club figure James Clement twice managed to claim it. And Beams’ coach, Nathan Buckley, walked away with it six times.
If you were watching the Magpies carefully in 2012, you would appreciate this one undeniable fact: Dayne Beams’ performance spoke so well for itself that it ensured he now sits comfortably in that company.
The only thing not speaking volumes is the man himself.
‘Confidence is a great thing,’ he says simply.
‘When you start to string some good games together and start to feel like you’re a regular in the side, it helps your performance a lot. For me I suppose there was opportunity, as there were for certain blokes during the year, and it was up to those individuals as to whether they wanted to take them or not.’
To read more of Beams’ post-Copeland interview, you can purchase the 2012 In Black and White Yearbook online, at the Westpac Centre Superstore or by phoning (03) 8412 0026.
