Richmond's respected Nathan Foley reaches 150-game milestone Jesse Hogan
The Age
August 8, 2014''Axel'' is a perfect nickname for Nathan Foley. Not only does it reference Eddie Murphy's character in Beverly Hills Cop but, in the great tradition of Australians' wont for ironic nicknames, Murphy's flashy, outrageous detective could not be further from the Richmond player's personality.
''I don't have too many hobbies at all. I do a bit of study but ... I'm actually quite boring,'' Foley explained apologetically.
Repetition can be boring, but when it comes to football, it can be savoured by supporters, and especially coaches, if it relates to effort and a solid contribution. Few of Foley's 149 matches for Richmond have been devoid of either, and his 150th on Friday night against Essendon is likely to follow that script.
Having been recruited from the ''good little sporting town'' of Colac, home to Luke Hodge, Jonathan and Tom Simpkin and Darcy Lang, among current players, the now 28-year-old is yet another example of a rookie-list player made good.
Expanding his game from being an accumulator to someone who is also able to carry the ball forward – short-term Richmond assistant David King inspired that progression – helped with his elevation at the start of 2008 to joint vice-captain. At that stage, Foley was only 22 and hadn't even played 50 matches, yet he had just been named runner-up in the club's best-and-fairest award.
The staggered arrival of feted high draftees Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin to bolster the Tigers' midfield coincided with a period in which Foley's body started letting him down. Badly.
From mid-2009 to the end of 2012, he missed 34 matches due to injury – initially from ankle surgery and then due to nagging Achilles tendon soreness that worsened dramatically in mid-2012. He was running warm-up laps in training when he tried to catch up to the pack in front of him and heard a ''disgusting'' sound: the rupturing of his Achilles tendon.
''I just heard this huge [noise] like a gunshot. I knew straight away,'' he said. ''The physio was probably five or 10 metres away and he heard it as well.''
Having been excluded by his peers from the Tigers' leadership group earlier that year – a short-term dent to his confidence – Foley was forced into another long-term stint on the sidelines.
''I should have found a hobby in all of that time but still managed not to,'' he joked.
By round seven last year, Foley had recuperated enough to regain his spot in the team, but it was clear his role had changed significantly since his injuries first struck about four years earlier. Those feted draftees were now the undisputed priorities in midfield, both for opposition teams looking to shackle influential players and the Tigers themselves seeking control of the middle of the ground.
That Foley has barely come under any attention from rival players since then is, he reckons, ''just a sign of how good the midfield has become at our club''.
It was one thing for Foley to cope with not being rated among his team's elite midfielders; it was another to be out of the team altogether. That was what occurred late last year on an occasion that Foley had been striving for since his arrival at the club in late 2004: its first finals appearance since 2001.
''It was tough. It's always tough from a finals point of view,'' coach Damien Hardwick said on Thursday of the decision to drop Foley.
''I don't think he, by his own admission, would think he was in the greatest form. It was just one of those decisions that we had to make. The hard thing from a coaching point of view was that he's an outstanding character, and generally those guys you like to have in your side.''
Foley was gutted by the decision. But given that it was the end of a 12-year finals drought for the Tigers, he did his best to suppress his disappointment.
''I thought it was important to be enthusiastic and not appear to be too affected by it,'' he recalled.
Richmond's traumatic stumble against the Blues meant that while Chris Newman, Deledio and Daniel Jackson ended their long stints without a final – 232 matches for Newman, 194 for Deledio, and 145 for Jackson – Foley did not, which left him as the AFL's longest-serving player without a finals appearance, currently 15 more matches than Melbourne defenders James Frawley and Lynden Dunn.
''I've taken them out I think!'' Foley joked off the record. ''It's not something [to savour], so hopefully I can rectify that.''
Foley has this season sought to become an unofficial mentor to some of the club's emerging midfielders, particularly Anthony Miles. His axe from the senior team after round two gave him a six-week stint in the VFL during which he was able to play beside his protege Miles, who he rates as ''an elite reader of the ball, especially around stoppages'', who is now demonstrating that at senior level.
Having broken back into the seniors in round nine, Foley has averaged 18.6 disposals, a byproduct of performances that have delighted Hardwick.
''He did have a bit of an injury-interrupted pre-season, so [his start to 2014] was a little bit slow. But [during] his past ... 10-week block, he'd be pretty close to winning our B&F [best and fairest],'' the coach said.
''It's obviously his 150th this week – he achieves life membership – and I couldn't think of a more deserving individual.
''He's been through a lot, came through a rookie list ... from the back blocks of Colac, as we like to say. He's had a significant injury history over the course of his time, especially since I've been here. For him to reach 150 is great, but I've got no doubt that his best footy is still in front of him. He's played some outstanding footy for us this year.''
Foley, who is contracted until the end of next year, is ''really honoured and proud'' to qualify for life membership. While pleased to hear of his coach's praise for his recent form and optimism that he will improve next season, Foley declined to make any bold declarations on what he can achieve in 2015 – and hopefully beyond.
His refusal to talk himself up is, just like his on-field contribution, consistent.
Read more:
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmonds-respected-nathan-foley-reaches-150game-milestone-20140807-101l66.html#ixzz39jCKUZFb
