Injury-plagued West Adelaide’s Dustin Head will finally make his SANFL league debut
West Adelaide’s Dustin Head will realise his football dream when he makes his league debut against Glenelg on Saturday, nine years after joining the club and following 14 knee operations.
WEST Adelaide defender Dustin Head’s dad cried when told the long-awaited news his son would finally make his league debut for the Bloods.
Head, 25, had never heard his father cry before. The emotional response to his phone call to the family farm in Tintinara signified what his selection for the final round clash against Glenelg at Richmond Oval on Saturday meant.
This is an inspiring story of incredible perseverance and patience. Nine years after moving to Adelaide to chase his football dreams, and after an amazing 14 knee operations and a 2016 season wasted by osteitis pubis, Head will achieve his ambition and taste league action.
Not once did Head ever consider giving up on his goal. Not even when he felt the many hours of loneliness rehabilitating while his mates ran around the ground.
“I could not speak, I was shaking,” Head said of his reaction to being told he would be in the side. “The phone call to my dad is when it really sunk in.
“Dad has had a couple of heart scares in recent months. He has been to all my games, drives up from Tintinara. Mum (Jo) and dad have been such big supporters, as well as my partner Lauren.”
Head’s tremendous talents attracted interest from AFL clubs in his debut season with the Bloods, only to rupture the ACL midseason at training.
There has since been another 13 operations, including two more knee reconstructions, in a searching test of his character. Head has had his moments of frustration, but there has been little complaint.
“I’ve kept going because I wanted to play that league game,” said Head, who has a building business Steady Homes with team-mate Kaine Stevens. “That is why I moved to Adelaide, to play footy.
“It was hard watching footy and thinking I could be playing. Last year was really hard when I missed the season with the groin problems. I went to Europe to get away for five, six weeks and didn’t watch footy at all. I wanted to be keen to go for pre-season.
“I always thought I could do it and the biggest thing is I get to play with Chris Schmidt and Daniel Caire in their final game for the club. This has been a long time coming.”