Jon Anderson: Matt Priddis won Brownlow Medal but to most he’s just been another brick in wall
IT SHOULD never be forgot that Matt Priddis is a tradesman, whether he’s plying it in the middle for the Eagles or laying just another brick in the wall.
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ADMIDST the cameras and glitz that go with the Brownlow Medal 2014 style, it should never be forgot that Matt Priddis is a tradesman.
Even on Tuesday, when the toast of the AFL world is usually expected at the traditional post-Brownlow Carbine Club lunch at Crown Casino, Priddis chose to get back home to the people who really matter.
His father Wayne the bricklayer, mother Sharon, his expecting wife Ashleigh and daughter Nala, teammates from the Subiaco and Sorrento-Duncraig football clubs, those he grew up with pounding the sand of Sorrento beach as a highly proficient surf lifesaver.
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They reckon that same beach is where Priddis, 29, developed the strength in his core that makes it just about impossible to knock him off his feet, a trait shared by Australian footballing legends such as Gary Ablett Jr, Cameron Smith and Israel Folau.
When asked with five rounds to go how he felt about potentially joining Ben Cousins and Chris Judd as West Coast winners of the medal, Priddis described it as “embarrassing”.
Peter German, who first coached Priddis as a 17-year-old at WAFL club Subiaco in 2003, said anyone who knew “Pridder” would have known how genuine those sentiments were.
“He is so humble, so team-orientated, so honest, just a product of a really good family. When he won I was over the moon and my wife was crying. In many ways he was like a son to us,” said German, 49, who played 185 games with North Melbourne before coaching Subiaco to the 2004 and 2006 premierships.
“At Subiaco he went through a lot of highs and a lot of lows. There were a couple of premierships, a best and fairest, State representation and a Sandover Medal by a record margin. But obviously he kept getting overlooked for an AFL game although all he ever wanted was to be the best he could be.
“Matt Barber deserves a lot of credit for the strengthening work he did with Matt from ages 16-17. That and the surf work made him just so strong through the legs that you could never push him over in our training drills.”
It has quickly become Brownlow legend that Priddis was ignored at four straight AFL drafts before eventually working his way onto the West Coast list via the rookie draft, making him the first rookie to win a Brownlow.
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During those 2004-2005 seasons, when he was dominating the WAFL midfields, Priddis became the target of some SANFL clubs with willing cheque books.
“It would have been very easy for him to go to South Australia for a big sign-on fee but he chose to stay with us for no sign-on fee and around $250 a game,” German said.
“What held him back was his lack of leg speed but he always had endurance and great strength. When he first went to the Eagles they made him a lot lighter, but he got his strength back.”
That lack of leg speed once saw Priddis produce a reported 3.40 sec time for the standard 20m sprint at a state screening session, an extraordinarily slow time for any AFL player, let alone a midfielder.
It prompted lengthy discussions at the Eagles as to the merits of listing Priddis, with assistant coach Scott Burns remaining a strong supporter along with recruiting manager Trevor Woodhouse.
Part of the appeal of the kid with the curls was his natural smile, one that just wouldn’t budge.
West Coast communications manager Gary Stocks knows the medal won’t change Priddis in any small way.
“He will still wants to join his father and brother in the family bricklaying business when he finished with the Eagles and he will have his same mates like Mark LeCras and Shannon Hurn,” Stocks said.
“The reaction to his win has been so positive from within the AFL community because his opponents respect the way he plays, someone who just wants the ball.
“He gets his values from his family. Every couple of years we take some young players with some mothers to Cambodia to help out in the community. Sharon Priddis was helping by looking after kids in orphanages and she was right into that because the Priddis family is one that puts their shoulder to the wheel.”
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