Unexpected inspiration spurs Miller on to 300 games

KRIS Miller found some inspiration from an unexpected source over the summer that made his decision to play on in 2014 for him and now this Friday night that will result in him reaching 300 WAFL games in a remarkable milestone.

Miller has been playing WAFL football since he made his league debut in 1999 with East Fremantle and he has been at South Fremantle since 2007, and his durability has been remarkable as he now prepares to become just the sixth player in history to play his 300th game this Friday night against Perth at Fremantle Oval.

The 300-game milestone was only two matches away when Miller finished his 2013 season at South Fremantle where once again his form showed no signs of dropping away despite playing a different role in the forward-line in the second half of the campaign than the on-ball role he's accustomed to.

However, it was not a foregone conclusion that the 33-year-old would play on in 2014 despite the rare 300-game mark being so close.

His best mate, and coach, Paul Hasleby made it clear he had to earn his spot in the team and would be handed nothing, and Miller's pride in his consistently strong form over 298 games meant he would not allow himself to play unless fully committed.

He started pre-season training at the Bulldogs, but it wasn’t until he was inspired at the Busselton Iron Man event in early December that he decided that he would be playing on for at least one more WAFL season.

"I started training in the pre-season and people might not believe this, but I honestly didn’t know if I would play. I knew I had to start training to give myself a chance if I wanted to play because if I hadn’t been training and decided to play, I would have had too much catching up to do," Miller said.

"The time I actually made the decision was when I went down to the Busselton Iron Man because my sister competed in that. Seeing all the people competing was inspirational and she did well, but what stuck out was one guy who finished it with only one leg.

"That made me think that if he could do an iron man on one leg, that I could get through at least another season of playing football. That was the actual point that I decided I was playing, up to then I wasn’t sure and I obviously didn’t go down there knowing that would happen."

As much as Miller is looking forward to Friday night himself to enjoy reaching 300 games, he knows that it likely is even more special for his family and those close to him.

In recent years when he has reached the 200 and 250-game mark, the occasions have served as somewhat of a reunion for old mates, teammates and certainly a lot of family members and this Friday night is no different.

Miller is looking forward to seeing the enjoyment his family and friends get out of the occasion – especially his ever present parents plus his brother and sister, and wife Jenae, daughters Hannah and Charlotte, and newborn son Noah.

"I think it means just as much to my family, and maybe more, than it does to me. My parents have hardly missed any games and I have been out there playing so I get that enjoyment naturally, but for them recognition of a milestone like this reflects a lot on what their support has meant," he said.

"They might even get more enjoyment out of it than me at the moment as well so they are all very excited about it, I know that."

Playing 300 WAFL games is not an achievement that should be sneezed at.

While still a special achievement in the AFL, there is no question it is a lot easier to spend 16 years in the AFL as a full-time footballer than it is in the WAFL where the demands at the football club are huge but on top of that players must work to make a living and build a family.

Remarkably as well as his decorated playing career that has seen him play 153 games at East Fremantle where he won a fairest and best, and now 146 more at South Fremantle with a premiership and three club champion awards, the rest of Miller's life is successful too.

He is doing well with his business Country Solar WA while his family at home has recently expanded with son Noah joining daughters Hannah and Charlotte, but Miller is fully aware he wouldn’t have been able to play in the WAFL for as long as he has without the support of his wife Jenae.

"It's bloody hard on my family to be honest. I'm gone early in the mornings for work and then get home and have to shoot off for training straight away a lot of the time. My wife has got to do everything and our two girls have started school now, and we've just had a boy as well," Miller said.

"So she has to get the girls ready for school, make sure our boy is looked after and she has a lot she has to take care of with getting three kids in and out of the car every morning and afternoon, and everything else.

"With my business, it's hard to be around to help with a lot of that stuff as well, and then when I get home I have to go to the footy club. At the end of the day, I couldn’t have kept playing footy without her being as understanding and amazing as she has been."

With everything that is going on surrounding Miller's remarkable milestone this Friday night, it's easy to forget there are four points up for grabs.

They are an important four points as well after South Fremantle lost to Subiaco last Saturday by 38 points and now will be desperate to bounce back against Perth this Friday night at Fremantle Oval. Especially after the way they started 2013 with seven straight losses.

The last thing Miller wants is to remember his 300th game for being a loss for the Bulldogs.

"It was very disappointing and we played terribly. We lost by 38 points in the end even though we had more scoring shots and possession. There were a lot of indicators saying we went OK but we were just terrible. The bigger ground undid us a little bit and we have been working so hard, but didn’t adjust to the bigger ground at times," Miller said.

"It's massively important we win this week. Last year we were 0-7 and you can't afford to put yourselves in a position where you are chasing your tail all season. There is a lot more confidence in our squad this year and with the personnel we have to suggest that we should be going a lot better at the start of the year."

Miller will be wearing specially-designed 300-game Puma King boots on Friday night for the occasion marking the first time in his career he has ever not donned black boots. The boots and game ball will be up for grabs in a raffle on Friday with tickets available $10 for six, $5 for three and $2 for one.

By Chris Pike