‘Go all the way and win this thing’, ex-GWS teammate tells Taylor Adams

WHILE basking in the joy of Collingwood’s semi-final win, Taylor Adams found a moment to console Stephen Coniglio, who had some parting words for his former GWS teammate.

Taylor Adams at training this week. Picture: Getty Images

THE words still ring in Taylor Adams’s ears.

For almost three hours, the Collingwood hard nut red-lined the ball with trademark courage against his old mates from GWS Giants last Saturday night.

And when the final siren sent Adams into his first preliminary final, the gun Magpie was filled with blood-pumping joy.

But then he saw Stephen Coniglio hunched over, and in tears.

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The Giants had failed again, in September.

Adams’s mood changed.

“He was one of my best mates, and a guy I was really close with when I was up there, and he was just in tears,” Adams said.

“Here I was celebrating, and then I walked over to him and it just really hit me; this wave of emotion hit me, so I just gave him a big hug.”

Adams tried to console Coniglio, knowing how much hard work and sacrifice had gone into another failed finals campaign.

But it was what Coniglio whispered in Adams’s ear that perhaps had the bigger impact ahead of Collingwood’s cutthroat blockbuster against Richmond at a packed MCG.

“He (Coniglio) just said to me, ‘Go all the way and win this thing’,” Adams said.

“It was a really special game and obviously there was a fair bit of heat in it.

“But I got to a few of the boys and they all said the same thing: ‘Go and raise the cup’.”

Taylor Adams is tackled by Jacob Hopper in last week’s semi-final. Picture: Getty Images

His exchange with Toby Greene was slightly different, in that Greene was consumed by the added disappointment of his own individual performance.

The cameras appeared to capture some angst between the former teammates in the moments after the game, but Adams said there was no tension whatsoever.

“He (Greene) was just extremely disappointed in the way he played because all he wanted to do was help his team win, which is all what we are trying to do,” he said.

“But he was filthy with himself.

“So I just said ‘Bad luck mate. I feel for you, mate. I love you’.”

Adams, a strong-bodied onballer from Geelong Falcons, has always been built for finals footy, but it has taken him seven years to experience the big stage.

Adams turns 25 on Thursday, hoping the birthday present comes on Friday night.

But this is a man who has had to learn how to switch off from footy.

When Adams first arrived at Collingwood, the ballwinner put everything he had into becoming the best player possible.

But it got to a point where the 128-gamer was overdoing it. Stressing, or obsessing about the game too much.

Taylor Adams celebrates with Adam Treloar after the siren. Picture: Phil Hillyard

There wasn’t enough balance in his approach. It was unhealthy.

One of the former members of Collingwood’s famed “rat-pack”, Ben Johnson, put it bluntly to Adams that he should relax more.

The hard nut admitted he was “cooked” at the end of his first season in black and white in 2014, until Johnson stepped in.

“He (Johnson) was brutally honest, and he said ‘Get off the sprung floor, put the footy down and go home’, basically,” Adams said.

“You learn about yourself. I think it was just too much footy early on.

“It sort of engulfed me, I was so determined to become a great player as soon as I possibly could. I had to learn about what the best way to go about that was.

While he has more perspective in his life, now, unsurprisingly, Adams is still going just as hard at the Sherrin.

He has been a key cog in one of the best-performed midfield units in the competition this season which will attempt to take down the back-to-back flag favourites at the coal face on Friday night.

The Tigers have pipped Collingwood twice already this season, but captain Scott Pendlebury was adamant Adams and Co “learned a lot” form the latest defeat in Round 18 when Collingwood was without Jordan de Goey, Adam Treloar, Jeremy Howe and Tyson Goldsack.

“Our mentality this whole finals series has been ‘we’re not done yet,” Adams said.

“We have got eight more quarters of footy to get through before we reach our final goal.”

Taylor Adams is finally enjoying September action. Picture: AAP

Adams has worked intensely on his kicking in recent years to become a more well-rounded, more versatile midfielder.

He has averaged 26 possessions, six clearances and six score involvements across a career-best season.

But his signature courage almost cost him against the Eagles a fortnight ago.

In the first final against West Coast, it was almost lights-out as Adams suffered a heavy head knock early in the final term.

Up until that point, Adams had been one of the Pies best players, but he slammed hard into Elliot Yeo’s leg in a fight for a ground ball.

He headed to the bench feeling “really dazed” as the game hung in the balance.

“I didn’t blackout at all, I just sort lost a bit of vision at the very start,” he said.

“When the doc came out to me and first trainer came out to me I was a little bit dizzy but I felt fine, just rattled.

“It really shook me up, but I ran from the ground fine, and the doc asked me a few questions, and I went through the protocol and they made the call that I didn’t have to do down and do a concussion test.

“They asked me what date is it and that sort of stuff and I just nailed it all.

“I felt fine all week and now I’m ready to go.”

Originally published as ‘Go all the way and win this thing’, ex-GWS teammate tells Taylor Adams