When Gunnedah five-eighth Matt Brady dreamed about playing league while sidelined from the game the past two seasons, it pretty much resembled what transpired at Kitchener Park on Sunday.
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On a coolish late Autumn afternoon beneath a baby blue sky and before the best crowd at the park for a long time, the 23-year-old delivered a superb performance in the Bulldogs’ 42-22 win over the previously undefeated Narrabri that drew high praise from his coach, Sean Hayne, and Blues mentor John Rumsby.
His display was highlighted by a 90 metre opportunist’s try and a generally commanding performance in the halves with rookie teenager Marcus Hayne, including what Rumsby described as a “good kicking game” that hurt his side.
Brady missed the past two seasons through initially a knee injury and then to finishing his apprenticeship.
Speaking after the match, he spoke of the joy he felt at playing again for Gunnedah.
The long layoff refreshed him and left him “itching at the boots” to get back on the paddock.
“I’m really enjoying my footy and that’s the biggest thing, I think,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting back there, getting back into nick.
“I was a little unsteady on my feet to start off but Sean’s been training us pretty hard, so he’s keepin’ us all fit. So it’s helping with the adjustment back into it.”
As his teammates celebrated what could be a season-defining win on Sunday, Brady, named the side’s players’ player multiple times this year, said the chance to once again absorb those moments compelled him to return to the game.
“I missed playing footy with all the boys and being part of a team, I guess, part of a group, all that goes on and playing well together,” he said.
The Bulldogs’s defeat of Narrabri would have opened a few eyes, and Brady said the side was growing in confidence – “opening our eyes to what we can do” as a “continual improvement” shaped the side over the course of the year.
Coach Hayne likes the fact that Brady, Gunnedah born and bred, is loving playing footy again.
“He’s got a bit of confidence back each week and he seems to be getting better … He’s running the ball a bit more now, which is good,” Hayne said.
Rumsby described Brady as a “good kid and a good footballer”.
“He’s got a lot of talent … He was a good junior footballer,” the Blues coach said. “He’s got good speed,” he added.
Gunnedah play Collegian at Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday.
