By Paul
Amy - Leader Newspaper
NICK Sautner has been
in the news and enjoying it very much.
If there's anything the Sandringham spearhead likes as much as a goal, it's a spread in the
newspapers.
After a late night at
the Logies last month rare for him and, being a non-drinker, he was far less
merry than many other guests he woke to receive a phone message from
leading football writer Mike Sheahan.
They chatted a few days
later and Sheahan dedicated a page in the Saturday Herald Sun to the
prolific full-forward.
``The best we've never
seen?'' was the headline.
``It was a nice
story,'' Sautner said last week. ``But they could have used a better photo!'' he
added, referring to it showing him before he went on a fitness regime three years ago that left him as muscled as any AFL
player.
The comment about the
pic was said with a cheek that elicits a chuckle rather than disparagement
for big headedness. He can laugh at and is not afraid of being himself. He
is most assuredly his own man.
The rise of James
Podsiadly, Michael Barlow and Alex Silvagni this season has created great
interest in a competition that, publicity-wise, usually gets only a few
crumbs of the football cake.
There have been
stories and radio talkback about future prospects, such as Myles Sewell, Orren
Stephenson and Michael Stockdale.
But there has also
been recognition for another prolific goalkicker who, unlike Podsiadly, never made it to the highest standard. Taking a fresh look at the VFL, people wonder why.
The mature-age rookie
listings came a few years late for 32-year-old Sautner. It will always bug
him that no AFL club deemed him worthy of a run.
He's told the story
many times of how he had Andy Collins championing his cause at St Kilda in
2000. The Saints overlooked him, instead going for Brett
Moyle.
``I would have loved
the opportunity,'' Sautner said. ``You could train in a full-time environment
and work on your deficiencies and maybe contribute to a club. Without that
opportunity you do die wondering.''
Lesser slights have
played on his mind over the years Shaun Smith being picked ahead of him for
a state game, getting a bad run at the tribunal and failing to be protected
by umpires when thuggish defenders roughed him up. It would not have
escaped his attention that Matt Little won the medal as the VFL's best in the
state game last week for kicking seven goals against the WAFL, when Sautner
nailed nine against the same opponent in 2007 and received no such gong. He
has a fine-tuned sense of injustice.
But nothing has
distracted him from kicking goals. His enduring excellence has made him a
champion and given him a decent profile in Victorian football. Long gone are
the days when scribes would spell his name
Saunter.
He started playing with Springvale reserves in 1996 and transferred to Sandringham in 1997, in time to play in Collins'
premiership team as a centre half back.
The move to
full-forward came in 2000. He kicked 70 goals to win his first Frosty Miller
Medal as the league's leading goalkicker and every season since has put
through at least 60.
The absence of a
century keeps him out of the company of former VFA greats, such as Fred Cook
and Bob Bonnett (at Frankston one year he kicked 93 goals and served a two-week
suspension for striking; it still burns him up).
But with 879 goals,
he's climbed to seventh on the goalkicking ladder, behind only Cook (1336),
Rino Pretto (1070), Bonnett (933), Mark Fotheringham (928), Frosty Miller (883)
and Frank Seymour (880).
Strong marking, his
reading of the play and a fierce desire to succeed have made him a premium
player.
His record gleams
with achievement five premierships, nine Frosty Miller medals, nine
team-of-the-year selections, 11 club goalkicking trophies, Victorian
representative, club best and fairest, Sandringham games record holder, VFL
life member.
This Saturday brings
another accolade, his 250th senior match. He is by some distance the VFL's
longest serving player.
That Sautner juggles
his football with an increasingly hectic job adds merit to his
accomplishments.
After doing a double
degree sports management and business he joined the AFL to help oversee the
traineeship program.
Now he is general
manager of commercial business at Etihad Stadium.
He keeps long hours
and is sometimes required to go overseas. Sautner missed Round 6, for example,
because he and Etihad CEO Ian Collins were taking care of business in
London.
It was mixed with pleasure the FA Cup final, concerts and dining at fine
restaurants.
``I'm fortunate to
have an understanding employer and an understanding football club,'' Sautner
said.
``I know that to
compete against full-time AFL athletes you've got to make sacrifices. It means
that at times I train at odd hours. But if I'm going to continue playing at this
level I've got to do the work. I don't want to embarrass
myself.''
How much longer can he
go on?
``I evaluate it on a
season-by-season basis,'' he said.
``I still feel that,
physically, I can perform at the level. Now it relates more to the mental
ability to get `up' every week and meet the demands placed on VFL players, from
training to meetings and analysis.''
There's also the issue
of completing an MBA that he was supposed to start last
October.
Sandringham followers can only
hope the great spearhead again defers his studies and kicks enough goals to
stay in the news.
Last Modified on 04/06/2010 09:59