Gary Rohan admits he was overawed in 2014 grand final and will be ready next week

SYDNEY’S Gary Rohan, who hardly slept before the preliminary final in order to be fit for the clash, admits he was overawed in the 2014 grand final but will be better prepared this time around.

Gary Rohan and Geelong's Tom Lonergan collide. Picture: Colleen Petch.

SYDNEY excitement machine Gary Rohan hardly slept in the lead-up to Friday night’s preliminary final demolition of Geelong as he worked diligently on icing his injured leg to keep his premiership dream alive.

Now he has the chance to make amends for a forgettable 2014 Grand Final — and this time he knows the experience of that occasion will stand him in good stead.

“I thought I was ready in 2014 and then it just hit me,” Rohan said as he set his sights on a second AFL Grand Final. “My nerves will be a lot better this time.”

“I thought I had an idea of what to expect back then, but Hawthorn knew what was going on. This time I know what to expect and we’ll be ready to go.”

The fact that Rohan not only played, but performed so well in the 37-point win over the Cats, was one of the stories of the preliminary final.

It was also a testament to his willpower to succeed and to his capacity to go without shut-eye for an extended period in order to play.

Just six days earlier the 25-year-old had gone down in a crumbled heap in the semi-final win over Adelaide, being taken off the SCG on a medicab after injuring the same foot that he so horrifically broke in 2012.

Gary Rohan kicks at goal during Friday night’s preliminary final. Picture: Michael Klein

There were initial fears — even in his own mind — that his finals series, and potentially 2017, might be done and dusted.

“I had everything going through my mind at the time,” he said.

“As soon as I went down. I had this massive shock through my leg.

“I was fearing the worst; it was the same leg that I broke. But I had the scans that night, and as soon as they came back all clear, I knew I had some work to do.”

That work was, initially, hourly icing of the leg, which saw him have three hours sleep one night, and a maximum of five hours per night for the rest of the week.

“I’ve hardly had any sleep,” Rohan said after his 18-disposal, two-goal performance. “I’ve just been icing it each night.”

“The first night I had three and a half hours, and I’ve built on that with about five (hours) through the rest of the week.

“I got through Wednesday and trained fine, and then I had a run down here on Thursday. It was all good and I felt really confident going into the game.”

Lance Franklin celebrates a second quarter goal with Gary Rohan. Picture: Michael Klein

His attack on the ball was extraordinary on Friday night, showing no concern about his leg when he crashed into a contest with Tom Lonergan, bringing high praise from coach John Longmire.

“His leg was hurt, it was his broken leg. It doesn’t quite feel the same,” Longmire said.

“It’s got a bit of steel in there. We saw last week, he was sore for a number of days but he showed enormous strength to get up and get through that and be able to come out and train during the week like he was able to do was a really good sign.

“He doesn’t need much of the ball to be really influential. He hurries opposition defenders up and that’s an enormous attribute to have.”

Leaving aside the puffy eyes associated with a lack of sleep, Rohan emerged from the game unscathed.

“I thought I might be a bit sore (after the game), but I’m not,” he said. “I’m feeling good and looking forward to next week.”

Rohan has played 12 finals from his 78 games, but none will mean as much to him as Saturday’s Grand Final, having already tasted the pain of a loss in 2014.

His mother Belinda and brother Ashley came to Friday night’s game, but the whole family will be up from Cobden to cheer him on.

“Hopefully, we can enjoy the week,” Rohan said. “Then it will be back to business and we will be ready to go.”