Collingwood Magpies ruckman Brodie Grundy reveals how and why COVID-19 hub life got to him

“I felt guilty that I was up there but I wasn’t necessarily performing on-field. But I’m happy to speak about that, because these challenges, they’re just human nature, and AFL players aren’t immune to these difficulties.”

He says his down year ate at his sense of self-worth, and that he needed Rachael to help ensure he didn’t get too down.

“If you have a shit one, just seeing the other side of it is really hard. When you’re a high performer, and you want to build a legacy, to give yourself an out, or to be self-loving in those instances is hard. And that’s why you need those people around you to go, ‘Hey, that’s OK, you do this really well,’ or, ‘What about this?’”

He can at least laugh that his 2020 dip didn’t come during his monster seven-year contract extension signed early last year.

“With regard to the contract, I can’t feel guilty because I was still on my old contract last year,” he said.

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Grundy couldn’t escape the hub quickly enough. Overseas travel remained an impossibility but the South Australian could do the next best thing. He went with his mum, Jenn, a beautician, to the Red Centre.

“It was good. I don’t get to see her that often and I’m really close with my mum,” Grundy said.

“She left and she was like, ‘I feel like I’ve grown from this experience, I feel I can do anything now.’

“That’s sort of where I get my energy from, things away from the game.”

Keen to get well away from the game, Grundy wasn’t exactly hanging by every post of the various daily AFL trade blogs, but news would soon enough filter through that the Pies would look significantly different in 2021 as a quartet of players – Jaidyn Stephenson, Atu Bosenavulagi, Tom Phillips and Adam Treloar – were traded out.

“I was shocked by some of the stuff,” Grundy said.

“I’m really close with Tom Phillips and Adam Treloar. And when you’re contracted as well, it’s a good way to keep people on edge! Was it handled the best it could have been? No, and I think we all acknowledge that.

“I was pretty flat that Adzy and Tom Phillips weren’t going to be there.

“But I think after it was reconciled that it was the best thing for the club, and once that was put to bed, it was really quick to go, ‘OK, this is done, and in some respects the Band-Aid’s been ripped off.’

“In some ways, it’s good for young players to realise how the system works. Often these football clubs are romanticised, but the reality is we all see the door at one stage and our time is borrowed at the club.”

“It’s good for young players to realise how the system works. Often these football clubs are romanticised, but the reality is we all see the door at one stage and our time is borrowed at the club.”

Brodie Grundy

After the initial bombshell, Grundy made sure to help rally his remaining teammates. It was imperative that the Pies did not implode.

He now feels refreshed and in a good head space with round one on the horizon.

“I don’t think you’ll find a player that is against the shorter pre-season … so I’m feeling good,” he said.

Brodie Grundy on:

2020:

“It’s been an interesting last 12 months, and I was really keen to leave the hub. By the end I was emotionally exhausted, and keen to just get away and spend time with my mum.

“It’s just a missed opportunity. Last year is a missed opportunity for me. I won’t get that back. And that shits me off.”

Nathan Buckley:

“The one thing I respect about Nathan is he may not always get it right but he puts himself out there. He cares and he gives it a go.”

Measures of success:

“I just want to be a person that my kids are proud of. What is a measure of a successful career? I’ve often asked myself that question. And it is often things put in front of you. Bucks and Robert Harvey question whether their careers are successful because they haven’t won a premiership. But is it really about having a cup at the end of the day? It can’t be just about that.”