AFL aspirants are among the most common clusters of player on VFL lists.
Those who sacrifice and commit their life around a semi-professional job despite knowing the odds are against them.
While mature-agers are becoming more common, the majority of players still come out of an under 18s program.
But there are the occasional success stories that give cause for optimism.
Brisbane’s Oscar McInerney climbed Mt Everest by going from Casey to Brisbane in a season and Bayley Fritsch, the 2017 Fothergill/Round/Mitchell Medallist, is now a premiership player at Melbourne and played every game this season and kicked at least one goal in each of them.
Cranbourne local and Casey premiership player George Grey wants to add his name to that mould.
In between work at the Bank of Melbourne and a business course at university, footy is his lovechild and he remains bullish on his chances of getting to the next level.
It reached a point where the pendulum tipped too much towards footy.
“I had a dry patch to finish the year because I was overthinking everything,” Grey said.
“I was putting too much pressure on myself.
“You see what’s around you and you want to do well for yourself; to make your family proud; help them out financially.
“I ended up putting footy on a pedestal and put internal pressure on myself rather than just playing because I love it.”
His run, pressure, and speed added an important dynamic to Casey’s midfield and attack.
Across his 22-game VFL career, he has shown his skillset is up to the standard.
After the seemingly endless preseason after 2019, he improved his explosiveness through work with ‘The Speed Project’.
Discussions with close mate and Casey/Cranbourne teammate Corey Ellison, who he also did craft sessions with throughout preseason, aided Grey’s improvement.
On paper, he appeared to be doing the right things.
But after he had just established himself as a bankable member of the squad, a couple of quieter games had him on the fringes and then out altogether: part of the cut and thrust of VFL footy,
As worrying as a form slump in the second half of the season was, it brought to the fore a core issue which had the potential to stunt his progress and allowed him to return to local footy and enjoy playing for Cranbourne.
That catalysed further form elevation upon his return to the side in the last round of the home and away season.
Crucially, it led to sustainable improvement in his mindset.
“(Mark Corrigan) asked me to have a regimented structure before games, whether that be taking the dog for a walk, doing uni work, going for a swim, take your mind off footy so you’re not sitting on the couch or thinking about it too often and playing the game in your head.
“It was quite refreshing going back to training at local.
“I knew I just needed to be strong at the contest and work on my running patterns throughout the games, I didn’t try to focus on anything else, just played on instinct and that allowed me to get back to what I was good at.
“When I was playing for Cranbourne, I was playing footy because I loved it, I could relax and be more comfortable which allowed me to flourish.”
Given the chance to do match simulation with the Melbourne AFL squad ahead of its qualifying final against Sydney, reiterated Grey’s confidence in his skillset.
His fundamentals and strengths stood up against the best, and his mindset was beginning to, too.
Although it was a quiet day individually in the grand final for Grey, finishing with seven touches, he was a major factor in the preceding two finals.
In the qualifying final against Sydney, he got 14 touches, seven tackles and a goal, and 19 touches, a goal and eight tackles in the preliminary final against Brisbane.
He fit into the mould of a Casey player: high pressure, speedy and damaging on the offence.
Complimentary of Grey’s growth, Corrigan – and Grey – indicated maturity as a key factor behind the growth.
“We were narrowing his focus from a football perspective so he understood what we wanted from him and made sure his training program complemented that,” Corrigan said.
“He continued to work but had a nice balanced week so when he came on the weekend, mentally he’s ready to go and clearer minded.”
Hailing from the ever-successful Beaumaris Junior Football Club and winning three school premierships at St. Bedes, Casey’s win last Sunday was Grey’s 12th premiership.
Now he has had time to let that sink in, it is a fond memory, a proud achievement, but personally, he hopes his contributions are the start of something bigger.
“I’m trying not to go back into the gym straight away but after what I’ve learnt this year, I’m so excited to develop and get better and have bigger and better blocks for next year.”
