southerncross
14-05-2007, 05:28 AM
Hahn knows all about pain (http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21725563%255E19742,00.html)
MITCH Hahn had hoped for a quiet, unconfronting Saturday night on the couch.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5483066,00.jpg Old trick: Mitch Hahn takes on a pack in front of Daniel Bell. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
It all changed the moment St Kilda defender Brendon Goddard thumped the turf in anger late in the first quarter.
Goddard knew his knee had imploded. Hahn squirmed, knowing exactly how he felt.
"It's really eerie watching guys get injures like that these days . . . you have this feeling for them," Hahn said last night.
Hahn had watched Kangaroo Daniel Wells go down on Friday night, too, in a less than ideal build-up to his own return from a knee reconstruction.
But the Bulldog, sidelined since his left knee buckled at Gabba in Round 12 last year, entered yesterday's clash against Melbourne with a calm confidence.
That had more to do with a couple of knee victims closer to home, Luke Darcy and Robert Murphy.
Hahn, the third key Bulldog to succumb to the knee curse last season, had the advantage of sitting back in the shadows and going to school.
"They have got a bigger name than me. It's been good to take a back step, follow them and see how they've gone about it," Hahn said.
"I've taken so much confidence from Murph building week to week. You could see the same with Darce.
"I wasn't expecting to go quite as well as I did, but I knew when I came back and did the basics, I'd be right."
Hahn has always been good at the basics - tackling, harassing and splitting packs.
It was a spirited comeback.
He kicked two goals and probably should have ended with four, playing on carelessly 20m out in the third quarter and missing another on the run in the second.
A bone-crunching tackle on Travis Johnstone deep in time-on in the final term, ensuring the ball was locked in the Bulldogs' forward line, reminded everyone of his brute strength.
"Some guys have got the kicking skills, but I've been brought into the team for the pressure skills," Hahn said.
The elusive Johnstone had tormented the Dogs all day, barely wasting one of his 25 disposals, but when you're caught by Hahn, you're caught.
Hahn is just 188cm but, at 100kg, is just one of four Bulldogs weighing 100kg-plus.
The others in the 100 club are 211cm giant Peter Street (105kg), the 199cm Will Minson (103kg) and the 195cm Brian Harris (100kg).
Yes, Hahn is heavier than the 99kg Luke Darcy.
"You seem to do a lot of weights when you do a knee because you can't do much running. You do a lot of upper body weights," Hahn said.
"Last year I was about 98kg. I think I'm heavy boned."
Coach Rodney Eade made it clear Hahn once had a big appetite to match.
"Mitch was a bit prone in the past to maybe having a pizza or two too many," Eade said.
"His weight's improved and his skin-folds are down. I think it's a bit of muscle. He's worked really hard.
"First game back, I thought he was very pleasing."
Hahn had the luxury of four weeks at VFL club Werribee.
It has been a long road, but Hahn has made a point of smiling his way through it.
Even on the night he went down, the players couldn't believe how "up" he was in the rooms afterwards.
Goddard struggled to hide his anguish on Saturday night, bordering on tears, but Hahn made sure the emotion was kept private.
"I was hurting. I love playing footy and I want to play footy," he said.
"I had my moments when I was down and I took it as a challenge.
"That challenge was all about today . . . all the hard work I'd put in."
It was worth it the moment Hahn's first goal sailed through 26 minutes into the second term.
MITCH Hahn had hoped for a quiet, unconfronting Saturday night on the couch.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5483066,00.jpg Old trick: Mitch Hahn takes on a pack in front of Daniel Bell. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
It all changed the moment St Kilda defender Brendon Goddard thumped the turf in anger late in the first quarter.
Goddard knew his knee had imploded. Hahn squirmed, knowing exactly how he felt.
"It's really eerie watching guys get injures like that these days . . . you have this feeling for them," Hahn said last night.
Hahn had watched Kangaroo Daniel Wells go down on Friday night, too, in a less than ideal build-up to his own return from a knee reconstruction.
But the Bulldog, sidelined since his left knee buckled at Gabba in Round 12 last year, entered yesterday's clash against Melbourne with a calm confidence.
That had more to do with a couple of knee victims closer to home, Luke Darcy and Robert Murphy.
Hahn, the third key Bulldog to succumb to the knee curse last season, had the advantage of sitting back in the shadows and going to school.
"They have got a bigger name than me. It's been good to take a back step, follow them and see how they've gone about it," Hahn said.
"I've taken so much confidence from Murph building week to week. You could see the same with Darce.
"I wasn't expecting to go quite as well as I did, but I knew when I came back and did the basics, I'd be right."
Hahn has always been good at the basics - tackling, harassing and splitting packs.
It was a spirited comeback.
He kicked two goals and probably should have ended with four, playing on carelessly 20m out in the third quarter and missing another on the run in the second.
A bone-crunching tackle on Travis Johnstone deep in time-on in the final term, ensuring the ball was locked in the Bulldogs' forward line, reminded everyone of his brute strength.
"Some guys have got the kicking skills, but I've been brought into the team for the pressure skills," Hahn said.
The elusive Johnstone had tormented the Dogs all day, barely wasting one of his 25 disposals, but when you're caught by Hahn, you're caught.
Hahn is just 188cm but, at 100kg, is just one of four Bulldogs weighing 100kg-plus.
The others in the 100 club are 211cm giant Peter Street (105kg), the 199cm Will Minson (103kg) and the 195cm Brian Harris (100kg).
Yes, Hahn is heavier than the 99kg Luke Darcy.
"You seem to do a lot of weights when you do a knee because you can't do much running. You do a lot of upper body weights," Hahn said.
"Last year I was about 98kg. I think I'm heavy boned."
Coach Rodney Eade made it clear Hahn once had a big appetite to match.
"Mitch was a bit prone in the past to maybe having a pizza or two too many," Eade said.
"His weight's improved and his skin-folds are down. I think it's a bit of muscle. He's worked really hard.
"First game back, I thought he was very pleasing."
Hahn had the luxury of four weeks at VFL club Werribee.
It has been a long road, but Hahn has made a point of smiling his way through it.
Even on the night he went down, the players couldn't believe how "up" he was in the rooms afterwards.
Goddard struggled to hide his anguish on Saturday night, bordering on tears, but Hahn made sure the emotion was kept private.
"I was hurting. I love playing footy and I want to play footy," he said.
"I had my moments when I was down and I took it as a challenge.
"That challenge was all about today . . . all the hard work I'd put in."
It was worth it the moment Hahn's first goal sailed through 26 minutes into the second term.