Having your DNA tested to give you accurate data about where you come from is pretty common these days and I joined the trend by exploring my ancestry recently. Eighty-three per cent Irish felt like unders, to be honest.
On my first trip to Ireland in 2002, a group of schoolboys from the local area started launching rocks at our team bus, and I was struck. Not by the rocks, but by the resemblance. Each one of these mousey brown-haired, freckly, red-nosed kids could have been me. We were connected. Curiously, when I received my DNA data in the post a few weeks back, there was no mention of Footscray or the Bulldogs, but they’re in my blood, too.
A few years ago, whilst chatting footy with a mate of mine, he commented that Brayden Maynard was a “proper, old school Magpie”. I pushed him to elaborate and got the sense he had thought about it quite a bit.
“Maynard is a direct link to the old tribe from Victoria Park, I reckon. He’s tough, industrious, likes a good time off the field, plays for the jumper on a Saturday and probably skips the cryptic crossword on a Sunday,” he said. It was all in jest, but it stayed with me.
Now, when I watch Collingwood, I do find myself watching No.4 more closely. Maynard, one could argue, is the offspring of a spliced gene pool of Tony Shaw and Darren Millane, both heroes of the 1990 flag. Versatile, robust … and loyal? We’ll see.
Brayden Maynard has been battling a foot injury throughout 2025.Credit: AFL Photos
It begs the question, does your club have that one player who epitomises the spirit, lineage and physicality of your club’s history? I kicked it around for a few days and found that some clubs were easy to allocate that symbolic individual, while others were more difficult.
It raised a couple of questions for me. What does it say about a club that doesn’t have a player who captures the ancestral links of their history? Does it matter? The Bulldogs have “Libba”, the Giants have Toby Greene. Carlton were tougher, but Jacob Weitering’s quiet demeanour and classy output reminds me somewhat of Bruce Doull’s presence amidst all the egos and drama. He’s ike a giant boulder in the middle of the Howqua River, still and smooth, waters surging past and all around him.
But at other clubs, such as Essendon, St Kilda and the Swans, I couldn’t find one. Again, is that a problem? Is it the problem?
The Magpies are Brayden Maynard and Brayden Maynard is the Magpies; both will take on the Hawks at the MCG on Friday night. The Hawks’ totem? I settled on James Sicily. It’s showing my age a little, but in my lifetime (and with the help of a few old VHS tapes for reference), Sicily is the one.
At his best, Sicily plays with the brashness of Dermott Brereton and the flair of Peter Knights, but there’s something in his gait that is more than cockiness or arrogance. It’s a walk and posture that isn’t hopeful for success, it’s an expectation that success will be his. Sam Mitchell had it, too.
Tom Liberatore celebrates with fans.Credit: Getty Images
So, who’s the player for your club? For the newer clubs, the task is more difficult. For Fremantle, I settled on Michael Walters after seriously considering the blue-collar Luke Ryan. Walters is tough, at times brilliant, works hard and is proudly connected to his Indigenous roots. But, like his Dockers as a whole, “Sonny” can be prone to self-doubt.
A critical view of Fremantle, from my perspective, would be that they suffer from occasional insecurity. Freo are humble as a footy club, maybe too humble. An attitude geared towards a bolder approach could unlock an era of glory for the purple.
The Dockers (30 years old) will take on Gold Coast (17 years old) this Saturday. The Suns have taken more than a few hits in the public domain since their inception and as recently as last week from Ross Lyon, but the current iteration of Gold Coast feels more like a footy club than a pop-up franchise.
Matt Rowell doesn’t look as if he’s from the Gold Coast; in fact, he might’ve been one of the scallywags throwing rocks at my bus back in 2002. Will he buck the trend and see things through up there? It’s a bit of pressure to put on his shoulders, but if he leaves at season’s end for a free agency windfall, it could feel like an eclipse for the Suns.
On Saturday Rowell will be at the first centre bounce. Sonny Walters will be nursing an injured knee, but both men symbolise the spirit of their clubs.
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