The many faces of Collingwood star ruckman Brodie Grundy

MOST know Brodie Grundy as Collingwood’s dominant All-Australian ruckman, but Lauren Wood found out the former basketballer wears many hats in a busy life that is a delicate balancing act.

The many faces of star Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy.

BRODIE Grundy’s head hurts. At times it’s filled with “fuzz”.

The Collingwood ruckman carries a lot in that brain of his. There are itineraries for trips to Japan and Mt Everest, an extra subject this semester in his physiotherapy degree, the redesigning of his backyard, and his passion for street art.

And a looming Grand Final after an epic season of tapwork for the Magpies.

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There’s more to Magpie Brodie Grundy than just ‘dominant ruckman’. Picture: AAP

“I do (take on a lot),” Grundy said.

“I was just talking to (my girlfriend) Rachael about that this week — I was freaking out.

“Juggling planning for all those things, uni in between that — and footy. And Rachel’s like ‘you need to stop projecting too far ahead and just focus on this week. Everything else can wait’.

“I’m one of those people who has the list in their head doing a million different things. I’m planning for things months in advance.

“That just helps me — I hate not feeling organised in my head. And it hurts.”

He relishes the challenge of the juggle, but said many don’t understand his need to keep so many balls in the air.

The 24-year-old admits he wears many hats, not least of which is Collingwood’s No.1 ruckman.

“It’s the same Brodie, but when I’m playing footy I leave it all out there,” he explained.

“I want to show people that I’m not just a typical ruckman.”

Is Brodie Grundy wears his heart on his sleeve, and also in his lollipops. Picture: Getty Images

‘HEART ON MY SLEEVE’

THERE’S nothing typical about the man-bunned Magpie.

His artistic mother, Jennifer, encouraged his unique nature, which Grundy is determined to bring to his football.

See ball, tap ball? That was never quite enough for the Pie — speaking shoeless, enjoying a giant lollipop with his long locks set free — whose eye-catching style has been a key pillar both in Collingwood’s premiership tilt and the rebirth of the rucking hero.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve, and that’s the person my mum taught me to be — be yourself and be true to yourself and it can be hard at times when you’re trying to navigate your way through footy as well,” he said.

“I know it’s a challenge for young players. Something that I was always told when I came to the club and something that Bucks always reinforces is to just be yourself and it’s just what I try and do.

“At the footy club, our teammates respect each and every one for their individuality and that brings strength to a diverse group.”

And he doesn’t shy away from his desire to be “a special player”.

“I want to be a player who impacts and when I started playing footy, I played as a ruckman because I was tall and competitive and it was the simplest position for me to play, because you just follow your man and just tap the ball,” he said.

“But it was also a little bit boring … handball the ball off, or you’re a ruckman, don’t worry, just hit the ball, or just go down the line and just stand under it in a big pack of players.

“I’m not here and I don’t want to make a career of just being an average player and making up the numbers. I want to be a part of something special, and if I’m going to spend 10-plus years of my life doing something, I want to do it my way and I want to be a little bit influential. To be a modern-day ruckman, you need to do it a little bit differently, and it’s cool to sort of be at the start of the wave of the new ruckman. It’s been cool.”

Grundy has been arguably the most dominant ruckman in the game in 2018. Picture: AAP

Brodie Grundy with girlfriend Rachael Wertheim at the Brownlow Medal. Picture: Michael Klein

HOW TO BEAT THE ‘FUZZ’

THE standards are high and they’re Grundy’s own, which means he can be his own worst enemy.

“I stress myself out trying to do a million different things and trying to do them to the best of my ability,” Grundy admitted.

“The reality is, you’ve only got a certain amount of energy to give, and as I progressed along my career I’ve found a balance that works really well for me.

“It might not necessarily be 100 per cent footy, because what I’ve found is I burn out and get diminishing returns.”

That burnout manifests as “fuzz” in his head, which generally dissipates as the weekend’s games grow closer, the list of “to-dos” — uni assignments and the like — are ticked off.

Sharing helps, too. It’s healthy for Grundy. Motivating, as he shares personal, football and life goals “with important people in my life”.

“They’re painters, they’re chefs, they’re doctors — different people that have different outlooks on life and it creates a really nice cauldron of ideas,” he said.

“We put all our stuff in there that we want to do in our lives, and cook it all up and it just creates a nice connection and a motivating network. That’s the people that I want to have in my life.”

Setting out his intentions isn’t new for Grundy. It’s part of putting things out into the universe to “make them real”.

One has already been actualised, with his recent All-Australian selection. There is another important one that could play out this weekend.

“You set your intentions and I definitely did that this year with Broomy (housemate Tim Broomhead) and Rachael,” he said.

“I shared … one of those goals was to be All-Australian and I was able to achieve that.

“The next goal was to win a premiership and it was something I thought was possible at the start of the year. We started banking the wins and now it’s within arm’s reach and we just need to keep keeping on.”

Brodie Grundy gets some Grand Final week tips from Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley. Picture: Michael Klein

CODE SWITCH PAYS OFF

BORN in Adelaide, Grundy made the switch from basketball to Australian rules in 2010 before he was drafted from Sturt at the end of 2012.

His achievements validate the move, which the self-professed “mumma’s boy” struggled with.

“I won’t get that time back that I missed with my family,” Grundy said.

“My little brother (Riley) … I missed him going through his teenage years, which I feel a bit guilty for because that’s an important part of your life where you need your big brother around.

“There’s a whole raft of emotions for me this week, because it’s been the realisation of six years of long and tireless work.

“My family is going to be here on the weekend, and they were there against Richmond. Seeing them after the game, it got pretty emotional just to have them there.

“It’s just a really nice time. And I don’t take it for granted. I really am grateful to be in the position that I’m in. In life and in footy. I just want to make every post a winner.”

Trekking to Everest Base Camp might await in the off-season, but on Saturday there’s another summit to ascend.

“That was something I basically said I was going to do last night,” he said this week.

“I’ve been to-ing and fro-ing over it. I haven’t actually told the footy club. Maybe there’s some clearance or something that I need to get.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, I just need to get good travel insurance in case I cark it on the mountain.

“I’m not really one for these holidays where you go and party.

“I see it as a journey of self and have some good conversations along the way.

“If we go all the way on Saturday and climb this mountain, it’d be a cool thing to back it up in a few weeks and go and do base camp.”