Geelong Cat's Hamish McIntosh set to debut after injuries cause constant set back for the recruit over the past 12 months.
Geelong ruckman Hamish McIntosh relaxes with his dog Boston near his home in Maribyrnong. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: News Limited
HAMISH McIntosh admits he felt embarrassed just walking into the changerooms.
"I went into my shell a little bit in the second half of the year," he said. "I had come to a new club and I was angry that I wasn't playing footy.
"I also felt ... how do I explain it? I didn't feel comfortable being a part of it in a way. I felt a bit embarrassed at times because I came here to play a role and I haven't even been out on the field.
"You look around the club at some of the greats there and I would have loved to have played my part and played my role in the side, which I was here to do.
"I wasn't able to do that so I found it tough."
McINTOSH CLOSES IN ON AFL RETURN
McIntosh arrived with much fanfare after Geelong traded selection No. 38 in the 2012 national draft to North Melbourne in exchange for the talented but injury-prone ruckman.
He was regarded by Cats fans as the perfect replacement for three-time premiership hero Brad Ottens and came on a lucrative three-year deal.
But there was a risk involved given McIntosh had only played eight games in two years when he arrived at Simonds Stadium.
The Cats were willing to roll the dice.
They lost.
Their prized recruit failed to play a game in 2013 and didn't even make it on to the training track with a combination of knee, ankle and Achilles problems resulting in McIntosh becoming a frustrated bystander and a target of supporters' backlash.
"I found it the most mentally challenging year of my career," he says.
"I was just flat. I was angry. I was frustrated. All those feelings you feel because one, I wasn't playing; two, I was at a new club where I thought there was a really big role for me and I wasn't even able to get out on the field.
"And three, we missed out on a Grand Final by a kick. It would have been great to have been playing in that side. I could have played in a preliminary final and could have nearly played in a Grand Final.
"I'm 29 years old, those opportunities don't come around too often. That would have been a dream."
Hamish McIntosh battles with Dawson Simpson during pre-season training. Picture: Mitch Bear Source: News Limited
The tale of woe for McIntosh started back in 2008 when he missed eight games after having the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee removed.
He recovered to play every game in 2009 and backed that up with 20 the following year before he was struck down with Achilles problems in 2011 which resulted in operations on both tendons.
The 203cm ruckman bounced back to play the opening seven games of 2012 before a seemingly innocuous knock to his knee against the Western Bulldogs triggered the downward spiral of his career.
"I came back after the knock and was about to play two weeks later when at training my knee buckled and I popped a bit of cartilage off my knee," McIntosh explains.
"We went in to get the cartilage cleaned out but ended up having to go and see a number of specialists because the knock against the Bulldogs had made my knee to the point where it became really unstable, it wasn't even functional."
It was decided McIntosh would have LARS surgery - a synthetic fibre placed inside the knee instead of the traditional muscle graft - and he was still recovering from that operation when he was picked up by the Cats.
His rehabilitation was on track until his ankle went just as he was within sight of a return early last year.
"I was nearly back playing when my ankle broke down because my body was so out of whack. I had been running with a limp and was favouring my left side, overloading one side of my body when I was recovering from the knee.
"Then everything broke down, I had some Achilles pain and ankle pain because my body wasn't moving as one so eventually we called time on the year and just went back to zero."
McIntosh gets to know a dolphin on the Cats' pre-season camp in Coffs Harbour. Picture: Mitch Bear Source: News Limited
Adding to his frustration - and that of his coach Chris Scott - was that around the time McIntosh was put on ice the Cats lost Dawson Simpson to a season-ending knee injury, leaving them vulnerable in the big man department.
"I must admit I got really flat towards the middle of the year and the end of the year," he admits. "There were times when you just think, 'Is footy worth it sometimes?'.
"I've had such a rough three years footy-wise, I haven't played a lot of footy but I think all players who are injured think about those sorts of things.
"Eventually you come out of it and think of positives and I did get through it but I found it really tough."
The main problem for McIntosh was he didn't feel like a Geelong player and, while they constantly told him otherwise, he knew he didn't have his teammates' respect.
"Any player that gets traded or any new player that goes into a new club, everyone thinks the same thing.
"You want to go in there, put your head down and arse up, work hard and earn your respect on the field.
"You are always going to make mates off the field, everyone does that at a footy club, but to get that respect of everyone, you show that on the training track and on the footy field by doing things the right way out there.
"I couldn't do it. I was just in the rehab group and no-one sees you in the rehab group.
"It's been a year I'm pretty keen to forget. I'm pretty keen to look at, however long I have got left in the game, I want to make sure I finish my career in the right way and make sure I do everything I can do to play some great footy."
Geelong stallwart Steve Johnson has continued his career with the Cats, signing a 1 year contract extension.
McIntosh has a thick skin which has helped him deal with the angst from fans, who have vented their frustration at him via Twitter or even when he's just walking down the street.
"I've copped my fair share but you don't play this game and expect everything to be rosy," he says.
"Mentally it has been challenging and you're going to have those few idiots out there that feel the need to spray me. I will be walking down the street and they have a go at me, yell at me or get on Twitter and abuse me.
"That's just water off a duck's back to be honest, I've been playing for 12 years so I've copped my fair share so you just laugh at them and get on with it. If they have got nothing better to do then good luck to them.
"In the end I can understand why (they are upset). There are some really passionate supporters out there and that's what you love about the game and they're going to say what they think.
"If I was a supporter and someone came down and hadn't played for 12 months, you'd probably be angry as well.
"I will be keen to make sure I get back in the good books with those blokes and make sure I play some good footy.
"I realise how important this pre-season is to me and I'm very keen to prove to people that I can still play the game and reward, maybe not reward, but say thanks for what the club has done for me.
"The loyalty they have shown me and the contract they have given me, three years down here so I really want to repay the faith of how good they have been to me."
HJamish McIntosh takes out teammate Steve Johnson during a game of beach volleyball. Picture: Mitch Bear Source: News Limited
McIntosh, who played 107 games in 10 seasons at Arden St, has now trained continuously for five months with his coach declaring on Thursday that the forgotten man of Simonds Stadium would play in the Cats' first pre-season game next month.
"I'm starting to get a lot of confidence in my body, just that continuity of training," McIntosh says. "I'm getting a lot of confidence out there and not so much thinking about my body any more, I'm thinking about the footy and getting a kick, the game plan and my role.
"I understand there is going to be a lot of doubters out there, I understand that is only normal, people can say what they want and have their beliefs but in the end I'm the one who knows what is going on.
"I'm confident when I get my body right I can still play. I understand it is going to be a challenge as the game has changed a lot in the last 18 months.
"I'm under no illusions that it's going to be tough but I'm still confident I can play at the level."
H-Mac finally off the leash
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H-Mac finally off the leash
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