HS - Easton Wood: Grand Final was one of the greatest moments of my life

[choconmientay]

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Something I’d never done before and if I’d held it much longer I probably would have collapsed.

The moment of holding up the premiership cup with Bob Murphy is one of the greatest moments of my life.

Nothing can prepare you for what that moment brings. Nothing.

I’d already had the tears and now the sheer euphoria and magnitude of what the Western Bulldogs had achieved was starting to infiltrate the senses.

We’d just played the most amazing month of football in the club’s history.

We’d been written off each week and yet each week this special group of people continued to find a new chapter for the journey we’d agreed to go on at the start of the year.

People ask me what is so special about this group and there is no obvious answer, there are many layers to the answer.

The impact of Luke Beveridge is significant to finding the answer.


Luke Beveridge and Easton Wood embrace after their Grand Final win. Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Media/Getty


One thing he gave us was a licence, and the willingness, to explore who we are as players. I know that sounds like a simple thing but no-one had a ceiling put on them, they weren’t tied down by any shackles, no-one has been told what they can’t do.

That was Bevo from the start.

He just said, ‘Boys, go and find out what you can do, it’s a journey and continue to go on that journey, continue to explore’.

Everyone has a unique ability and that’s why we get drafted and I think he’s just fostered an environment where we can explore that within the game structure rather than be turned into something we’re not or made into a particular type of player.

When I came into the system and was learning my craft I really only had one focus as a defender and that was to stop my opponent from getting the ball and while that is still part of it, it’s a whole lot easier to stop them getting the ball when you have got it in your hands.

I remember I used to be in the position to mark a lot and I would spoil it with a double fist.

It was a sign that I only wanted to stop, this was all I was going to do, I am just going to stop.

Having Bevo come in changed that for me in 2015.

His instruction was to win the ball back which as a philosophy was in complete stark contrast to not let your man get the ball which is how I’d been living my career.

From then on I started doing things that I didn’t even know I could do. Then I was like, ‘Wow, I will do it again. I will keep doing it’.


The Salty Dog book Beveridge gave the players.


I am a different player and if you asked every one of our players, you’d get a different version of the same story.

At our pre-season camp in Lorne, Bevo handed us all a children’s book called ‘Salty Dog’.

You can imagine the strange looks he received but he went on to explain that the book had some profound philosophies which worked in with what we had in front of us in 2016.

The book is about eliminating fear and making fear an ally. The dogs are on a ship and it’s about going on a journey, seeing where that takes you and not letting fear dictate where you go.

All throughout the year and in the lead-up to the Grand Final, Bevo would draw on the philosophies from ‘Salty Dog’.

I knew after Round 1 that we would be going on an exciting journey.

We gave Fremantle, who had been the minor premiers the year before, a real shock that day winning by 10 goals and I thought we were going to be all right.

Then in Round 3 we almost got Hawthorn which reinforced my theory about where we were at although that loss had a double-edge sword.

The loss of Bob was shattering but it was one of many challenges we faced throughout the year.

What becomes obvious is the AFL machine just rolls on, it’s really relentless the way the game will always continue and I think the boys embraced that, they didn’t fear the impact of the injuries.

Even though we all would have thought ‘Gee, we don’t have Bob then we’re done’ at some stage, they chose to ignore those thoughts and moved on to the next challenge.


Injured captain Bob Murphy and acting captain Easton Wood celebrate with the cup. Picture: Michel Klein


Bob’s injury obviously had more impact on me than anyone given it meant I was suddenly the captain of our football club.

I certainly wasn’t ready. I don’t think you can be ready. Bob said to me, ‘No matter what, all you can ever do is be yourself and that is always going to be enough. The boys will follow you to the moon and back’.

To hear that from him was amazing and the other thing he emphasised was that I didn’t have to do it on my own. I was so fortunate to have Matty Boyd who’d already been a captain and he really helped me with a lot of the game day stuff while I also had Dale Morris alongside me in the backline.

Then there was Marcus Bontempelli who everyone looks up to like he is 100 feet tall so at no point did I think it was all on me.

It has been a sink or swim type of thing and I think I’ve been thrashing my arms around but I managed to stay afloat thanks to the help of everyone around me.

And that is what we have done all year, we’ve always done it together.

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Easton Wood ✔ @easton_wood
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You look at the Grand Final, you look at the entire finals series and every player had a big moment, every player did something that resulted in us winning the premiership.

Our game style has been analysed with shares in the handball club going up by the day but really it is something that Bevo had allowed to evolve.

We didn’t decide to be the slickest handballing team in the competition and this is how we’re going to get there. It was more like, ‘Let’s see what we can do, let’s explore this’ and what we did ended up speaking for itself and writing its own story.

We didn’t try to contrive something or force anything, it is just us and that’s what I love about this team and I think that’s what has captivated a lot of people. They enjoy watching us because it’s genuine and it’s honest — we play like that because it’s us.

To borrow a poor analogy Bevo is the chef, we’re the ingredients and he’s going to make the best recipe that he can make.

He’s not going to try and make the lasagne which had won a few awards with the ingredients he had because it’s just not going to make lasagne.


Luke Beveridge, Captain Easton Wood and Robert Murphy hug on stage. Picture. Phil Hillyard


He had his own unique ingredients and that’s what has been great, we have started on a journey to see who we are and what we’re capable of and that’s the journey we’re staying on.

And we did that, stayed the course right to the first Saturday in October.

It’s still surreal what happened last week but the beautiful thing about it is how we have made so many people happy.

Bob provided a really good explanation when he said our supporters have been healed in a way, they’ve had too many downs over the decades and it’s a really special thing to bring this home for them.

There was a moment at the family day last Sunday where Whitten Oval was completely covered with people in red, white and blue. You could not see one piece of turf.

People were packed everywhere and there were a few kids sitting on the roof of the interchange bench which was just below us on the stage where we were presented to the crowd with the cup.

These kids were probably aged between six and 10 and I remember making eye contact with one of them and I thought, ‘ I think he might be looking up here, wishing to be me’.

It was actually quite profound because I remember as a 10-year-old kid at the MCG looking out and wishing to be one of the players on the field.

Now I was one of them and I also had a premiership medallion around my neck. Amazing.

[Murphy'sLore]

That moment when Easton decided, 'bugger it, I'm just going to dive into that confetti, because I can,' was one of the most purely joyous things I have ever witnessed.

[AndrewP6]

Enjoyed reading this in today's paper.

[choconmientay]

That moment when Easton decided, 'bugger it, I'm just going to dive into that confetti, because I can,' was one of the most purely joyous things I have ever witnessed.

Here it is again for your enjoyment 😁


Picture is found on the internet.

[Ghost Dog]

I guess if you win a final, the rush helps you forget your ankle is about to fall off and your back is broken... amazing

[1eyedog]

Always loved him and just think 2-3 years ago more than half of posters wanted to trade him.

[Murphy'sLore]

I just can't get enough of that picture

[Ghost Dog]

Always loved him and just think 2-3 years ago more than half of posters wanted to trade him.

I would say the team Easton had behind him 3 years ago is not the same as the team he has now. His coach, sports psych, and different leadership. It all makes a radical difference. Who would have thought Fletcher Roberts or Joel Hamling would be premiership players this season?

[Eastdog]

Great Article. Yes I vividly remember when Easton dived in the confetti on the WB logo at the G and also when Bob was going around as well. Something I won't forget.

[merantau]

Great read. A month has passed since our big win and I'm still higher than Liam Picken.