Red and WHITE – Craig White Column Round 23

THERE is obviously a number of things I’m weighing up at the moment in regards to whether I play on or not next year. The way we are finishing the season with this momentum gives you a bit more motivation to think that something special might just be around the corner, and when you’ve been at the club for 10 or 11 years it is probably easy to go again.

I think the hard decision would be to pull the pin and I’m weighing up work commitments, wedding commitments and things like that next year off the field as well as my form, the new coach and what his vision is and what he sees my role being if he sees one for me at all. There’s then also the pull from the playing group and not wanting to leave a young group who might not have enough leaders to guide them. Those are all the things I have to weigh up in the next few weeks.

It’s hard to know where we sit as a group. I thought success was pretty close for us this year after the way we finished last year and it’s happened the last couple of years now where we’ve got a bit of momentum on the back end of the year. I’m mindful of the fact that yes it’s great that we’ve had momentum, but there is so much more that goes into it over the summer and the start of next season. I do believe that we are the next step closer and guys are starting to get to 50 and 60 games which is where you need the depth to be able to go on and be successful in finals. Our group is a year older so I think that success is a year closer.

One of the main reasons I might decide to play on is to continue to provide some leadership to what is a young group. Cooky has done an awesome job as captain and still will, then there is Googs, Jimmy Sellar will be in his second year, Hamsy has his playing ability that he can lead and there is enough leaders that if I pull the pin the club will be fine, but I do see some value in hanging around to guide the group in the right direction on and off the field.

There is every chance that if I commit to play next year I might have to commit to two more years. If I play next year, I will be in the 190s of games played and getting to 200 would then be a driving force, but it wouldn’t be something that will factor into the decision right now because that would make it a two-year decision. I went away to Sydney back in 2012 and that’s when I was just short of 150 games and life membership, and I was happy to walk away then when I thought I was finished playing WAFL footy, but now reaching 200 isn’t possible next year but could be close the year after. If I do go around next year, I might end up playing for two more years.

The other thing is that my options of where I can play on the ground have really been opened up again by me playing forward this year. I’ve really enjoyed it. It was tough at first after playing 100 games as a defender and seeing myself as that for the rest of my career, but I think it’s actually helped me out and given me a bit of extra spark to play in the forward-line and enjoy my time there. I’m not sure what Todd Curley our next coach will be thinking, but at least it gives me a couple of strings to my bow that I can play at either end of the ground for him next year if needed.

Talking to Todd will have a huge impact on my decision. It would be stupid of me to think that I will make my decision before speaking to him. He might see the group going in a different direction or he might see my worth and want me to keep playing, you just never know. I’ll have a good chat to Todd and I’ll be honest with him, and I’m sure he will be honest with me about where he sees I’m at. Hopefully he will be able to give me some guidance on where he sees I’m at.

It is a massive commitment to play WAFL footy so playing on is a big decision. Essentially most days a week, I get up at 7 in the morning and don’t get home until 7.30 or 8 at night so they are long days. Then you factor in that I have wedding commitments next year and work commitments because stronger the older you get so it’s definitely a factor that comes into making a decision that won’t be easy anyway.

Coaching is something that I’m definitely interested in and I already did a little bit of it over in Sydney, but I reckon initially I would take a break from footy after I retire. Coaching would be a goal down the track but it’s been 11 years of full on footy now so I might like to take a backward step for year whenever I stop playing WAFL. I might like to play somewhere else first and enjoy a bit of a year off because if you get involved as a coach the commitment is just as big as for a player if not a little bit more sometimes.