Brodie Grundy turned it on in Collingwood’s preliminary final, now for a Grand Final showdown

TWO modest finals performances by his own lofty standards fuelled Brodie Grundy’s compete domination of Richmond’s 2017 premiership ruckman Toby Nankervis on Friday night.

TWO modest finals performances by his own lofty standards fuelled Brodie Grundy’s domination of Richmond’s 2017 premiership ruckman Toby Nankervis on Friday night.

An emotional Grundy admitted after the Magpies’ 39-point preliminary final win over the Tigers that he felt he needed to make a bigger impact and did so with devastating intent.

Now he wants to back it up in Saturday’s Grand Final clash with West Coast after breaking the AFL record for hitouts in a final (56).

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“I am pretty emotional at the moment,” the 24-year-old told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“It has been a journey this group has been on. We know there is still another game to win, but it was a good reward for effort.”

“I always believed this was possible earlier in the year. You can have that belief and it can be a little naive, but now we are in it, we will stick to our beliefs.”

Brodie Grundy battles Toby Nankervis in the preliminary final

The All-Australian big man was solid against West Coast and GWS in the first two finals, but believed he needed to put his stamp on the Tigers’ game.

“I was a little disappointed with the last couple of weeks … I haven’t had as much of an impact as I would have liked,” he said.

“(Toby Nankervis) is really competitive … I knew that battle was going to go a long way towards helping us sort of edge our way towards a win.”

He felt for housemate Tim Broomhead, who suffered a double leg fracture in Round 2 this year, and who acted as personal assistant coach for the ruckman this year, and other injured Magpies, including Lynden Dunn.

“It’s been a real test of their character to keep supporting us even though they have not been playing,” he said. “We value that tremendously.

“Broomy has been huge for me. I owe him a lot for this year.”

Brodie Grundy and Jordan De Goey celebrate a goal.

Grundy said the emotional connection of the Collingwood team has been extraordinary.

“The relationship that Bucks has gathered with his players has been amazing,” he said.

“There is no surprise the group is able to perform like they do, because they want to play for their coach, and they want to play for each other.”

He will attend Monday night’s Brownlow Medal, saying he will enjoy the experience — the first time he has attended.

“I’ll just soak it all up,” he said. “To be spoken about among those types of players, if you had told me that at the start of the year, I would have been chuffed.”

Members of Grundy’s family have made the trip across from South Australia over the past two games, and he appreciates their support as well.

“It means a lot to me,” he said.

“When I was drafted it was like I was coming to a powerhouse and then we went into a bit of a decline. So to get back to where we are now, I am super proud.”

Originally published as Brodie Grundy turned it on in Collingwood’s preliminary final, now for a Grand Final showdown