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Justin Koschitzke’s admission on Triple M Last week he no longer enjoyed football was hardly surprising. The St Kilda big man has struggled with injuries and form and is no longer a regular in the Saints’ line-up.
What was surprising though was the revelation he hadn’t actually enjoyed a football game for years, not even when the Saints were genuine contenders under Ross Lyon during the (almost) glory days of 2008 to 2010.
Koschitzke claimed the constant pressure of an elite player’s lifestyle had taken its toll, and the effort required to get on the park for two hours of play each weekend had all but robbed him of any enjoyment.
He also lamented the fact, even post game, there was little chance for players to let down their hair and reflect on the day’s achievements.
“…you have an hour off (after the game) to enjoy the game with the boys and have a muck around and then you go home. All of a sudden you are thinking about next week. You recover and you are on to it.”
There is no doubt the life of an AFL footballer is tough physically and, in this day and age at least, restrictive on a player’s social life.
Everyone in the AFL fish bowl is under constant scrutiny and the never ending cycling of training, playing and recovering, coupled with injuries and the pressure to perform, can suffocate the life out of those not totally dedicated to the cause.
That it has become a grind for Koschitzke is obvious. The once in a lifetime chance to play football at the top level has become nothing more than a job to him. It pays the bills, but no longer carries any prestige.
The game is now something that must be endured rather than celebrated. The childhood dream has been left shattered.
So what do we make of Koschitzke’s revelation?
There are a couple of ways of looking at it.
Some may say, “Welcome to the real world Kosi.” And they would be right to a certain extent.
Many thousands of people go through the motions at work everyday to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
How many people are stuck in jobs that they don’t particularly enjoy but endure anyway because the mortgage needs paying, the work is stable, the pay is good (or not), or simply because there is nothing else available?
A fair chunk of the population one would expect.
Others may question Koschitzke’s work ethic or dedication. Those that do would be able to present a strong case as well, especially considering this from Kosi:
“If I had a choice I would have loved to play footy 10 or 20 years ago when you have a few beers and have a muck around (after the game) and don’t have to think about it (again) until Tuesday night.”
While this is probably more a yearning for the less scrutinised social activities of times past, it also fires a shot at the degree of professionalism the game has attained today and the amount of preparation required to maintain that professionalism in order to present yourself in the best possible shape both on and off the field.
“It’s just the effort that it takes to prepare. The two hours that you see out there is two percent of what goes on in the footy life. Even when we were playing well and winning (there was no enjoyment).”
Koschitzke has a point. The life of an AFL footballer today is all consuming, but that comes with the sport going completely professional and players becoming full time employees of their clubs.
Compared to most of us, the players are well paid for their time in the game and accept their pay cheques eagerly.
The question must be asked then, if Koschitzke could return to a simpler, more relaxed time, would he be just as happy to accept the lower pay rate that came with it? And work a day job as well?
Of course Koschitzke is hardly the first footballer to have not been enamoured with the game at the highest level.
Gary Ablett’s brother Nathan became a premiership player on the back of a handful of games for Geelong in 2007 only to give the game away. He’d had more fun playing with his mates at Modewarre!
He later moved to the Gold Coast and was a part of the Suns inaugural squad but failed to make an impact and left the AFL scene for good soon after.
He was a talented player who, with further application, could have forged himself a successful AFL career. But the lifestyle wasn’t for him and he knew it.
He had the courage to step away from the game and follow his own path and good luck to him.
If nothing else, it opened up a spot on the list for a young player who was keen to make the AFL his life.
While all AFL footballers must feel restricted and drained at times by the constant scrutiny they find themselves under, not to mention physically run down because of the exacting toll that training and playing takes on their bodies, it is hard to imagine Joel Selwood or Jonathan Brown stating they don’t enjoy the game.
They love the contest and throw themselves willingly and fiercely into battle each weekend. They thrive on the pressure, feed off it and lift when it is at its greatest.
They are truly professional in their approach but haven’t lost the thrill of running onto the ground, proudly wearing their club colours.
Once they cross that line and enter the field, nothing else matters. It’s football time and they are still captivated by the game they have played since they were kids.
That Koschitzke has fallen out of love with football is sad. His career has had a lot of ups and downs, but it seems as if his divorce from the game began along time ago.
Perhaps he should have followed Nathan Ablett’s lead and left earlier.
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