Charlie Dixon says putting his teammates first has helped him cope with personal issues off the field and play inspired footy for the Power
Charlie Dixon says he wasn’t in the right headspace to do what the team was demanding as he dealt with personal issues when he was axed three weeks ago. But being sent back to the SANFL has helped him focus on being a good teammate again.
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Charlie Dixon says he wasn’t in the right headspace to do what his team demanded when he was axed three weeks ago and going back to the SANFL helped him rediscover how to be a good teammate.
Port Adelaide’s 200cm key forward returned to form with a vengeance on Saturday when he kicked three goals and had a strong physical presence which ignited those around him in the 47-point win over the Swans.
But Dixon revealed as recently as three weeks ago he was struggling with personal issues off the field which was affecting him on game day, and coach Ken Hinkley’s decision to send him back to the SANFL was the circuit breaker he needed.
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At the time, the call to drop him after just five games back from a serious broken leg was seen by some as harsh, but Dixon agreed it was the right move. As was Hinkley’s call to stick with him after he had just five touches when recalled for last week’s win over Essendon.
“I was a bit disappointed because I’m a competitor and I want to play but we had a good chat and at the end of the day I was struggling with some stuff off field, personal stuff, not footy, which I have done for a while,” Dixon told The Advertiser on the weekend.
“And my mindset wasn’t right about the team, I wasn’t in the right mindset to be out there and that’s what he (Hinkley) made the call on.
“I had to go back and work on my form and be a good teammate.
“I was able to go back and focus on keeping the forwards together, making sure we’re a unit and bring everyone in before and after goals, that brings you out of your own mindset and allows you to worry about someone else.
“The boys really responded to that and I’ve tried to do that in the AFL team as well, just compete and be the best teammate I can be.
“At the start of the week there are things that don’t go your way, and you still have good days and bad days and all that sort of stuff, but it’s just a bad day not a bad life so it’s about how you respond and get up for the next one and I’ve been able to keep pressing forward.”
Hinkley said he was pleased to see Dixon rewarded on the scoreboard with 3.0 on the weekend.
“He never not gives effort Charlie, we all get that, and it goes undervalued a little bit with what he has to do sometimes. He stands under the heap and everyone piles on top of him and gets crashed in the packs,” Hinkley said.
“He works really hard for the team, he doesn’t always get the results that he would like personally, but as long as the team wins he’d be very happy with that and tonight he gets a prize himself because he kicked three goals.”
Hinkley has not been afraid to make big calls at selection this year including being prepared to have co-captain Ollie Wines return via the SANFL until Zak Butters was a late withdrawal on Saturday morning.
He has also dropped Justin Westhoff, Paddy Ryder, Sam Powell-Pepper and Scott Lycett.
“That’s what you want, you want a competitive aspect inside the club, you can’t have people being comfortable in their own spot, you get comfortable and then you get complacency,” Dixon said.
“So to keep blokes on their toes knowing that no one is safe and you’ve got to perform week in, week out, otherwise we’ve got blokes in the twos who are playing some amazing football and they’re just stiff that the boys ahead of them are playing good football as well.
“And that’s the way it should be because you keep blokes accountable, and we’re still very close the Mags and seniors, and everyone knows that, we’re all striving for this cup that everyone is playing for and our blokes are doing whatever is best for the team and that’s all we ask for.”
Dixon said the current mix of talls was working in the ruck and the forward line as he praised fourth-gamer Peter Ladhams and 18-gamer Todd Marshall who both signed contract extensions during the week.
“It’s hard, I’ve been injured and a few other boys are still working their way back. At the start of the year the look we wanted was myself, Paddy and Scoot (Lycett) and you’ve got to reward boys who are playing really well in the twos,” he said.
“Pistol (Ladhams) has his opportunity and he’s relishing it and doing really well for us.
“I wanted Paddy next to me for a long time so to have that and Toddy as well who’s a bit of a link man, we’re able to get the ball and move it well, we know how we want to play and be predictable to each other.
“We’ve been a bit inconsistent but to win two on the trot and play the way we did, really composed and able to control the game and hit the scoreboard was good.
“That comes down to composure with the footy, we’ve been able to keep building and the next two games are really important for us.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au