Burnie boy Mihocek’s journey from draft despair to the AFL grand final
Burnie product Brody Mihocek was overlooked in six AFL drafts, but refused to let go of his dream. His reward is a second grand final appearance for Collingwood on Saturday.
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He’s now Collingwood’s most important forward, but Brody Mihocek took his first steps in senior football at the Burnie Dockers as an attacking centre half-back.
In one early season TSL game against Launceston in 2010 or 2011, a teenage Mihocek was thrown forward at three quarter time, a move which helped the Dockers overhaul a big deficit.
Former Dockers coach Brent Plant believes there’s “no great example of reward for effort” than the man they call ‘Checkers’, who will play in his second AFL grand final against Brisbane on Saturday.
He was overlooked in the draft six times, the first in 2011, despite being named at centre half-back in the All Australian under-18 side.
The next year he featured in Burnie’s TSL premiership, before he moved to Melbourne to play under former Collingwood player and fellow Tasmania product Brodie Holland at Maribyrnong Park.
After two years at Werribee and a further two at Port Melbourne, Mihocek was finally picked up by Collingwood in the 2018 rookie draft.
He debuted aged 25 against Fremantle in round 11, 2018 - booting four goals - and has barely missed an AFL game since.
Plant remembers vividly the day the Dockers threw Mihocek forward and the instant impact he made.
“That was an indication of his versatility, he just created so many opportunities,” Plant said.
“There’s no greater example of reward for effort, I don’t think.
“Within a short period of time after coming in as a rookie he was being touted as one of the most important players in the team.
“I remember (Nathan) Buckley saying he’s one of the toughest players he’s ever coached, huge accolades.
“I believe that Brody’s played injured a bit, but he doesn’t want to let any opportunity go past.
“I just think his story is wonderful in what you can achieve if you believe in yourself, and back yourself.”
“His endeavour and his work rate... when he sets his mind on something to achieve it, he usually gets it.
“That’s probably bred into him as well. I played a lot of footy with his old man Jack (who played 13 games for Essendon in the 1970s) and he was pretty much the same.”
MIHOCEK’S OLD MAN IS PROUD AS PUNCH
Jack Mihocek used to own a ‘Balls N Bumpers’ sports goods shop in Burnie, but now works in a far bigger footy merchandise shop part-time in Melbourne.
He was at the MCG in 2018 when the Magpies went down in a heartbreaking grand final defeat to West Coast, only Brody’s 16th of his 125 AFL games.
“In 2018 I was falsely confident, but this year I’m super confident,” he said.
“I’m a lot more relaxed this time, I know what it’s about and I’m happy for him.
“You can’t answer every friend from Tasmania who messages you good luck. And that’s why I’m working the next four days, to keep my mind off it.
“I work in a footy shop so it’s all Collingwood supporters coming in, it’s 90 per cent Magpies fans.
“A lot (of customers) come from far way and I want to brighten their day, I say ‘I’m Brody’s dad.’
“It gives me a buzz and Brody probably doesn’t like it, he thinks I’m living in his shadow.”
The Mihocek family will sit in the same spot at the MCG as five years ago, but hope for a different result.
Jack, wife Jan, other sons Zach and Tyson, plus Brody’s partner, Polly will be on hand.
“They’re very stringent with tickets, four only and that’s it, so we’ll have to buy one extra ticket, I hope,” Jack said.
Mihocek is now an automatic selection for the Magpies and has earned all 127 games, 1340 possessions and 211 goals he’s amassed.
He was a forklift driver and storeman at a Melbourne warehouse as he tried to crack the AFL.
“When he went to Melbourne aged 19 or 20 he played to enjoy it, but always with the mindset of getting drafted and someone picking him up eventually,” Jack said.
“He always had the ability, he just didn’t have the luck.
“After two years at Werribee he met (former Port Melbourne coach) Gary Ayres in a coffee shop one lunch time and he said ‘come to Port’.
“He won the best and fairest (2016), played in a premiership (2017) and Collingwood picked him up.
“Even when playing for Port or Werribee, he’d go to the beach for recovery on Sunday, he’d measure his meat portions, do extra gym work.
“All his teammates at Werribee and Port said he’s destined to be picked up. Everyone saw it except the recruiters.”
MIHOCEK’S GRIT IS HIS HALLMARK
Plant describes Jack as a player as “more of an - in abbreviated commas - ‘rugged’ on-ball type.”
His son may play a vastly different role, but those tough qualities are evident in how he goes about it.
“You can see that now with the way he plays his position, the ground he covers and his approach to football,” Plant, a Pies fan, said.
“He doesn’t want to miss out on anything, because he knows he has a short life span after coming in late.
“Dom Sheed kicked that (winning) goal right in front of me (in the 2018 grand final), it was horrible.
“I’m going again this week, I just hope it’s a totally different result.”
Jack also isn’t surprised his son has found a home up forward.
“The thing that got him forward is his strength, his ability to be a team player and he’s more valued as a forward because he’s a reasonably good kick,” he said.
“He might be wasted in the backline where they have plenty of good defenders. He said he’d rather enjoy having ten kicks and working hard for it, then being in the back-line getting cheap ten metre kicks and 20 possessions, and not having the impact.
“He’s having an impact every game, whether it’s his tap ons or shepherds, selfless play and putting himself in front of the pack. I pity him in 20 years’ time.”
BURNIE’S DOUBLE ACT
Last year’s preliminary final between Collingwood and Sydney, which the Swans won by a point, was an awkward one for north-west Tassie types.
Mihocek’s best mate Robbie Fox, the boy from Penguin who also featured in Burnie’s 2012 TSL flag, was playing for Sydney.
A week after Sydney’s grand final loss to Geelong, the pair went on an overseas trip.
Plant, Michocek, Fox and Burnie football royalty Brendan Gale got together for lunch when they returned home last year, the tenth anniversary of the Dockers’ flag.
“I went to Sydney (for the prelim) last year and that was heartbreaking. You could just see in their eyes (afterwards) that they’re were going to redeem themselves, to get back to a grand final,” Jack said.
Brody and Robbie are best friends. He was happy for Robbie and I think they went to Bali together about a week later after the grand final.
“Brody will enjoy the week, five years ago he didn’t know what to expect with the parade and everything else, now he’s a lot older.”
IS A FLAG BLACK AND WHITE?
Jack won a premiership at Natone and also played for Scottsdale. Both clubs bear the Magpies nickname and wear the black and white stripes.
That’s enough for him to suggest a flag for his son is written in the stars.
“The omens are there. I played in a flag with Natone Magpies, he’s going to play in a flag with Collingwood Magpies.”
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