Sam Mayes on the kick to Robbie Gray, waiting two years for an AFL game and preparing to become a dad
Before Robbie Gray’s game-winning heroics, someone had to kick it to him – and it was a 26-year-old playing his first game in two years. Sam Mayes recounts the final play and opens up on his perspective on footy.
Port Adelaide
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Before that kick from Robbie Gray after the final siren on Sunday there was another just as important in Port Adelaide’s stunning win – a lace out pass under pressure on the boundary from Sam Mayes who was playing his first game in two years.
Mayes played 101 games for Brisbane before being traded to the Power in 2018 and knows every square inch of the Gabba, so when he found himself with the footy with 25 seconds to go against Carlton it could not have been in better hands.
The 26-year-old has recounted the frantic final minute of a famous victory and how it played out from his perspective.
“It was pretty crazy. Firstly Jona (Tom Jonas) marked the ball which was a bloody good mark,” Mayes told News Corp.
“Then Buttsy (Butters) got the ball on the wing and I could hear Chad Cornes and a couple of coaches on the boundary yelling out ’40 seconds’, so I knew there wasn’t a heap of time and Buttsy went back and took his time a bit.
“Usually players would play on pretty quick and just bomb it away but he took his time, stayed composed and kicked it to where we want to kick the ball.
“At that stage when there was 30 seconds to go I just went for it, playing down back obviously I found myself on my own, and the pack angling towards the boundary line.
“I saw a lot of space around the boundary and funnily enough the ball went out that way and I was the first one onto it.
“Then to be honest, the first thing I saw was Robbie. That’s his game smarts for you – leading to the right spot at the right time, and all I had to do was hit the kick right and into a little bit of space for him and he did the rest.
“The first thing I thought of was ‘whack it in there’ but as soon as I lifted my eyes a little bit I saw Robbie darting up on a lead and I just tried to hit it as flat as I could and get it to him.”
Mayes couldn’t help himself and stood behind Gray to watch the ball sail through.
“I was thinking ‘this is the best hands that the ball could be in’,” he said.
“Me and Hamish Hartlett were right beside where he was kicking and I saw Hartsy moving behind him to get a good look at the shot and I drifted there as well.
“As soon as he hit it I think we both realised pretty quick that it was going straight through.
“Just that feeling of everyone getting to him and celebrating was awesome.
“I couldn’t hear anything being said from over the fence but I would say that reaction from Robbie was just pure emotion, just the chances we had beforehand not going our way, then pulling that one off after the siren – that’s every kid’s dream and he was the man to do it.
“He come up to me and we embraced each other, and I really appreciated it because it was obviously my first game in the colours and to get the win on that occasion was pretty special.
“But I just embraced him for his pure class and the player he is and step up and he does it time after time.”
It capped an incredible club debut for Mayes who was drafted by the Lions with Pick No.8 in 2012 but had to bide his time for a game in Power colours after being traded six years later.
Mayes was an emergency an incredible 17 times, including last week when he made the 4.30am alarm to fly to Queensland for the GWS game, before finally getting a crack.
“It’s a long day, but it’s worth it when you get the win that’s for sure,” he said.
Even better when you get the win and you’re out there.
“That winning feeling is a lot better than if it went the other way.”
So when Mayes got back on the plane just after 5pm to fly back to Adelaide he had time to think about the latest step in his football journey which he hopes will lead to many more.
“I consider myself very lucky, I’d obviously played a lot of AFL footy very early (in my career) and had my challenges, but perspective was a big key for me the last couple of years,” he said.
“I always said to Ken that when my opportunity would come I’d be ready to go, so I was head down bum up in the SANFL last year and tried to develop my game as best I could.
“One of the first things I ever said to Ken when I got traded across was that I wanted to earn my position and earn a game, however long that would have taken, very grateful to have been given the opportunity.
“Vossy does a fair bit in the resilience space, Matt Lokan the SANFL coach has been really good for me in the sense that he let me go about my thing and had the confidence in me. There’s not a person at the club that I wouldn’t be thankful for from gym staff to trainers and everyone within the place, it’s a good place to go into every day and the people are what makes the place.
“I’m very lucky in a sense that I don’t have to look too far for perspective, growing up with a brother with disabilities I regularly check in with myself and realise that while it’s challenging for me because AFL is ultimately what I want to be playing, there are far bigger challenges that other people are facing in their lives.
“And when I really do put it in perspective it doesn’t even become parallel, I’m living the dream every day, playing footy for a living, and particularly at the moment with the times that we’re living in and what people are challenged with I still consider myself to be very lucky to be in the position that I am.”
Mayes also shared some nice news on the personal front this month by announcing that he and his partner Cassie were expecting their first child.
“Very exciting times, my beautiful partner Cassie is close to 16 weeks now and it’s the most exciting news ever really.”
Cassie is a Queenslander but for now they are calling Adelaide home.
“I think she’s warmed to it (Adelaide), a lot of people outside of Adelaide don’t particularly rate the place but once you live here and settle in down here it’s such an amazing place to live and I think she’s warmed to it and made friends along the way,” Mayes said.
“The weather is the big difference and Cass would let me know about that a lot, even getting off the plane up there for the game perfect 25 and sunny and getting back last night it was 5 degrees and freezing.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au