Geelong’s Daniel Menzel isn’t only trying to kick goals on the field, writes Jon Anderson
THERE’S more to Daniel Menzel than a comeback story involving bung knees. Jon Anderson spoke to the Cat about footy — and how he tries to make a difference away from the game.
Geelong
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MOST of us know him as the bloke with the bung knees who somehow returned to hopefully fulfil his destiny.
But to define Daniel Menzel as a footballer with a rare story of persistence is doing this 25-year-old with the ready smile and natural confidence a grave disservice.
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Menzel, or ‘Menz’ to his mates, is a lot deeper than most. Maybe it’s taken what he has been through (four knee reconstructions in four years) for the Geelong forward to understand his capacity to improve the lives of others.
His philanthropy is threefold, including an ambassadorial role with Barwon Health where he works to help the facilities for sick and premature babies.
Then there’s Tara’s Dream, involving the building of a nine-bedroom residence in Ocean Grove for people with special needs in honour of Tara McGowan, a 23-year-old who was studying to become a special needs teacher before dying from asthma in 2015.
And finally his MTMF business (Mental Toughness Mental Fortitude) which he set up to help people through setbacks and injuries, an area he’s better qualified than most to deal with.
“Tara, who died in her sleep, was someone I met through her family. Her father Steve McGowan having sponsored me since I’ve been at the club. Tara was all about working with kids less fortunate so we are raising money to build a house to continue her dream,” Menzel said.
“In my role with Barwon Health I get to go around the wards and see both kids and adults where I can hopefully help put a smile on their faces. Having been in hospital so much, maybe I can relate to their situations.
“And another one is my Mental Toughness Mental Fortitude business. Before my injuries I had sympathy rather than empathy. It’s impossible to have that empathy unless you have been through it yourself. It’s grown bigger than I expected.
“When I came back from my injuries we had the Foxtel documentaries which I thought would get a degree of exposure and great to give people access of what I struggled with. But I’ve been amazed at the response, a lot of them asking how do they cope with what they’re going through. I would get one message a week.”
And then there’s his football comeback that resulted in 18 games last year and 33 goals, an amount that still angers Menzel after he kicked 8.14 in his first six games before going 25.8 when assistant coach Nigel Lappin explained he needed to kick with a hook.
“Nigel made the point that I’m a good field kick, as most players are, because you kick around your body a bit rather than kicking dead straight. You have a natural hook in your kick so what you are doing is running straight into goal and missing to your left. So I used a small hook in my run-up towards the end and my goal kicking went up straight away at training and in matches.”
Despite what he has been through, Menzel still sets very high standards. So how did he rate his first year back after first injuring his knee in the 2011 finals.
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“A lot of people came up to me after the year and said I had a really good season. Personally I think I had an OK year, not a really good one. I set very high standards and don’t buy into dropping them because of what I’ve been through. I feel that I will be repaid for all the work I’ve put in off the field.
“So seventy per cent would be a good reflection of my 2016 season. I will be surprised if I don’t play a lot better this year. My better games last year I was happy with but I struggled to get training continuity. So this year I want more consistency, to be near the top of my game more often.
“How am I now compared with last year? I didn’t have a full pre-season because I needed to get some groins fixed up after the season and needed to do a lot of smaller work in the gym to activate muscles which have switched off.
“Physically and mentally I’m in a lot better position. I haven’t played Round 1 in six years so that meant so much to me. I actually feel really strong. Everyone who does an ACL says in your first year back you go OK but it’s not until your second year back that you start to feel really strong. And you move better.
“It does feels a little bit like that because last year was so much about management and getting through. I struggled at times because my body just wasn’t ready for the rigours of an AFL season. It’s holding up much better now, going into games and training sessions, so I’m really pleased with where’s it at.
“After the games this year I have pulled up as well as I did any game last year. I definitely know I’m winning that battle and the whole body itself feels as good as it has since I first did my knee. But the most forgotten thing is I missed four years, not one, so you can’t just put me out there like everyone else and expect my body to react the same.”
DANIEL MENZEL ON:
GEELONG IN 2017 ...
“I think we are like Hawthorn in that people will think we will both drop off and externally I can understand that. But internally we thought we were pretty close last year and can definitely be up there again. And our demographic is pretty good with plenty of guys around 25-26, plus a good younger group and the really experienced guys in Domsy and Andrew Mackie. People forget we won eight straight games leading into the Sydney preliminary final so we know we have the group there. We have a lot of guys who haven’t played a lot of footy together. Zac Smith, Lachie Henderson, Scott Selwood, guys like that haven’t played a lot together.”
COACHING ...
“In the years when I couldn’t play, I coached some under-age football teams in Geelong and an U15 inter-league team. I loved doing it because it gave me a positive in life. And I learnt that whether you are coaching kids, adults or AFL footballers, every player reacts differently. I found I couldn’t give the same feedback to kids because some required a hug whereas others I could tell them they needed to lift. The quicker you learn their personalities, the better coach you will be.”
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