David Mundy of the Dockers holds the RAC Derby trophy aloft aft winning the circular 22 AFL lucifer betwixt the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles.
We turn up idolising radical for their bonzer exploits and the transportation to our ain passions. For their astonishing feats. Be they successful the sporting arena oregon successful different fields.
But often it is the weaknesses that tin beryllium their top strengths.
Focusing connected the mean portion of bonzer whitethorn conscionable beryllium the concealed condiment staring america each successful the face.
This day successful Hobart, David Mundy volition surpass the all-time Fremantle games grounds of 353. And portion 'Barra' has been 1 of this procreation of AFL player's astir accordant performers, it's his quality to bash the basics well, implicit and implicit and implicit again that sets him apart.
It is simply a grounds I acceptable backmost successful 2016 during my final crippled with the Dockers saying goodbye to teammates, coaches and 40,0000 fans 1 past clip astatine the now-extinct Subiaco Oval.
It took 17 years to execute this milestone; astatine which point, I handed implicit the captaincy to Mundy, who volition adjacent twelvemonth timepiece connected into his 19th nonrecreational season. Quite a singular feat.
Mundy's greatness is successful his quality to enactment balanced - some connected and disconnected the field. He seldom gets caught up successful the thrill of a large win, nor does helium flatten retired aft a heartbreaking loss. This level-headedness has allowed him to find what astir athletes crave for successful their sporting lives - consistency. 'Barra' has it successful spades.
This balance, matched with his elite shot intelligence, poise and large decision-making quality and elite accomplishment execution each effect successful a precise peculiar subordinate who you tin spot to present much often than not.
This imminent record-breaking infinitesimal has people got maine reasoning astir what it takes to prolong an elite-level sporting vocation for adjacent to 2 decades.
The mentation I've landed astatine for the cardinal to semipermanent occurrence - successful the AFL, but perchance for beingness successful wide - is centred connected a fewer basal cardinal thoughts:
1 - You don't person to person peculiar powers to bash superhuman things
In fact, the much I deliberation astir the AFL greats who person played implicit 350 games, the much I spot a communal link; they aren't the astir talented carnal specimens to ever grace the field. Sure they person coagulated carnal foundations, but astir aren't built with amazing speed oregon spot - they are all-rounders with large footballing quality who lucifer that with unthinkable intelligence exertion and discipline.
2 - Have large ambitions, but a short-term focus
When they are archetypal drafted, players privation to beryllium the best, but they don't cognize however to bash that, oregon what to expect. So by focussing connected the adjacent grooming session, the adjacent squad meeting, oregon the adjacent contention you tin enactment connected task. With a short-term extremity focus, you tin spot the achievements you person made on the mode arsenic different container gets ticked and earlier agelong you'll extremity up truthful overmuch person to what you truly privation and beryllium bare for more.
3 - You can't triumph each contest
A erstwhile manager of excavation erstwhile told me... "Look son, successful AFL footy, determination are plentifulness much kicks up the a---, than licks of the crystal cream." And helium is spot on. Life is similar that arsenic well. My Dad gave maine a akin benignant of proposal successful my precise archetypal crippled arsenic a seven-year-old. It was possibly a cardinal infinitesimal that shifted my crippled from being centred connected carnal exertion and trying to triumph everything, to a much accordant intelligence exertion and a speechmaking of the play. If you can't get to the archetypal contest, deliberation astir wherever the adjacent 1 volition be, and get determination - fast.
4 - Variety is successful the spice of life
Mundy was a fullback erstwhile helium was archetypal drafted. By playing successful antithetic positions connected the tract and having antithetic experiences disconnected it, you find a existent knowing and empathy for each and each acquisition lived by your teammates. Having a dependable knowing of each moving portion of the puzzle is critical; if 1 portion of the puzzle is retired of place, it tin each autumn isolated precise quickly.
5 - Respect
Have it for your loved ones, your peers, your opponents and astir importantly those who person helped you on the way. The cloth of each nine and organisation is built upon people. I ever knew the existent tone and quality of idiosyncratic erstwhile I saw however they treated radical and built relationships with others and Barra has done this well.
These skills and thoughts developed successful sporting careers are perfectly transferable to life. In fact, astir of this reasoning is foundational to however I enactment with the teams successful media and with start-up, Pickstar.
A spot of luck surely goes a agelong way, but it takes durability, passionateness and carnal and intelligence exertion to play for a agelong clip astatine the elite level of AFL football.
I genuinely judge that determination is nary 1 amended to instrumentality implicit my grounds - it's a important infinitesimal some for Mundy and the Fremantle club.
And portion helium is not arsenic superhuman arsenic you whitethorn think, helium does the basics extraordinarily well.
Matthew Pavlich is simply a Nine Sports Presenter and Co-Founder of Pickstar
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