Nick Vlastuin moved from choppy waters to the next waveBy Peter Ryan
The Age
October 22, 2020Three times a week when the swell was up, he packed his borrowed board and headed out with teammate Hugo Ralphsmith to search for lefts along the coast.
When it wasn't pumping, the red-headed goofy footer with a complexion more suited to shade than the sun grabbed the Mick Fanning soft top he bought and mucked around in the slush.
"Just to have that escape where you are alone and you do enjoy doing it, yeah, it's been really fun and the water is a lot warmer up here the middle of winter. Down in Torquay is pretty cold," Vlastuin said.
Most of the time the Tigers' pair made the 30-minute drive from Carrara to Burleigh Heads. But a trip one day to South Stradbroke paid dividends when they bumped into professional surfer and Richmond fan Nikki van Dijk on the water, while she was competing in a tournament.
"You paddle up where the rip is against the rock wall. We were sitting there so she said 'g'day' and then went down and did her heat," Vlastuin said.
"It was pretty big there."
Vlastuin had met van Dijk at Bells Beach before but the chance meeting with her on Queensland waters, midway through the footy season, summed up how strange 2020 had become.
His own description of the season could characterise his football.
"It's been fun [but] it's been hard at the same time," Vlastuin said.
The 26-year-old, who kept a low profile in his first 150 games, has paddled through a few monster sets this year, including the Mabior Chol groping incident, the staging furore and even a little online spat about whether he touched a shot at goal after the Tigers' semi-final win over St Kilda.
And he's come through the other side, into his third grand final in four years after a season in which many good judges thought he was unlucky to miss out on All-Australian selection, juggling a stone as he bounces on his feet and talks from Richmond's hub.
Vlastuin did not want to say much about the Chol controversy, having admitted when he apologised at the time to being embarrassed. He would prefer to move on and put it behind him.
His main concern was for Chol and although the reaction of those outside the club unnerved him slightly the process-driven grandson of a Dutch prisoner-of-war worked his way through the issue.
"People are always going to have their opinions. You can't call everyone out, you can't keep everyone happy. At the same time, it's just [important to] value the people around you I suppose," Vlastuin said.
"I had more cameras on me after that than ever before. Things that weren't even a big deal, all of a sudden they were blown up."
He called people out on Twitter after the goal review question a few weeks ago but for the most part he has avoided social media and he's been more likely to watch The Bachelor than the news while in the Sunshine State.
Being out on the water helped Vlastuin, who likes to spend time on the surf coast at places such as Craypots and Back Addis and Winki – if it's not too crowded – gain perspective on whatever was bubbling away.
"Even just being off your phone for that long ... you're so connected these days and you can't bring your phone out in the water," Vlastuin said.
"I really, really enjoy footy when I am here but I also enjoy being able to do other stuff."
That other stuff includes building a house in Torquay where his girlfriend Georgia, who grew up on the surf coast, has remained while he has been away. That his grand final opponent is Geelong has him slightly worried about that project now.
"I have a couple of tradies working on my house who are all Cats fans so I'm trying to get them to finish before the weekend," Vlastuin joked.
The weekend looms now and Vlastuin is ready after the club's heroic win over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
At times he's felt uncomfortable rather than the unflappable Tiger who his mum has called "Tigger" since he turned four.
But no longer. Now he is ready, the distractions behind him, the lessons learned, and the challenge obvious: beat Geelong to become premiers.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/nick-vlastuin-moved-from-choppy-waters-to-the-next-wave-20201021-p5671l.html
