Sydney Swans’ Remembrance Day reminder that AFL is just a game
The Sydney Swans got a sombre reminder that missing the finals was far from a matter of life or death after meeting a former army commando who lost his best friend on the battlefield.
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Meeting a former Commando whose battles continued long after leaving the war zone has brought home to three young Sydney Swans that football is not the matter of life and death that lazy cliches suggest.
And they are keen that sense of perspective gets through to the next crop of red and white hopefuls as the AFL Draft looms later this month.
The game can become all-consuming for those chasing their dream but the Swans are big believers in not allowing their young players to live in a ‘bubble’ filled with nothing but football.
As part of raising money for the Poppy Appeal around Remembrance Day, Nick Blakey, James Rowbottom and Zac Foot took a break from pre-season training to meet up with 35-year-old veteran Mick Bainbridge at the North Bondi RSL War Memorial.
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The Swans trio listened to the experiences of Bainbridge, who completed five overseas deployments in East Timor and Afghanistan. During that time he witnessed the death of his best friend and desperately attempted to rescue fellow soldiers from a crashed and burning helicopter.
Bainbridge, now a lawyer, had a tough road transitioning back into civilian life. Like many other former service personnel he battled post-traumatic stress disorder.
But he believes sport has a big part to play in helping service personnel deal with the issues they face.
Nineteen-year-old forward Blakey said the Swans made sure their young players were forever learning about life, not just football.
“Veterans fought for our country and sacrificed their lives to allow us to live the lives we do now,” he said. “We’re forever grateful.
“It’s pretty hard to comprehend that if you were born in a certain time you have to go to war and you don’t have a say about it.
“It’s pretty daunting playing AFL at 18 or 19 but to go to war and fight for your country and fight for your life, I guess, is a just whole nother ballpark. I can’t imagine what those people would have to go through.”
As for the young Draft hopefuls desperate for a place at the Swans, he added: “I was in those footsteps last year, hoping to be drafted. All those boys will be incredibly nervous now but I’d just say just take it all in your stride. Even if you don’t get picked up, some of our greatest players at the Swans missed out on one, two, three national drafts or in some cases delisted and got picked up again.”
Teammate Rowbottom added: “I’m able to do what I love because of people like Mick.”
Mr Bainbridge said there were parallels with his (and many other former service personnel) situation and sport.
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“I struggled with my identity because I’ve come out of this family, much like a football team,” he said. “There’s a lot of parallels there. I struggled with my injuries and I struggled with my career. The stakes might be a little different to football but a lot of young veterans are dealing with these issues.”
He said that sport could provide a ‘mission focus’ for those battling to adjust to life post-military and that it could be “very therapeutic.”
Funds from the RSL NSW Poppy Appeal go towards a wide range of programs, from mental health support and emergency homelessness to Veteran Sport Australia.
Further information at www.poppyappeal.com.au and veteransport.org.au
Originally published as Sydney Swans’ Remembrance Day reminder that AFL is just a game