We started behind the 8 ball and we had the single worst season of injuries possible with 35 players unavailable at one point during the year!
On top of that the league got a hellava lot better and we didn't.
That all equals a long season but we never chucked it in, even when the league took a home game off us when they deemed our ground unsafe to play on even though it has been in the exact same condition for the last 10 years without issue.
In the end we finished with a poultry 2 wins as yes, somehow there was a team worst then us!
Personally I had quite a mix of a season where with all our injuries I actually made my return to the senior team after last appearing 4 - 5 years ago.
I played the 1st games in reserves at full forward, managing 5.1 before getting a call up.
I then played the next 12 games in the seniors where I also doubled up in 1 game to help out the ressies.
I was unavailable for seniors and played ressies 1 week then played the final game in the 1's.
All up in the 1's I managed to score a total of 5.4 and 6.1 in the 2's.
Nothing super but as a forward where we often had 4 or 5 v 6 plus games where the entire team could only manage 3 - 4 goals, I was never going to win the goal kicking award.
I also played 5 over 35's game this season where again I played mostly forward with some stints as a half back/on-baller where I managed to kick 2.3 but I tend to hand them off as we're the top or second best team so there are options a-plenty most of the time.
On those weekends I'd play Saturday and Sunday's - no mean feat for a near 40 year old.
This past weekend I backed up our last game with a 9am Prelim final for the over 35's where I kicked 2.2 to help us into the Grand Final not this weekend but the next.
This will be the first game this year I've played over 35's fresh as a daisy so I'm looking to be running on air for the GF and hopefully be able to snare that elusive premiership medal.
I had a few niggly injuries this year which was a bastard as they were not anything to miss games over, but affected my training mid-week.
I jolted my lower back in round 2, strained a calf in round 3 prior to quarter time, strained the opposite calf in round 15 in the final minute of the game only to manage about 8mins the next week before it went again.
The calves were funny as I could run on them come the following Thursday and they really felt like a cramp that wouldn't "uncramp" more then anything.
Is that a sign of ageing? Who knows but I was still one of maybe 5 players over seniors and reserves to play every week this year, out of potentially 100 players who suited in 1's and 2's, not to mention all the call ups the thirds had!
Was it a successful year? Yes and no.
Team success-wise it definitely wasn't but we can only work with what we have and I won't win any individual awards come presentation night either unless there's an oldest player at the club trophy being handed out.
I suppose keeping myself prepared and ready for anything, such as a senior call up and the ability to play 29 games (seniors/ressies/over 35's and practice games) without dying can probably be classed as a success.
Right now I'm preparing to peak for next Sunday after suffering a medium corky last Sunday which wasn't helped by Silly Sunday straight after the game where I'd normally go into recovery mode.
The image above is the weather I did some light running in yesterday to get the last bit of soreness out of the corkie and from here I'll ramp up the intensity for a hard and fast sprint session Sunday/Monday then another on Friday/Saturday next week.
How would you describe and class your 2018 season? Let us know over at the Facebook page.
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