Guglielmana reaches 100 in career-best form but craves finals

ADAM Guglielmana couldn’t possibly be in better form as a small defender entering his 100th WAFL game this Saturday against West Perth at Joondalup's HBF Arena but what he desperately wants is to experience finals football for the first time in his career.

Guglielmana originally joined South Fremantle to play colts from Carnarvon in 2007 and after a lengthy apprenticeship behind a successful league team, and some injuries along the way, it's been a long journey to the 100 games.

And it's only been in the last season and-a-half where he's settled into a role as a small defender after spending the majority of his career previously as a hard running midfielder and wingman, and dangerous half-forward.

However, as a defender he has turned himself into an elite player in the competition and has done an outstanding job week in and week out so far in 2015 both stopping some of the WAFL's best forwards, but also showing terrific leadership and using his kicking skills to good effect.

Now coming off a terrific stopping job on Subiaco's Berne Naylor Medal leader Shane Yarran, the 26-year-old is set for his 100th game with the Bulldogs this Saturday against West Perth at HBF Arena and he's proud to reach the century mark after a long journey.

"It's a pretty big deal to get to 100 games. I came down here from Carnarvon when I was 17 to play in the colts and I'm 26 now so it's taken a fair time but I'm pretty proud to get there," Guglielmana said.

"My name will now be on that locker now forever so I guess it doesn’t matter what you do from here on in, they won't scratch it off. I'm very proud of that and I guess young people coming into the club will now see my name there. That doesn’t bother me a great deal, but I am proud of it.

"I guess ultimately you'd like to reach these milestones, but I remember when I signed my first contract and there was a bonus in there if you got to 50 games. I thought I would get there after two and-a-half years but eight years later, I'm getting to 100 so it doesn’t happen easily. I had to work through some hard times but I'm pretty proud of finally getting the rewards for that now."

While Guglielmana is glad be playing good football individually at the moment, it pales into insignificance in contrast to his desire to play finals football for the first time in his career.

He became a regular member of the team from Round 14 to 23 in 2009 but was dropped for the finals to make way for a bevy of returning experienced stars that went on to win the premiership, and then in 2011 when South Fremantle last played finals he was out with a knee injury.

The last three years has seen the Bulldogs fall short of the mark but they are currently in the top-five heading into Saturday's clash with West Perth and now getting a taste of finals action is what he wants to experience more than anything.

"I'm really desperate for some success. I've never even played in a senior final because the last time we were in the finals was 2011 and I did my knee that year, so I missed out," he said.

"In 2009, I got to play in a ressies grand final and you see blokes like Timmy Malseed, Kris Miller and Andrew Siegert in '09 play in their first grand final and you see how much they wanted it.

"You appreciate that when you see it at the time, but a few years on you get a real understanding of how they would have felt. I'm nearly at the age they were at that time so I'm really desperate to experience something similar."

The journey to 100 games hasn’t been an easy or quick one for Guglielmana and it began when he was made to earn a regular league spot by playing just 12 games in his first two seasons.

However, that taught him what it took to become a league footballer and despite the 2009 knee injury and then a hamstring injury late in 2014, he has had a reasonable run at it in recent seasons despite the variety of roles he has played in the team.

"I started playing senior footy in 2008 and it was pretty tough to get a spot," Guglielmana said.

"John Dimmer was pretty keen on making everyone earn their spot so I didn’t play in many games that year, and then in 2009 it was an unbelievable team with Peter Bell and Jeff Farmer coming back, and everyone in that team was unbelievable.

"I was lucky enough to play the back half of that year, but didn’t stay in for finals. I can't complain about missing out in that unreal team though."

Most of Guglielmana's first 80 games were played mostly in the attacking half of the ground as a midfielder, wingman and then small forward.

He began 2014 as a forward, but coach Paul Hasleby decided to swing him back and push dual premiership veteran Craig White forward, and both moves proved successful.

And now more than 12 months on and Guglielmana has proven to be potentially the best small defender in the competition and despite his nerves in the role, he has already claimed the scalps of Leroy Jetta, George Hampson, Shane Yarran and Mitch Morton.

"So far George Hampson is definitely one who had the upper hand against me and I think I probably broke even against Yarran, but they were the two I was most worried about so I'm glad they are out of the way for a few weeks now," he said.

"I suppose in those first few years when you are playing a lot of ressies footy, you just take any spot in the team so I learnt then that any role you are given you just have to take it. I enjoyed playing in the midfield with Jaymie Graham tapping it down my throat for a while there before he did his knee but it's a different challenge down back and I'm enjoying with a good bunch of blokes.

"Most of the time I am just crapping myself from about Thursday until the final siren goes on Saturday when it's just a relief. Most of the time I'm just looking at the clock to see how long there is to go and thinking how many goals they can still kick, so it's just draining mentally but I'm enjoying it. You get big rewards if you do your job so it's not hard to keep your mind at task."

While for many of the South Fremantle team the trip to Joondalup to play West Perth might be their longest, but it's pretty close to home for Guglielmana and he's looking forward to celebrating his milestone now on Saturday with plenty of company, but hopefully with a win.

"Someone said we've won 16 of our last 22 up there so we like playing there and the thing I remember is playing ressies up there and in about three games in a row seeing Gumby taking big hangers, so I have good memories of that," Guglielmana said.

"It's actually a bit closer to home for me and it's the closest ground to Carnarvon so there's something about that, but we have a good record there and hopefully we have another win. Mum and dad are in Gin Gin now so it's a bit closer to home for them and I've got a big family of aunties, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers and a nephew now, so there might be quite a few people there."