PORT ADELAIDE forward Charlie Dixon is preparing to celebrate his 200th AFL game this Saturday night against his old club, Gold Coast.
The 32-year-old admits his injury battles have meant it’s taken a little longer to reach the milestone, but he’s proud of the progress he’s made, both as a person and as a footballer.
Dixon spoke to the media on Thursday about his growth over the last 13 seasons, how he found his feet after moving clubs and what it means to run out alongside teammate Jeremy Finlayson, as he also marks a milestone this weekend.
Dixon on reaching 200 games
“It's pretty unreal to be honest. To be in this many games, I’ve been in the system for a long time and probably should have been there a little while ago but definitely grateful for the opportunity to have even played one game so to have played 200, I’m over the moon and the support I’ve seen this week is great.
“I don’t think many people thought I’d get this far so it's definitely pretty humbling really to be able to play this many games and with two clubs as well. I’m just pumped to be able to play this many.”
Dixon on playing his 200th against Gold Coast
“I’ve always got a soft spot for Gold Coast because they gave me that opportunity and I spent seven years there and I like to think I helped build the club starting from ground zero. That was an amazing experience to see how that came about, so it definitely means something.
“Dave Swallow and Sammy Day are probably the only two (still there I played with). There's not many heads I used to run around with but Dave (recently) played his 200th as well and I think it's a credit to him the way he’s stuck with that club. I love (Dave), he’s a special human.”
Dixon on his football journey
“(The journey has been) pretty tough, I think. Through my injuries and trying to play football…it’s one of the hardest things you can do not just physically but mentally as well. I definitely takes its toll on the body and on the mind as well but I’ll be forever grateful for being able to play this many games.”
Dixon on his body’s current condition
“I think it's just all the one leg at the minute, the PCL and the corky through the calf and quad is (affecting) that a little bit as well so I've tried not to tape it over this week of training to try and let the corky go away but just the main things are lower limbs, ankles and all that. I feel like if I train more instead of letting my body rest or settle, I can sort of keep on my toes and I can keep grinding away. As long as I can do what I can do and that's compete, then the injuries don’t worry me.”
Dixon on arriving at Port Adelaide ahead of the 2016 season
“That was eight years ago…to be honest I had no idea what I was walking into. I had no family down here, I knew Ken (Hinkley) and I knew Krak (Nathan Krakouer), that was it. Moving to South Australia, to be honest I didn’t really like it that much. It was wet, like it is now, wet, windy and cold, it felt like it was raining every morning. I felt like I was going to do my five years and get out of here but I’ve fallen in love with the place. I didn’t expect much, I just wanted to go out and play footy and it was a bit of a shock to the system coming here to a football town, especially one as passionate as Adelaide, to love you and also hate you. It's something I love and probably the reason I moved up to the hills as well is to get away from it. I can come back down and get into footy but as soon as I get up that tunnel I can switch off.”
Dixon on his biggest growth as a footballer
“Probably my composure. I can fly off the handle a bit and just trying to keep my shit together I think, that's probably the biggest one. Knowing things don’t always go your way and controlling the controllables, which is something Ken has helped me with. I think with age (I’ve gotten better) more than anything. I definitely saw a psychiatrist…over the years (who helped) me deal with things that the average person wouldn’t normally deal with so that was a massive help. (Also) the coaching staff and being able to be honest and have those honest conversations, and them giving me honest feedback and telling me that I need to pull my head in and make sure I’m a leader.”
Dixon on Ken Hinkley’s influence
“It's pretty simple, I reckon if I didn’t have him I wouldn’t be playing. From the very first time we trained, he was coaching, and he's always been brutally honest with me and that's the way I respond and how I like my feedback. I can simply put it down to I wouldn’t be where I am today without Ken. He'd probably call me a dickhead when I'm being a dickhead, on and off the field, making sure I’m accountable on and off the field and representing the club and myself in a proper manner and making sure I’m being a good human first. That's what Ken is massive on is making sure he looks after the human before the footballer.”
Dixon on Jeremy Finlayson’s 100th AFL game this weekend
“He's been massive in the way he's been able to adapt to roles. Going in the ruck and doing what he has to for the team and also coming up clutch, doing pivotal stuff and kicking goals when we really need them. He's amazing and an amazing human in himself. The journey he's gone through the last couple of years is massive as well, which is a credit to him and his family so it's just amazing to have a person like that at our football club.
“This week, it's a massive week and to have Jez as well play his 100th game is awesome so I'm glad that he's there that we can both celebrate this together. To be able to share something like this together is awesome but I’m pretty keen to get into the game.”
Dixon on the future of his career
“Don’t know. I’ll just see I go I suppose. I just like to look at the week ahead of me and try and build off that. I’ve always said as long as I think I can do (what I need to) and I know I’m able to, I’ll just keep playing. As soon as I feel like I’m well behind, and I can’t do what I used to do, then it will be an easy decision for me. At this point in time I think I’ve got probably one to two (seasons) left.”
