An eerie mist hung over the ground. The surroundings were blanketed by a grey curtain tinged with the coolness of the air. The lights on, blaring onto the field. Onlookers scattered or put on weatherproof shields to protect themselves. On the stark greenness of the ground, a battle was ensuing that some could see was the epitome of being one-sided. The mist grew darker and darker, but the battle of one side would not stop the onslaught. In a battle, some take the stance of singling out certain participants for their fearlessness, determination and swiftness of foot. Their sheer talent that has been growing from the start. Their leadership, tenacity and will to ensure everyone on their side plays the game that they know they are capable of.
Many praise these leaders, these shining beacons of a side. This is not what this blog wants to do. However, in this particular battle that occurred on Sunday afternoon, I want to do just that. Point out and celebrate what I think that a club that has been faltering, understand that while the leaders and the talented drive a team, it is those on the peripheral, on the fringe, that no one really expects or sees as someone who can do more than fill in, when necessary, then go back to being on the outside, waiting to be brought back in again.
For me, on Sunday, there were two players who, over this season, have been the type of players that I love to watch, and I feel a sense of pride in knowing that others in the club saw something that we are seeing now. One never gave up on his dream, while the other felt their dream had faded into a nightmare they wanted so badly to wake up from.
This need to never stop pushing himself to become what he has always wanted to be: an AFL player. But not just an AFL but a much-needed, sought and much-required player that the team cannot do without. I’m talking about Alex Cincotta.
His story is one not laced with a direct pathway into fulfilling his goal to become an elite AFL player, but one that was the result of utter determination and a deep-seated need to do all that they could just to play at an AFL club at the elite level.
We all know that Cincotta had setbacks. A knee reconstruction. Being overlooked in the Draft Period in 2019. Spending time on Geelong’s VFL list but did not get to play a game until later 2021. He had joined Carlton’s program, but then the Pandemic hit the world and shrouded us like a grey mist on a cold, dreary day. But this would not stop Cincotta from doing everything he could possibly do to just try and get inside the door of being an AFL player.
A carpenter by trade, he camped out at Power Fitness in Geelong and worked to get his body back into shape. He also worked with ex-coach Brendan McCartney of the Bulldogs to enhance his footy IQ. He was then invited to trial for the Carlton twos. There, he would work all day as a carpenter, and when all the senior Carlton players had left, he would hit the gym.
A sliding door moment came when Zac Williams was injured, and the club needed a player of similar ilk. They turned to Alex Cincotta who was selected in the 2023 pre-season supplemental draft. In that time, when all his hard work and determination paid off, he did not rest on his laurels and continued with each and every game to put in that same effort and show what he could be capable of. He has proved with each game that he is a vital link in a team that is reaping the rewards of what consistency, determination, connection and an unwavering need to be the best can and does achieve.
Luke Hodge said after he retired that before he got drafted, he was never seen as a player of any significance. He was an overweight cocky person who did not put in much effort. He said it was Alistair Clarkson who saw something more. Who changed a player from obscurity into one now seen as one of the top players of a club that achieved greatness. It is these players that can be the difference between failure and success. It is these players that no one sees as being anything of significance, to be just that and more.
Another player is, of course, Elijah Hollands. Given a second chance by a club that not only believed in him but supported him in a way that made a much-maligned player and person into a key player. Having gone down a path that could have seen him sink into the depths of obscurity or notoriety for all the wrong reasons, he was supported, encouraged and given a chance to become what not only he wanted to become but what others knew he could become.
It is these players that, together with the “stars” of the game, develop a culture in a club that believes in all of its participants. That supports and believes in any player who pulls on the navy blue guernsey.
Alex Cincotta and Elijah Holland’s stories are ones that shows the difference of this Carlton team from previous seasons. It is one that is driven by support from all players directed to all players. It is one where each player feels as if their contribution matters in the eventual outcome. It is this attitude that will make a winning team and a successful one. It is the attitude of the Alex Cincotta’s and the Elijah Holland’s that will make a team that has been fraught with setback after setback, a successful one.
At the end of the game, darkness enveloped the ground, and the grey mist faded into the night. The battle was over and won. It was time to celebrate and move on to the next battle. But this time, this team is doing it together in a way that we have not seen for a long, long, long time. Suffice to say…
#GO BLUES!
P.S This photo has to be one the most amazing photos taken in the game this season!
All photos, courtesy of the AFL.
SPORTZ 