Googs' Gabble – Adam Guglielmana Column Round 15

IF ONE thing is certain at a WAFL football club, it is 'nothing is certain'. Change is a common occurrence, players come and go, the game plan is tinkered with, loyal members pass away, and topically, coaches move on. Over the recent past though, there has been one constant at South Fremantle in the form of a stumpy red headed centreman who this week plays his 100th game.

Toby Bairstow has been my best mate at the club pretty much since we first met. I remember meeting him for the first time through his cousin Luke who I played colts footy with, I didn’t know what to think of him then, but after seven or eight years I’d like to think I have a few nice words to say about him!

'Red' is an infectious character. When he is happy he makes everyone around him happy. He hasn’t always had reason to be happy though, 100 games rarely comes easy. In the first couple of years of his career he was in and out of the side despite being a prolific ball winner whenever he came back to the reserves. He had to adapt to playing more in the forward line at league level, a completely different challenge for a genuine midfielder. 

After serving this initial apprenticeship he quickly turned into a productive league footballer, only to face a great mental hurdle. Despite playing most of the 2009 season at league level, including the only second semi-final, he was dropped for the grand final. It was a great show of character that as soon as the siren went in the victorious reserves grand final he hardly gave a thought that he had missed out on the league opportunity; at least he gave that impression when others might not have been so selfless.

Although that was probably his biggest hurdle, Toby also badly cut his hand in 2012 cutting through tendons and ligaments which forced him to miss half the season. In 2013 despite being a league regular of roughly 80 games he was dropped to the reserves which I’m sure made him question his future at the club at the end of the season. Luckily for us he chose to stay, regardless of the fact he knew he would probably start the 2014 season in the reserves. 

Since coming back into the side this year, Toby has played a vastly different role to what he was used to, he has tagged some of the best players in the competition out of the game, week in week out. Even though he is a great ball winner in his own right he has sacrificed his natural game for the betterment of the team, something we could all learn from.

The way 'Red' has changed his football game is a bit of a metaphor for how his life has changed. He was once a bit of a straggler roaming around getting kicks; and for the sake of the metaphor (chicks) wherever and whenever he could. Now he plays tight, in a football sense, and (very tight) in a relationship sense to his wonderful girlfriend Monique who has definitely settled him down a lot!

Toby has always lived life at 100 per cent and a good example of this is the way he treats medicine. He never trusts the recommended dosage, figuring more has to be better. In the time I have known him he has burnt a massive hole in his leg trying to burn off a wart, gargled straight Betadine to get rid of a sore throat, and drank two litres of red cordial without mixing, to avoid Bali belly. My favourite however, is the time he had Gastro and made me go to the shops to get him some tablets to stop his frequent bowel movements, only to call me a couple of days later asking if I could go to the shops to get him some tablets to increase his bowel movements. When I pressed him about why, he admitted to taking three times the dosage he was supposed to!

Luckily for me most of the mothering falls to his fantastic maternal mother, Bev. I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with his family and I’m sure 'Red' wouldn’t mind me saying they are a big reason why he will be playing his 100th game on the weekend. Bev rarely, if ever, misses a game and her loyalty has definitely been passed down to her sons. 

Like any brothers Dyl and Toby are prone to disagreement but they are fiercely loyal to each other and won’t accept a bad word being said about the other. 

Mark is the most well known of the Bairstow's and I’d imagine the biggest influence on his career. He is the reason Toby is at Souths because of the path he laid down and what he has passed on in a football sense.

Although all the results of recent times have been disappointing, almost more disappointing has been our performances in milestone games. In a season with only pride left to play for, this weekend is a great opportunity to honour someone who has given his all to the football club for 100 games.

He has had more than his share of setbacks and I’m sure that will make the day even sweeter for him. He has been the best mate anyone could ask for and I know he will be long after our careers finish.