Collingwood made its first foray into the world of mature age draftees last December when it nabbed three stars from the VFL. The eldest of the trio was Port Melbourne’s Sam Dwyer.
During the week, the 26-year-old spoke to collingwoodfc.com.au about his journey from the Geelong Falcons in the early 2000s to a place on the rookie list at the biggest sporting club in the country.
Luke Mason: You have been one of the most consistent players in the VFL for several years. Did you see this opportunity coming in the lead up to the Rookie Draft?
Sam Dwyer: Nah, definitely not. I guess going through it so many times before, you don’t think about it too much. You don’t get your hopes up or have any expectations. I’d spoken to clubs previously and they all sort of say the same thing: ‘you’re in the mix, we’ll see what happens on the day’, so you just sort of roll with the punches. To finally get a crack is a big thrill.
LM: Did you receive any inkling from Collingwood as to its level of interest in you?
SD: I had a couple of meetings but they didn’t give too much away really. They don’t say that ‘we’re going to take you’, it’s just more ‘we’ll see what happens, you keep doing your bit and we’ll keep an eye on you’. I guess you just wait and see on the day and thankfully it panned out. I understand that they can’t promise anything because things change on the day. Someone they might have ranked a bit higher could have got through. Who knows, anything can happen.
LM: A month before the Rookie Draft, an article ran in the Leader Newspaper that touted you as a strong chance of being drafted to Collingwood. Did it raise your hopes or did you resolve to keeping a lid on any hype?
SD: I did see it, but I mean I’d been through it and seen it all before. One of my good mates last year Shane Valenti (a former Melbourne player currently with Port Melbourne) had the same sort of thing and nothing ever panned out. You don’t read too much into that, you just wait until the time comes and if your name gets read out then good, but if not you just keep fighting I guess.
LM: Prior to this year, was there any draft in which you came particularly close to being picked up?
SD: One year I went and did a couple of days at Richmond, but nothing ever panned out. It was sort of the same old thing, ‘you’re in the mix, we’ll see what happens’. But this (the 2012 Rookie Draft) is probably as much contact as I’d had with one individual club in any other year.
LM: What are your main selling points as a footballer?
SD: I guess being a bit more mature helps. I think coming in and having a bit more of an understanding of the hard work and the work ethic that you need, and I suppose having played eight years of VFL you play against some quality footballers, so having proven myself there I think that’s an advantage. I can play a number of roles, too, which helps.
LM: A broken leg put a dent in your 2012 campaign. Have you experienced any complications with it since?
SD: I did all the work before Christmas but a week after it just started to flare up a little bit, so we just modified training a little bit with the load. But now it’s fine, I’m back in full training.
The original injury was just an impact in a tackle. Someone’s knee impacted on the leg and I didn’t think it was broken initially but three weeks down the track I found out it was. I didn’t play during those three weeks because initially I thought it was bone bruising. I kept trying to train and get up for games but it was no good. We had a game the week after and then a bye, so I got an MRI which indicated bone bruising. I kept training but it was no good, and then got to a point where I couldn’t even train and got a second opinion where I found out it was broken.
LM: Fortunately you were able to make it back in time for Port Melbourne’s finals campaign…
SD: I came back for the first final, then missed the Prelim because of soreness and a combination of a couple of things and then played in the Grand Final. At that stage it wasn’t healed, but you just want to play in finals.
LM: Going right back to the start, you were eligible to be drafted as far back as 2004. At that point in time, did you feel that you were pretty close to the mark?
SD: I didn’t get much of an indication really. I guess in my two years at the Geelong Falcons I had a couple of pretty successful years. I came second in the Best and Fairest the first year and third the second year. I played for Vic Country and didn’t make any All-Australian teams or anything but I went to the state screening and didn’t go too bad there, but didn’t really hear much after that. You always hope, but it just didn’t pan out.
LM: From there, you went to Port Melbourne where you’ve spent the last eight years. As an 18-year-old from country Victoria, why did you choose Port Melbourne?
SD: I spoke to a couple of VFL clubs and I guess I was moving down with a couple of mates and we moved to Southbank and it was just convenient, I guess. They seemed like a good club when I went down there and had a chat and a bit of a train. Everyone was friendly enough and I got along with everyone.
LM: What led you to moving to Melbourne in the first place?
SD: Probably football opportunities, just to give it another crack. And work opportunities as well. In the first couple of years I did a bit of labouring and stuff, just some odd jobs here and there, and then did a pre-apprenticeship and went into an apprenticeship from there.
LM: You were actually at work when you found out you had been drafted. Talk us through the day.
SD: I was at work and Ayresy (Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres) called up and said he was watching it on the Internet and I’d been picked up. He was pretty excited but obviously a little bit disappointed as well!
LM: What did you do for the rest of the day? Did you stay and finish work or knock off immediately?
SD: Yeah, I spoke to Adam Shepard (one of Collingwood’s National Recruiting Assistants) from the club and he asked if we could come in that afternoon. I finished work around 2pm and came in here around 3pm and got straight into it. Had a meeting and the next day we started training at 6 in the morning! It was straight into it.
LM: How did your boss react?
SD: He was fine. He’s the Team Manager at Port so he has a fair understanding of the ins and outs of it all. He was good. He’s indicated
that if I ever want to go back then there’s work there, which is good. I’m not working at all at this stage, but maybe once that I sort of get used to the training load and the whole schedule I guess I might do one day a week. We’ll see.
LM: How different are the training loads you’ve experienced at Port Melbourne compared with what you’re doing right now at Collingwood?
SD: I guess it’s a fair bit different. The contact hours at the club are a lot greater which makes sense. The training loads are a lot higher, but it’s not only that. The intensity and all the work that you have to do here is a lot more. I guess you can’t really afford to have that luxury at VFL level because you’re either coming from a full day at work or uni or part time work so you’re limited as to the contact hours you can have. That’s one of the most beneficial things, I guess. You’ve got that time.
LM: It’s a cliché to say that every mature aged recruit lives every day like it’s his last in footy, but do you actually feel as if you have a slightly different attitude to that of the younger kids coming in?
SD: I think so, definitely, although that being said I’ve been impressed with the boys that have come in here. There all seem pretty switched on about their footy and understand a fair bit about what it’s going to take. Having played in the VFL system and playing against men for so long, I think it can give you a bit of an advantage as to what it takes week in, week out to get yourself up for every game. It’s a lot more physical than coming out of that under-18 competition and it’s just a bit more fast-paced. It’s a different ball game, I guess.
LM: There is room on the senior list for two rookies to be promoted. Do you keep your mind trained on those spots all summer?
SD: That’s the aim, because you want to play senior footy, and to do that you’ve got to be on the senior list. That’s the apple, but you’ve just got to work hard to get there. You’ve got to do everything you can and you would be anyway, regardless of whether there was a spot available or not, you’re just going to do everything you can so if a spot does open up then you’re ready to go and you’ve proven that you’re up to it.
LM: You were an integral part of Port Melbourne’s amazing 2011 in which they did not lose a game all season and were convincing winners in the Grand Final. How does the club, arguably the pinnacle of state clubs in Australia, compare to Collingwood? Are there many similarities?
SD: I think so. To be the best I think you’ve got to think like you’re the best as well, and to be perceived as the best. I mean, from looking on the outside at Collingwood, they were a real powerhouse of the AFL on and off the field. Port Melbourne’s got a bit of that same perception as well. I guess everyone’s always striving to get better, and you can notice that here at Collingwood as well.
Everyone’s working hard and everyone has a good aura of confidence about them which is probably the most important thing, I reckon. If you believe that you are the best, then it obviously makes things a lot easier than if you think that everyone’s better than you, so then you go out there on the weekend thinking the same. It puts you behind the eight ball before you start.
LM: In Port’s amazing 2011, what were the key ingredients to your success?
SD: I guess everyone was such close mates. You’re all out there week in, week out playing for each other. Everyone had the belief in themselves but also the belief that if someone was having a down day, the next person could stand up. We weren’t relying on two, three, four or five players. It was all 22 players out there every week and anyone at any time could stand up and give us that advantage.
We did have a good run with injuries. We didn’t lose too many apart from a couple at the wrong periods of time, but, all in all, we were pretty lucky. It’s just sort of the belief that everyone has in themselves and in each other, and obviously the coaching staff was very influential. Ayresy was a great coach.
LM: What did you learn from Ayres?
SD: A lot. Since he got to the club my game improved out of sight, in my eyes especially. You could ask 90 per cent of the players at Port Melbourne and they’d tell you the same thing. I guess just having him backing you regardless of if you’re making mistakes or playing well, it just gives you that confidence. He’s really instilled that confidence in individuals and in the team as a group.
LM: Are there many similarities between the coaching styles of Ayres and Nathan Buckley?
SD: I think they’re similar in some ways and different in others. Obviously there’s probably a bit more help around here. In terms of getting to know Bucks really well at this stage I can’t make too much of a judgement because I’ve only had the past month or so with him. But his knowledge of the game and just the way he addresses the boys, and he’s very approachable if you’ve got any questions or queries, which is the same as what Ayresy was. He had a great knowledge of the game, you could always approach him and he’s always got time for you. They’re fairly similar from what I can gather at this stage.
LM: You mentioned how close the team is at Port Melbourne. Does it feel strange to have left that environment that you were such a key part of for nearly a decade?
SD: Yeah, it is, it is. But I still see them quite a bit. It’s obviously different, but it’s just another challenge and just another opportunity to do the same thing at another club I guess. I’ve enjoyed being down here and getting to know more people and making more friends and getting to know a new environment. Obviously it’s different not going to Port Melbourne, training three nights a week and catching up with all the boys. It’s bittersweet, I guess.
LM: Which demographic of players are you closest to at Collingwood? You’ve arrived with several youngsters but you’re roughly the same age as Harry O’Brien, Travis Cloke and Alan Toovey.
SD: The young first year boys mainly, but also Marley Williams, Yags (Peter Yagmoor), Jordy Russell, Youngy (Clinton Young) who I played with for Vic Country in the Under 18s. Even Daisy (Dale Thomas).
LM: Which players stood out to you when playing against Collingwood in the VFL?
SD: I remember Marley last year did a good job on Valenti. They knocked us off last year, so that midfield group was really hard and aggressive and, you know, played the game well, which was good. It’s going to be good to get out there and play with them.
LM: Collingwood ended Port Melbourne’s 28 game winning streak midway through last year. From a Port Melbourne perspective, what happened?
SD: They just played well. We were off our game that five per cent and Collingwood was playing well and got the jump on us. I guess inaccuracy didn’t help us. We kicked 20 behinds or something, but on the day they played that 10 per cent better.
We went through the year and won maybe 15 games or whatever it was, and the Pies didn’t win many, but it just shows how even the VFL competition is. If one team’s off five per cent and the other one’s at their best, then anyone can beat anyone I believe.
LM: Tell us a bit about what you know of your fellow VFL draftees Kyle Martin and Jack Frost.
SD: I actually didn’t see much of Frosty. Marto only had the one year with Frankston but he played well when we played them. I played in the state game with him and he played well there, so he obviously finds the footy and uses the ball pretty well which is important. He can also sneak forward and get a couple of goals, so he’s a pretty dangerous player.
LM: As a player with years of VFL experience, what is your take on the standard of the VFL?
SD: I think the VFL as a competition is still at a very high standard. You’ve still got plenty of AFL boys that are dropping back week in, week out, but you can see at Port Melbourne that we were very competitive every week. That’s from having a high standard of player there. I think that the competition is still very strong, and you can see that in the state games that they (the VFL) have played as well when they’ve had pretty comfortable victories. It’s hard for me to say but I still believe that they’re the second best competition in Australia.
LM: Looking ahead, a spot in Collingwood’s NAB Cup team is the obvious short-term goal I take it?
SD: That’s the aim, so we’ll see how we go. Hopefully I can get a crack and can put my best foot forward. I think I’ll play forward and midfield, a bit of both. They haven’t really given much away, but from what I can take, they’re the couple of roles I might play.
LM: Lastly, as someone who has lived and breathed a winning culture a Port Melbourne, what’s your overall impression of the Collingwood playing group?
SD: I definitely think that they all seem very focused and determined. But also, it’s as if there’s a good culture around the club and everyone enjoys being here, which I think can be a really great advantage. If everyone’s enjoying their time at the club it doesn’t seem like it’s a chore to be here. It makes football more enjoyable and if you’re enjoying your footy you’re generally playing your best footy, so it’s a good environment to be around.
