When Hawthorn young gun Jed Anderson took to the field early in the third quarter, he received a hearty cheer from the Hawks’ faithful.
However, the talented midfielder admits his biggest fans that day were his family, who have been pivotal in his return to the field.
The father-of-two recently added another member to his cheer squad with the arrival of his second child Josiah, who was born on Boxing Day. Anderson admits the bond he shares with his boys help take his mind off the stresses of football.
“It was really exciting. Elijah has a little brother to look out for now and it’s made us a lot happier – he’s a cute little boy,” he said.
“Elijah just wants to play, just wants to have fun really and as soon as I get home, we’re just always bonding with each other and they help me take my mind off footy.”
Anderson replaced an injured Liam Shiels in the third term and had a solid quarter, nabbing eight disposals, laying five tackles and kicking his first goal for 2015.
“I heard the cheer as I came on and I was just pretty much excited just to be out there running around – the cheer sparked a little bit inside me to have an impact and come out there and help the boys get over the top.”
The talented youngster says his primary focus was coming on and providing a spark as an impact player and says he looks forward to playing regular football this season.
“My goals are just to play consistent footy, no matter what level it is and just get a really good year out and just get physically and mentally ready for the year ahead and not get too ahead of myself more or less.
Sharing the field with Cyril Rioli, Shaun Burgoyne and Bradley Hill was a highlight for the young utility, who says the connection between the Indigenous teammates is “unbreakable”.
“They are absolutely outstanding [and] the connection the boys has comes as soon as you walk into the footy club,” he added.
“The boys just seem to be like brothers more or less and that connection is unbreakable out there on the footy field – you sort of know in the back of your mind that they are there.”
Anderson’s Round 1 performance comes as good news for the 21-year-old, who did not play a single AFL game in a luckless 2014 but is back with a full preseason under his belt.
“[Preseason] has been really good, it’s been physically demanding and physically really good,” he said.
“My body feels 100% fit and ready to go – I just wanted to have a good hit out, enjoy the preseason, get my body right and then look forward to 2015.
“I just sort of took my mind off everything that has happened and wanted to go out there, play footy and hopefully achieve something [this season].”
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