Even Sam Darley was surprised to be named captain of a Peter Jackson VFL team at the age of 23.
The former GWS and Western Bulldogs defender joined Richmond’s VFL team this year to continue playing football at the highest level he possibly could, but had no intention of leading the club or even thought he’d be capable of doing so.
But it turns out captaincy suits the Tasmanian native well – so well in fact, Darley believes he’s playing the best football of his life.
After 13 AFL games for GWS from 2012-13 and seven senior matches for the Bulldogs from 2014-15, Darley has excelled in 13 appearances for the VFL Tigers in 2016. He averages 24 disposals per game and leads the competition for total rebound-50s, his form also earning him selection for the VFL in May’s state game against South Australia.
From unlikely beginnings, Darley has clearly grown into his leadership position.
“It was actually quite daunting at first,” Darley said. “It’s my first year at Richmond and I certainly didn’t earmark myself as a captain, or feel like that was a role I was going to be given or even be capable of doing.
“But at the end of pre-season, we had a peer-voted decision on a leadership group and the captain. (Tigers coach) Craig McRae came to me and said I’d won the players’ vote quite considerably and asked how I’d feel about taking on the captaincy. Even then I was a bit hesitant, but I feel like I’ve really warmed to it.
“Sometimes you have tough days and you think: ‘Geez, am I up to captaining a side at 23?’ But I’ve played a lot of footy now and was drafted into an AFL system at 17, so in terms of footballing age, I guess I feel a lot older.”
Darley has a “burning desire” to return to the elite level and thinks his professional approach to pre-season training made an impact on his teammates.
He said first-year coach McRae has a mantra about only wanting players at the club who are hungry to improve themselves and their teammates, and Darley’s attitude fits the bill.
“Craig and back line coach Ryan Ferguson have been impressed with the way I’ve captained the group,” Darley said. “The AFL-listed guys make comments about this being the most united they’ve had a VFL and AFL groups together, and that’s something I really wanted to drive.
“Having been part of a VFL premiership at Footscray in 2014, I know that’s at the core of why we were successful – there was no discrepancy between the ways we treated VFL-listed players and AFL players. We were all just teammates and we enjoyed each other’s company outside footy as well.
“For my teammates to say that in the three or four years they’ve been here the unity is the best it’s ever been is something I’m really proud of.”
Darley also prides himself passing his knowledge of the game on to the younger generation and would like to move into development coaching in future. Indeed, this eager student is known to go further than most in his quest for wisdom.
“I’m the only one who does this and it’s a bit embarrassing, but I take a notepad to all meetings because I constantly want to learn and be almost as well-equipped as the coaches,” Darley said.
“Craig McRae actually said he’d never seen anyone take a notepad – even the AFL boys – to a meeting, so the boys call you the coach’s pet and all that sort of stuff. But at the end of the day, I’ll take the little bit of flak that I cop for wanting to get better and improve.”
From his AFL journey starting with such promise as a 17-year-old access selection by the Giants in 2011 to being traded to the Bulldogs and ultimately delisted after five years in the system, Darley has the experience to understand what he needs to improve on.
“I certainly could have dealt better with the pressures and personal expectations I placed on myself at AFL level,” Darley said. “I’d look back after a game and I could’ve had 24 touches and played a really good game, but I’d lay there until 2am or 3am thinking about the two mistakes I may have made.
“Being purely VFL-listed this year, I don’t have that disappointment or the expectation of trying to get an AFL game; I’ve really just gone back to enjoying my footy. I almost put less pressure on myself to perform, and the captaincy helps with that because you’re constantly worried about how everyone else is travelling.
“It’s actually translated to me playing better footy.”
Darley’s ability to turn defence into attack has been one of the constants in an up-and-down year for the 12th-placed Tigers. He relishes having the ball in his hands in dangerous situations and backing himself to pick through opposition defensive structures.
It’s a trait shared by one of the football world’s most prominent defensive leaders and someone who has contributed to Darley’s own rise to club captaincy.
“Robert Murphy and I formed quite a close bond at the Bulldogs,” Darley said.
“We always spoke about how he’s probably made more mistakes than anyone coming out of defence, but you’ve almost got to have a mentality of ‘just let it rip’. Forget about any past mistakes you’ve made, back your skills in and take on the game. That’s something that really resonated with me and I’ve carried going forward.
“Craig McRae tells the Richmond boys he wants the footy in my hands and that’s something I take real pride in. I enjoy the pressure of bringing it out of the back line and trying to beat the best defences with my offence.”
Last Modified on 03/08/2016 23:26