‘One flag isn’t enough’: The motivation driving this selfless Geelong star

Both times Geelong forward Brad Close has played against Carlton this season, the following week has been memorable.

On February 26, after picking up five touches in a practice match against the Blues, he headed to 13th Beach for a round of golf – feeling a bit flat.

Hours later, he left on top of the world, having knocked in his first hole in one and winning $10,000 to boot as part of a charity event at the course.

Not known for animated celebrations, Close danced around the 12th tee like a boxer celebrating in the ring with his trainers after knocking out the defending champion.

“I thought I was going to go to my grave without a hole in one – I wasn’t even thinking about the money at the time,” he said.

“It was just awesome to get a hole in one and then a little bonus that will help pay for the wedding.”

That wedding to Grace in southern Tuscany will occur in October, celebrating a year that has had some highs and lows on the footy field.

In his second encounter this year with the Blues in round 12, he picked up 11 touches to continue a run of below-par form that stemmed from an interrupted pre-season.

That week, Close was told to have a spell from the AFL so he could regain in the VFL the touch that has made him such a valuable part of the Cats’ make-up since he kicked a goal with his first kick just 70 seconds into his first game in 2020.

He was clear on what he needed to do to regain his spot as the Cats dropped four of their next five matches with small forwards Close, Gryan Miers and the now-retired Tyson Stengle on the sidelines.

“I wasn’t quite having the impact with ball in hand, and then struggling to find the footy, which isn’t always my role as such,” Close said.

“I worked a bit more on getting my body right and having a bit more speed and power out there. I lacked getting to the footy first and then was poor over ground balls, so I have worked at that.

“Since coming back to the side, I’ve worked with Gryan and Shaun [Mannagh] to really focus on our defence first, making sure we can help the team that way, and then using the footy going forward and hitting targets inside 50.”

Close’s return in round 19 alongside Miers’ has coincided with the Cats’ return to the winners’ list as they peeled off six consecutive victories while averaging 115.2 points per match, to find themselves in the elimination final against the Blues on Friday night.

Close completes the Cats’ forward line, where he is known as the most selfless player inside their forward 50.

How he became known for that trait is partly due to the high half-forward role he plays, which requires unrewarded running to create pockets of space for others to work into, and forward pressure to stop the opposition’s crafty half-backs rebounding.

But the other explanation for his selflessness stems from a premiership he won at North Gambier when he was just 16.

“I was always probably a smaller player in those sides and looked for a role I could play to help the team,” Close said. “I was never anything like an inside mid or a big key forward, so I just found ways I could help.”

He won two flags at North Gambier before heading to Glenelg, where he found himself playing as a high half-forward. He developed quickly to play in the Tigers’ 2019 SANFL flag, and then became a Cats premiership player in 2022, all achieved before he turned 25.

Not that his cup is full. He now wants to celebrate a premiership with a different group.

“I don’t think anyone would say one premiership is enough,” Close said.

Whether the Cats achieve that goal will be up to role players such as Close, who lurks more than he hunts, bobbing up in the right spots to delay a handball to put a teammate into space, or chipping a short kick onto a forward’s chest like he’s hitting a flop shot in golf.

The Tenison Woods College graduate – who has studied accounting – doesn’t seek recognition, nor look to light up the crowd with a celebration.

Close is as composed as a maitre d’ when the pressure rises, a competitor who looks to conserve his energy, having only discovered he was a good runner when he started wearing a GPS for the first time at Glenelg.

“When I was a kid I did not feel like I was a good runner at all. When I was a kid, I felt like I was pretty unfit; I would come off a basketball court and throw up because I was so unfit,” Close said.

Now he’s considered an elite runner and with clean hands – except when he’s indulging in another passion, fishing – who will be striving to make the Cats’ forward line hum on Friday night against the rampaging Blues.

And he’s hoping the post-script to this Carlton match is memorable, simply because a path to the semi-final has been forged. That’s the only focus for this team player inside 50.

“Getting to the end of the game and hearing the final siren, and winning the game, is the ultimate joy,” Close said.

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.