Geelong sensation Lawson Humphries reflects on his whirlwind first season

The wisely spoken, anthropology-studying, mature-age draftee is not your average footballer. Lawson Humphries reflects on his whirlwind first season, his big helpers along the way and the misconception about his backstory.

Lawson Humphries has been a marvel for Geelong in his first season, but you can understand why just from hearing him talk for five minutes.

“The beauty of getting to know Lawson is that he is a mature-age pick, but he is also probably beyond his age in the way he is connected with his peers,” his teammate Ollie Henry said.

“Being a friend of Lawson’s I hold him very dear to me that he actually has your back in the most sincere way and that’s why I think players love playing with Lawson.”

The immensely driven, wisely spoken, anthropology studying, mature-age draftee is not your average 21-year-old, let alone footballer, and his rise from the WAFL reserves — where he began last season — is very unconventional.

But there is one thing he wants to clear up about his backstory.

Lawson Humphries at last year’s WA state combine. Picture: Theron Kirkman/AFL Photos

Lawson Humphries in action for Swan Districts.

“I’ve said it to a few people because I actually played more league games than ressies, I just played the finals in the ressies so people are like, ‘Oh he is a ressies player’, but I did actually play league. I guess it makes the story sound better, so I’ll run with it,” he chuckled.

The 21-year-old hears some of the widespread praise, but he is determined to not let it get to his head.

After his eye-catching third game in their win over Collingwood, Humphries told this publication he was striving to become like teammates Max Holmes and Mitch Duncan.

It’s that kind of maturity that has seen him thrive in a way no one was expecting him to after being taken with the second last pick of last year’s draft at the age of 20.

But even he soaked up the enormity of his very first final — just the 10th game of his career — where his run from behind and composed kicking on both sides defied his age and experience.

“It’s been a bit of a weird one, I’ve read a bit of it but I try not to read too much into it. It’s probably when you start to get content with it when people are saying, ‘aw he has done so well’. But I feel like I still have so much development to go,” Humphries said.

“Just trying to look to improve myself as a footballer and improve myself as a person which I know Geelong are probably the best in the comp in doing that. So just looking forward to the next couple of weeks but then after that the off-season and pre-season to really develop myself as a footballer and an athlete.

“On the weekend I was just trying to take it all in because a year ago I was watching the finals on TV and being able to be a part of it and really take in, like the ‘Never Tear Us Apart’.

“The energy of a pre-game, especially interstate, such a passionate crowd like Port it was pretty amazing and I was kind of excited to be there to be honest. Epic, kind of surreal that it is all happening but loving it.”

BACKING HIMSELF

Humphries credits a few people in particular for his improvement.

His former Swan Districts reserves coach Greg Harding and his sprint coach Paul Edmiston were critical in him landing on Geelong’s list, while Cats development coach Nigel Lappin has nurtured him since he arrived.

“The last couple of years I have done a lot of work just on backing my own abilities. I have had a lot of people over the years, like Greg Harding at Swan Districts and Nigel Lappin here, have just always instilled me with a lot of confidence,” Humphries said.

“I think just for me it is about taking the game on, that’s probably one of them because I think you kind of understand if I am not doing that, I am not playing my role for the team.

“I’d rather make mistakes trying to do the right thing than protect that and not actually have an impact on the game.”

That frame of mind was on full display during the second quarter last Thursday night, showing how far Humphries has come along with his immense value to the Geelong defence.

Humphries received a handball in the back pocket from an under-the-pump Jake Kolodjashnij before sidestepping two tacklers and splitting them with a neat right-foot kick over the top to a teammate. He then ran past both of those defenders to receive the handball, handballed over the top to Mitch Duncan, and got it back from him and hit Bowes on the left on the wing.

A few minutes later he booted it long 40 metres to the wing where Ollie Dempsey took a miraculous hanger, and Humphries sprinted around the back to receive the handball and banged it long inside 50 to find Shannon Neale on the lead.

Lawson Humphries’ kicking was on show against Port Adelaide. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

“I think a lot of it now is about staying in the moment. You probably look back 12 months ago and I probably wouldn’t have run just because I wouldn’t have thought that is still an option,” Humphries said.

“Now I’ve probably learnt that to keep yourself involved and I didn’t do as much in the first quarter so I just wanted to keep myself involved and get my hands on the footy because that is probably how I am going to be most beneficial for the team, just trying to get myself involved with the team.”

Those hard yards with Edmiston and Swan Districts have paid off handsomely.

“I worked on (my running) a lot probably after 2022, I was pretty unfit and we had a really big pre-season at Swans at the end of ’22, start of ’23,” Humphries said.

“I came back to 2023 so much faster and more confident and I’d say even now gaining more confidence, that’s probably been the big turning point and why I’m feeling more confident to take people on and drive my legs out of contest and stuff.”

WA TO GEELONG

Humphries is used to living away from home, boarding at Hale School in Perth growing up – some 1570 kilometres away from his hometown of Wickham in the Pilbara region.

Having the support of Geelong’s first year players, including fellow West Australian and Indigenous player Mitch Edwards, and the Wickham community has helped — even if he hasn’t been able to get back to everyone just yet.

“As the year has gone on I have had to work on a few things just to try to make sure I stay in the moment and stay here because when the bye comes up and you’re really excited to go back to WA it is kind of hard in that regard,” Humphries said.

“But it is such a good club and such a good environment with the other guys that came in, all the first years. Connor O’Sullivan, George Stevens and Mitch Edwards, we spent so much time together.

“Keeping myself busy and enjoying what I’m doing I think that’s probably what’s helped me this year with the homesickness factor I guess, that I’m feeling really good about everything.”

During the bye Humphries went back to Wickham and helped out with some junior training sessions. He could see how much it meant to them.

Humphries withhis family after his debut game. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“I’ve definitely felt a lot of support from the community, it is a good little community and they helped me out a lot growing up. Means a lot that I can kind of help out and potentially inspire people,” Humphries said.

“It was pretty epic I guess to see the impact I could have on people and inspiring them.”

Outside of footy, he is studying anthropology — in his words, “psych without the science behind it” — and is eager to work in cultural heritage in the mining region of WA like his father does.

“I really like what my dad does for work. And it is pretty good pay as well in the mines, that’s always a bit of an incentive,” Humphries chuckled.

A graduate of West Coast’s Next Generation Academy, there is sure to be interest from WA clubs in the future.

Contracted until the end of next year, it will be a matter of when, not if, he signs an extension with the Cats — and with his standing rising by the game, it might help his bank balance to hold off.

That and the mines, of course.

“I was keen to sign up, I guess you’ve got to play a bit of business behind it,” Humphries said with a smile.

“I’m pretty happy with where I’m at but we are also in finals and I don’t want to be thinking about a contract at the moment I guess. I’ll leave that with my agent, but I’m enjoying my time here so it is more about the timing of it than the actual doing of it I guess.”

Originally published as Geelong sensation Lawson Humphries reflects on his whirlwind first season