Game 97: Match report

I've played in a night final on the MCG for the Sydney Swans, I've captained a Sydney AFL representative team, I got best on ground in the Pennant Hills Demons first premiership, and I won Best and Fairest for a reserve grade team in the VFL, but today's game for Pennant Hills fourth division was the most significant game I've been a part of.

Talking to the "J-Bone" on the way home made my last few hours that much more special. J-Bone (Jackson Turner - one of my teammates) asked me what had happened the night I had my stroke, so I told him about the fight, the torn artery and the blood clot lodging in the tear, but it was when I told him I was in a coma for 4 days and my family and friends were told to come and say goodbye, that I realised today might be the best game of footy I've EVER been a part of.

The fact that it was at Rosedale Oval in front of about 50 people made it even better - some of the 50 people were some of my best mates from football, my brother and his family, Gus and Col came down, and of course my 19 teammates (we were 2 short)

Today's game ended in a draw (it was 44-44 at one stage!), but it wasn't the result that reminded me why playing footy is such a privilege - for 2 hours everybody in a red and blue jersey threw everything they had into the game to help their mates try and win, and when it finished in a draw, some blokes were bummed, others were proud, but whatever we were feeling, we were feeling it together.

Word must have got around at the Moorebank Magpies (our opposition) that I was playing a come back game after 8 years, as one of their players came up to shake my hand after someone in their team had just kicked a goal to level the scores and the siren sounded, and said "tough way to end a comeback." And I thought to myself, "No mate, that was beautiful."

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