‘He will have a bit of a point to prove’: This Saturday, the time is right for Brodie Grundy to deliver

After 12 years, 219 games, and three clubs in two states, Brodie Grundy has finally found himself in the right spot at the right time with the right people.

He could have been the right player at the right time had Collingwood got over the line against West Coast in the 2018 grand final, but that team fell short. And his time at Collingwood also came up short.

Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy embrace after the Swans’ season-opening win over Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images

It certainly was never going to happen in his aborted stint at Melbourne when he and the club quickly realised two bulls don’t operate well in the one paddock. That experiment was embarrassingly abandoned after one year.

Bizarrely, one of the best and most decorated ruckmen in the competition was playing VFL and offered for trade by a second club in two years. This was not the way the career of one of the league’s best ruckmen, one of the game’s highest-paid players at the time who’d already won two All-Australians and two club best and fairest awards, should have been panning out.

Grundy played 177 games for Collingwood and was twice an All-Australian.Credit: Getty Images

While Grundy isn’t a person overly troubled by what others think and isn’t a player who identifies primarily as a footballer, some of those who have coached him also acknowledge there will be further pride at stake for him as motivation on Saturday.

“Like most players he needs to feel wanted, and I think Sydney went out and identified him as someone they wanted to win a flag so he will be aware of that and play accordingly,” said Josh Fraser who coached Grundy in ruck for a year at Collingwood.

“I think his recent history would have humbled him a lot, and he will have a bit of a point to prove to himself. I am not sure he is too worried about (the opinions of) other people.

“He is a good fella. The people who played with him and know him will all want him to do well.”

Anthony Rocca, Grundy’s friend and long-term ruck coach at Collingwood, said this was the moment of serendipity for his former charge.

“Brodie is a person for whom footy is not the be-all and end-all, and he says that winning a premiership would not define him as a person, but losing a grand final leaves a gap, I can tell you from experience talking 22 years after missing out (playing for Collingwood against Brisbane in the 2002 grand final),” Rocca said.

“For a number of reasons it didn’t work out for Brodie at Melbourne last year, not through any fault of Brodie’s, it was just two really good ruckmen with one of them trying to play forward, and it didn’t work.

Grundy is the right player for the Swans at the right time.Credit: AFL Photos

“Now I think he finds himself at the right spot at the right time, and under the right people who are really going to value him.”

One of those people Grundy is working under at Sydney who surely values him is assistant coach Dean Cox, the former West Coast premiership ruckman who had a ruck-rover style of game not dissimilar to Grundy’s.

Cox understands what Grundy can do – his follow-up work at ground level, tackling pressure and clearance work to then run and break lines is elite. And he knows what he can’t do – Grundy has minimal aerial presence.

The timing was right for Sydney to secure Grundy, and the timing has been helpful for Grundy, who not only finds himself at a club that wants his style of ruckman, but faces an opposition that has lost its first-choice ruck, Oscar McInerney.

This creates a different, added pressure for Grundy as he will be expected to decisively win the ruck battle against Darcy Fort (most likely), who has only played two AFL games this year and none since round 7. Fort – the 31-year-old who at 204 centimetres is two centimetres taller than Grundy – is an experienced and more than capable second choice.

Grundy’s role will be a pivotal one on grand final day.Credit: Getty Images

“Fort not having a lot of AFL game time will be a factor, so I think they are going to have to lean on Joe Daniher a lot more, which I don’t mind because it’s a different look for Brodie,” Fraser said.

“If you can throw two different types at him, that can cause some trouble, where if he knew he had (to compete against) Fort all day that would play into Darcy’s hands.

Collingwood senior coach Craig McRae, who coached a young Grundy when he was head of development, and then coached him for half a dozen senior games in his last season at the Magpies, said clearances in this Saturday’s game would be critical for the style of both teams, so Grundy’s influence would be important.

“His ruck craft and follow-up work is as good as anyone in the AFL. With Oscar (McInerney) out of the game his hitouts are his one wood with his follow-up work. The only goals the Cats were getting were clearance goals and beating Brisbane you have to be really good at clearances, or at least minimise the damage … Sydney can get you through stoppage and turnover,” McRae said.

“Brisbane want territory. They have been the No.1 inside-50 team for years – they want a volume of entries and that comes from clearances and uncontested possession.”

An assistant coach at another club said Jordon Sweet had been excellent for Port in the preliminary final for nearly a half and forced Grundy into grappling.

“Sweet had him done for about a quarter and a half and Grundy ground his way back into the game and was influential,” said the assistant who could not to be named as he was unauthorised by his club to speak.

“Last week he gave up front spot too easily to Sweet, and then started grabbing him and putting arms around him and gave away free kicks (Grundy gave away six frees for the game, the most of any player on the ground). Against Fort, who is bigger than him, he needs to take front position and with his strength protect the ball.

“He (Grundy) has never had huge influence around the ground aerially, but he is really good at ground level.

“In the contest he has really quick hands to get the ball out, and his tackling and pressure in tight is elite. When you think of the pace of the Sydney mids, that is really important.

“If he gets front spot and can get just that little bit into the path of Heeney, Warner, Rowbottom that will be huge for Sydney.”

It all falls for Grundy – the right man finally in the right place at the right time.

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