Photo: Alex kicking a football in his Fremantle Dockers jumper at an Auskick clinic, 1998.
Photo: Alex, Adam and Piva in their playing days at the Noble Park Junior Football Club, 2004.
Football surrounded me as a kid as I barracked for the Fremantle Dockers from a young age largely thanks to my father's influence. I always brought a football to school and then went to football training afterwards. Weekends were dedicated to the game as I played for the Noble Park Football Club as a junior along side some of my now close friends. Coincidentally the Noble Park Junior Football Club also laid the foundation to play AFL for two of my close teammates at the time Piva Wright and Adam Treloar who went on to be drafted by Richmond and Greater Western Sydney Football Clubs respectively. Along with those guys I was able to develop friendships and memories that I still cherish to this day from the years playing at the Noble Park Football Club.
Passionately supporting my AFL team against whoever they were up against (admittedly Fremantle didn't win too many games back then so any win was a good win) was also something I looked forward to on the weekends growing up - it always provided an emotional roller coaster with so many highs and lows throughout the footballing season as I was a young kid anxious for his team to get the victory. Australian Rules Football encompassed my life from an early age and I loved every bit of it.
As I grew older and more independent along with moving out of home at the age of seventeen (definitely a great learning experience which really readied me for the real world of fending for yourself) - football became more serious and structured as an ambition to one day play in the big league became a goal and through my adolescents I was lucky enough to take part in representative teams, firstly at District level then at State level as I hit my later teenage years. Throughout my U16s - U18s years I was apart of the Sandringham Dragons Football Club under the TAC Cup competition; a great talent pathway for young teenage boys wanting to realise their dream of playing AFL football. I also transferred my footballing at local level from Noble Park to the Dingley Football club in an attempt to be closer to the Sandringham Dragons program. Throughout my three year stint with the Dragons I was privileged to co-captain the side to a premiership in 2011 - the first premiership success of my junior career. Also in that year I was lucky to be apart of an U18s VIC Squad that won the U18s Championship, a privilege in every regard. These memories of gratitude really paved the way towards achieving my goal of being drafted into the AFL system. Combining all of those football programs along with playing football at Mazenod College - it was evident that my love from the game spread across a lot of sectors and having been exposed to such great experiences and learning from some amazing coaches whilst playing alongside some amazing teammates and using the first class resources provided to me - I definitely felt grateful to be in the position that I was in during my time in all teams I represented growing up.
Photo Source: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images AsiaPac
Alex Woodward and Dale Tapping the coach of Sandringham celebrate winning the TAC Cup Grand Final match between Sandringham and Oakleigh at Etihad Stadium on September 25, 2011.
Photo: The moment the final siren went which gave the U18s Sandringham Dragons the 2011 TAC Cup.
Draft camp was to follow in late 2011 and I remember the feeling of receiving the invitation quite clearly and how elated I was as I knew I was another step closer towards my goal. What an experience it was - to meet and greet some of the most respected coaches and recruiting staff in the AFL system - I wanted to best deliver myself to AFL clubs in a manner that would provide a good insight into the type of character that I was and what I could bring to their football club both on field and off field. With multiple fitness testing, psychological testing and skill testing, Draft Camp was definitely an experience that was eye opening to say the least.
Come draft day I had no real idea of where I might fall in the draft or if my name was going to be called out at all. As I watched the draft on the television I found it unbearable as multiple picks went by and I was yet to see my pop up on screen. Nervousness soon turned to disappointment as Pick 50 went by, I decided I had seen enough and headed to my bedroom only to be met with my father being full of excitement (with a beer in his hand) after seeing my name pop up on the screen with the 53rd pick from the Hawthorn Football Club, my phone was quickly inundated with a huge influx of messages and phone calls from my family and friends to my soon to be teammates and coaches. My dream had become a reality and it was such a surreal feeling. I couldn't wait to start at my new job of being an AFL player at the Hawthorn Football Club. I couldn't help but think that the plan put in place when I was younger along with the help of my father had been accomplished, but I knew that it was also time to wipe the slate clean and set new goals and objectives for my footballing journey ahead.
Photo: Alex and his sister Melanie, 2000. Alex is always looking out for his sister - very much a protective brother ever since they were young.
Keeping my priorities in check and staying level headed was always a focus of mine (and still is) - with the help of my family I made sure to put effort into areas of my life that required attention and dedication first and foremost before football. Study at school was something that I realised needed to be attended to no matter how badly I'd rather drop the books for a kick of the football. Spending quality time with my family was also something that was almost non negotiable for me as I also had the job of being a responsible brother to my younger sister Melanie and a quality son to both my parents. Finally enjoying and living life to the fullest (simple I know) was another aspect that I focused on consciously because at the end of the day football was just a game (something that shouldn't be taken for granted but a sport definitely needing to be enjoyed) and having a sense of direction other than football was really important to me. The relationships built with my friends, workmates, classmates and teachers, teammates and coaches, was something I realised that could potentially last a lifetime and have an impact on me as I continue to learn from my mistakes and try to better myself as a person moving forward.
Beyond the sanctions of school and life at home, football was my escape from the real world as through the years my dream became a goal and my goal became a reality. I knew what I wanted from an early age and I was willing to work hard enough to give myself the best chance with the support of my loved ones around me.