Holland the architect of his own footy fate
Emma Quayle
The Age
July 14, 2006
At the end of 2001, Holland was 24, playing for Richmond and telling the Crows he wanted to wear their jumper. Three days after he left the Tigers, he realised he didn't want to, and went back.
Holland had a knee reconstructed four weeks into the next season, but never wondered if he'd made the right choice. "It was the right thing to do, but Adelaide dangled a pretty big carrot," he said. "You do sort of think, 'what would have happened if I'd taken it?' "
Holland made his next choice two years later. This time, Richmond had decided to move him on, but it was up to him where he went. The Crows called, again, but so did the Demons, and Holland decided he wasn't ready to leave Melbourne.
"It was a tough call," Holland said. "I umm-ed and ahh-ed a bit. I was half keen to go to Adelaide, but I thought that if I could find a home in Melbourne, that's what would be best for me. It felt like the place I should be."
Holland is still happy, though it took some work to make his move to Melbourne satisfying. Joining the Demons as a 26-year-old who had played against most of his new teammates wasn't easy, and it wasn't until he'd lived for a year at his new club that he felt comfortable there.
"It was a bit hard," Holland said. "I actually had a few little chats with Leon Cameron, who came to Richmond from the Bulldogs and ended up being one of the most-liked guys at Richmond.
"At the time I hadn't even thought about it, but he came across and, looking back, I couldn't believe how quickly he jelled into the group and was part of the team.
"He was really good. He said, 'You've got to go outside your comfort zone and it's going to be uncomfortable for the first six months, but you've got to get to as many functions as you can and be open to people, and make sure you get to know them even though you'd rather be having a drink with your Richmond mates.' "
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/07/13/1152637806894.html
