LIFE MEMBERSHIP BIGGEST HONOUR IN SCHLOITHE'S CAREER

THE wait between game 149 and 150 has been quite the arduous one but Haiden Schloithe couldn’t be prouder or more excited to bring up the milestone this Saturday to open the 2020 WAFL season as he qualifies for life membership at South Fremantle.

When Schloithe was growing up in Katanning dreaming of playing for South Fremantle one day and then idolising what a couple of future teammates were doing for the Bulldogs a decade ago in the form of Kyle and Ashton Hams, never did he think he could achieve what he could.

If you had told a young Haiden Schloithe a decade a go that entering the 2020 season, he would have already won a Sandover Medal, three WJ Hughes Medal as South Fremantle's fairest and best and played for Western Australia three times, he would have thought you were joking.

But this Saturday in Round 1 of the delayed WAFL season could well provide the biggest highlight for Schloithe of all as he played his 150th game for South Fremantle when the Bulldogs host East Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

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By reaching the 150-game milestone, Schloithe qualifies for life membership at the South Fremantle Football Club and it's something he can't hide his pride about.

"It's a pretty special feeling that’s for sure. If someone would have told me back 10 years ago now when I was moving up to Perth to play colts that one day I'd earn life membership of the footy club I'd have said you were kidding yourself," Schloithe said. 

"It's a special feeling really and it's something that I'm very proud of, and I'm grateful towards the footy club for what they have done for me. It has pretty much been my home for most of the last 10 years and I can't think everyone involved at the club enough for everything they have done for me."

The life member days held by South Fremantle every year are one of the highlights of any Bulldogs season. It's when the champion players and tremendous servants of the club are recognised for their servants, and in the past Schloithe has looked on in great admiration at those honoured.

To now know that next time he is going to be up on that stage himself become a life member could be the most humbling experience he's had in his football career to date.

"I've been there a few times as a current player and it's a little bit different to what the next time will be like when I'll probably be getting inducted," he said.

"But going to those events and seeing some absolute legends of South Fremantle and WA footy, it's a pretty amazing experience really just to get there and be a part of it. To then listen to the stories that those people have is pretty special and now for me to be inducted into that group is a pretty amazing feeling."

It's fair to say it's been quite an interesting time in the world since Schloithe played his 149th WAFL game in last year's Grand Final until now when he'll run out onto Fremantle Community Bank Oval this Saturday against East Fremantle for his 150th appearance.

There were times where Schloithe wondered if it was worth staying in some sort of shape or if there'd be a season at all, but once the news was official that there was a start date to work towards, his mood about the 2020 season instantly lifted.

"It's been a very strange and unique time obviously this year so far. To do a whole pre-season and then the week before we start playing pre-season footy, it gets called off is really challenging," Schloithe said. 

"Especially that first period of when it all started and there was so much unknown about what was going to happen. There was obviously some thoughts there of maybe giving it away because it's all too hard, but knowing that I was one game away from becoming a life member motivated me to stay fit, and to not give up. 

"Then we got the news that we were going to get a season which was great, and that obviously made things a lot easier to get up and go to training in terms of the motivation. But in those early days it was extremely tough that's for sure.

"It was a huge relief when we got the news our season would be back on. Just speaking to the people involved at the club in the decisions, they were saying a week or two before that it got announced that there was a real chance we'd be having no footy. 

"So when that was announced it was a huge relief to know we'd be getting a season in. For everyone that has been involved in that process, can give themselves a pat on the butt because they've done a great job in unique circumstances given this is a once in a generation type thing to deal with. 

"They've all done a great job and I'm really pleased we'll getting some footy in this year that's for sure."

While many people in the wider community found themselves also out of work during the lockdown period of COVID-19 restrictions, that didn’t happen to Schloithe which he is grateful for because all that would have meant was more time with a Playstation 4 controller in hand.

"Luckily enough I'm an electrician and our industry wasn’t affected too much at all so I was very lucky to be able to continue to work pretty much as normal through that whole time," he said.

"But when I wasn’t working, it wasn’t always easy to pass the time to be honest. I got addicted a bit to the PS4 so that did kill a bit of time and I did try to do a little bit of fitness work by myself when I could. Early days it was a lot of sitting around and not doing too much at all after work so that was a different experience."

While Schloithe could very well be the most decorated WAFL player of the last decade, if not certainly one of them, what is missing from the resume is the premiership and that's what continues to drive him on more than anything else.

Given South Fremantle has now played in four straight preliminary finals and reached the Grand Final in 2019, that flag is so within touching distance that Schloithe's hunger for it is stronger than ever.

And given that Grand Final loss to Subiaco last year is now still the last game that he and his Bulldogs teammates have played, they can't wait to get the chance to start putting it behind them.

"When you go to things like life membership days and talk to past greats of the club, they always talk about the flags they have won together and that's what they remember, not the individual accolades," he said. 

"You obviously play footy to win those premierships and that's one thing that I'm yet to tick off so as much as all those individual accolades are fantastic and I'll appreciate them more when I retire, what is driving me on more than anything now is winning a premiership. 

"That motivation is even stronger given what happened last year and you add in the prelims we lost before that, that's driving me on pretty heavily to want to win that premiership that's for sure.

"Like any game of footy, you always look forward to playing again seven days later to either bounce back or keep your form going, but there's no next game after the Grand Final and now it's still our last game of footy all this time later. 

"Obviously our last performance was a really poor one and now having to wait this extra three or four months to come out and try to start putting that behind us and show everyone that we are a lot better than that has been tough. 

"But that motivation is pretty strongly there and everyone at the footy club is chomping at the bit and raring to go to get ready for this Saturday and to get the season started finally."

Having had a 10-month wait from game 149 to 150 and having a period of great uncertainty when or if you'd get to play this season means it's hardly been an ideal milestone preparation, but now that it's upon him, Schloithe can't help but feel a little blessed.

Saturday is now going to be an exciting occasion marking the return of WAFL football and the opening of the 2020 season and up to 6000 people are expected to flock to Fremantle Community Bank Oval for the occasion.

Add in the fact that Schloithe is playing his 150th game, that South Fremantle is playing East Fremantle in the only derby of 2020, and it's all shaping up as quite the memorable occasion.

"I do feel pretty lucky in a way that my 150th didn’t fall on the last game of last year," Schloithe said. 

"Everything has now fallen into place for Round 1 this year and now even though it's been a bit of a wait, it turns out we are coming up against our arch-rivals East Freo and it's turned out pretty well. It's going to be a pretty special day and I'm really looking forward to it."