Steele Sidebottom doesn’t have to think long now when pondering the favourite moment from his AFL career.
It’s not that he took his 2010 premiership for granted, but he was simply just a young kid.
Having only played 36 games in his career, the cliché belief that premierships would just keep coming was one the then 19-year-old had too.
But over the next 13 years, he learnt that wasn’t exactly the case.
So, when this year’s final series rolled around, Sidebottom was intent on making the most of it, with his family a big factor in that.
“When I was 19, I don’t think I took it for granted but I was 19 and young and had the world at my feet really,” he said.
“I suppose I just didn’t take it in as much and 13 years later I’m married, got a kid and I’ve put a lot more things in perspective.
“The whole finals series I really wanted to make sure I made the most of it. When you do have such a long time away from that experience you realise how special those moments are.
“To have family be involved, to have Matilda come to the parade makes it 10 times better.
“That’s as good as anything to have her there and have that experience with her and when we won the game Leish and Matilda were out on the ground having photos.”
All of that perspective has meant the 2023 flag sits at the top of his accomplishments.
Knowing the end of his career is nearing – though you wouldn’t if you watched him play – the wingman was categoric in labelling this his finest moment.
“It’s definitely number one by far and I think that day in general is number one for me easily,” he said.
“Winning the first one in 2010 was obviously special but I think this one will probably mean a little bit more to me.
“I’ve clearly had a to work a lot harder for this one and early days I probably thought those opportunities would come around more often than they do.”
It was only fitting that Sidebottom was the one with the crowning moment.
An almost unanimous favourite memory for his teammates, the 33-year-old’s “60 metre ” goal in the dying stages of the Grand Final will live on forever.
“When it first happened I half pretended I was going to cramp to buy myself a bit of time,” Sidebottom said.
“I had plenty of time to think about it and it looked like it was a pretty generous fifty as well.
“When I was running back Nick (Daicos) was in front of me and I said to Nick ‘just run up and double back and I’ll just pass it to you’.
“He sort of got cut off early and there was a little bit of a wind there and I just thought ‘why not have a crack?’.
“We don’t like long points here either so I really needed to make the distance and luckily enough I just flushed it.
“Almost as soon as it hit my boot I did know it was going through and I generally have a left to right shape on my kick and it started left and just looked like it was going through straight away.”
Steele Sidebottom’s 2023 stats:
- Longest gap between premiership (13 years)
- Recorded his 100th Brownlow vote
- Played 300th AFL game
