Brent Guerra has been applauded for his selflessness, but admits ruling himself out of an AFL grand final is among the hardest things he has ever done.
The Hawthorn defender made the early call, telling coaches on Monday his injured hamstring was not up to the rigours of Saturday’s grand final.
He has been praised by everyone from Hawthorn’s president Andrew Newbold, to his teammates and rank-and-file fans.
“I thought I’d make the call early in the week and then the boys can concentrate on the game and the coaches don’t have to worry about who’s up for selection,” Guerra told reporters on Wednesday.
“It just wasn’t feeling right at the time and I’m very disappointed, but (it’s) best for the side.
“It is probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.
“Definitely it’s tough, getting up in front of your best mates and telling them you won’t be out there on that grand final day.
“But it’s the best thing for the team and hopefully they can go out there and have a win on the weekend.”
Speaking at a pre-grand final lunch in the Melbourne CBD, Hawks president Newbold applauded the 30-year-old for making such a tough call.
“Brent really epitomises the club and that is it’s about the team, not about the individual glory,” Newbold said.
“That’s why this club has had such a fantastic year, because … people are putting the club before themselves.”
Last week, captain Luke Hodge was a late withdrawal from the Hawks team for the preliminary final because of illness, and will return for the grand final.
That will mean another hard luck story for the Hawks as one of the 22 who staved off the Crows in last weekend’s preliminary final makes way.
Sydney’s Ben McGlynn also made the difficult call early in grand final week to rule himself out of the clash with his former club.
He also has a hamstring problem.
Guerra, a Hawks premiership player in 2008, said he would still feel part of the team even watching from the sidelines.
“I played 19 games this year,” he said.
“It’s going to be tough watching them if they can get that win on the weekend, but no doubt I’ll still feel part of it.”
