Justin Koschitzke is still struggling to face a devastating premiership defeat to Geelong and the biological clock is ticking loudly over his AFL career. But a desire to ‘bounce back’ coupled with a steely resolve from his teammates shows Koschitzke is determined to make this season one to remember, NIALL SEEWANG reports.
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JUSTIN Koschitzke has always attacked the ball like a man possessed and the St Kilda star has two major reasons to take on the upcoming preseason exactly the same way.
Of course, the 2001 Rising Star winner doesn’t know any other way of approaching his football but the kamikaze big man has a burning desire to bounce back after the disappointment of losing the grand final to Geelong.
As well as that, Koschitzke, out of contract at the end of next season, also realises time isn’t necessarily on his side as he approaches veteran status.
Back home for a quick break before the Saints launch their 2010 campaign, the Brocklesby product is in no doubt about just how important next season will be.
“I’m in the last year of my contract and I’ll be 28 by the end of next season, so realistically it’s probably coming to an end pretty soon,” he said yesterday.
“I might not even have five years to go (so) I have to make every post a winner from here on in.
“My goal now is to ... try to contribute again like I did last year and see where it takes me.
“In some ways I look at it as a last chance, so I’ll have to throw everything at it.”
The 197cm, 98kg Saint enjoyed possibly his most consistent season at AFL level last year, kicking 45 goals in 20 games playing mostly as a stay-at-home forward.
But his satisfaction at achieving such consistency in no way made up for the heart-breaking nature of St Kilda’s grand final defeat.
The Saints had their chances to secure only their second premiership but missed vital opportunities in going down by 12 points.
Koschitzke said he still hadn’t watched any footage from the game and admitted he was shattered by the experience.
“I didn’t say a word to anyone for about three days (after the match),” he said.
“When the siren went it was such an empty feeling and in the rooms it was just silence for a long time, it was really shattering.
“It was surreal on the day; we were absolutely confident of getting the job done and right until the last minute I thought we could win it.
“They’re hard to win, I know it first hand by losing three prelims and a grand final ... but to lose two games in the home-and-away season, to win two finals and miss out on the prize by a kick really, it doesn’t seem fair.
“But that’s just the way our game is ... we didn’t take our opportunities and we missed out.
“To have such a good season and tick every box except for the last one, which is also the most important, is really tough.”
Almost two months down the track, Koschitzke will join his St Kilda teammates at training on Wednesday and he admits the simple task of watching footage of the grand final could hurt as much as any physical pain associated with preseason training.
“To tell you the truth, we haven’t really spoken about the game,” he said.
“I went to the US for a month after the grand final, just to get away from it all, and I haven’t seen any footage of the game at all.
“I suppose all that’s coming next week, I suppose we’ll have to — Ross (Lyon, St Kilda coach) will probably show us clips and use it as a learning tool for next season.
“I’m dreading looking at it and re-living it but it’s probably the next step in moving on.
“But the group is as confident and dedicated as we were this year, there really is a steely resolve in the group.”
