There are so many aspects of Barra’s career that are hard to fathom, 371 games played, more than 900,000km travelled, a Doig Medal and 10 other top five finishes, All Australian, two epic game-winning goals against Richmond – all while having long wavy hair like Samson and a nickname after a fish!
His achievements say a lot about Dave’s professionalism and how durable he has been, but also his mindset to stay switched on and competitive for so long. Resilient is a word thrown around too calmly, but Dave is its definition.
My 171 games pale into insignificance when compared to Dave, but even I remember how hard it was going back and forth on those flights for such a long period.
It’s an amazing achievement for a Victorian to come to WA and make it into the top 10 AFL/VFL games played, and it gives a good sense of the type of person Dave is.
I’m proud to have him as one of my best mates, but in our first year at Fremantle we didn’t talk much. I think our introverted personalities steered us away from each other as we both sat back and quietly watched.
It took a little bit of time, but when we realised we were very similar, the friendship grew from there.
When Dave announced his retirement, it wasn’t surprising to see him openly admit that he didn’t feel comfortable talking about himself, even though it was his moment to speak proudly about his career. In fact, I know he would have hated it.
For a long time he went under the radar, playing out of WA for Fremantle, so it’s been great to see people watch more closely over the past couple of years and realise not just how good he is, but how good he has been for a long time.
A fortnight ago against Melbourne, Fremantle played in what was billed as the Club’s biggest game since 2015.
Dave admitted he didn’t have an ideal preparation - he ran out there knowing this was one of his last games for the Club and still racked up 35 disposals and 15 contested possessions.
And if you look at any of the biggest games in Fremantle history, take a look at the best players and you'd see David Mundy’s name.
Instantly the games that come to mind for me are the 2012 semi final against Adelaide, the 2013 Prelim and the Grand Final.
When it really meant a lot to him, his teammates and the football club, he performed at a really high level and he never went missing. I think he can hang his hat on that.
I'm not sure he'd ever say it, but he should have great pride knowing that he found 10% more in those big games when everything was on the line.
He might be humble, but I don't think you can play football for as long as he has, or really at all, without a quiet confidence about yourself.
It’s one of his weapons to disarm you with humbleness when deep down he knows he’s going to win. In the dreaded handball games in pre-season, the only ways to avoid losing and the extra running were to either knee cap Dave or be on his team.
He’s very good at leaving everything out in the field, and then win, lose or draw - walking away from it, resetting, and going through it all again the next week.
The fact that he’s the ultimate family man only helps him in this mentality.
From growing up with his parents Karen and Jock and his three sisters, to starting a family of his own with wife Sally and Finn, Hudson and Edie, family has always been really important to him and he's always held that at the forefront. And their support has been unwavering.
I strongly believe this has helped him perform at a high level for such a long time. He’s motivated to provide the very best future he can for his family, and no matter what happens on the football field, he's quickly reminded about what’s important when he gets home.
As one of his close mates, I’m probably meant to share some funny story from our time playing footy together, but similar to the way he plays football, Dave very rarely puts himself in an embarrassing situation.
That cool, calm and classy footballer you see on the field is the same person we see off the field.
That said, he can get a bit excited by some strange things. For example, he took an interest with beekeeping after I showed him the bees we keep on our farm. One day some feral hive came into his backyard and he was plotting how to catch them all and go about making his own honey. I said “Dave this isn’t a handball game, I think they have you covered”.
Another example is his podcast with Griffin Logue, I think you get a good sense of the person he is from their show. It's also a great indication of his ability to shift with the times, be true to himself and remain youthful and entertaining.
It’s a small sample of how his mind works.
When I retired, I had a great opportunity with my now wife to get away from it all and get off the grid to our farm in Darkan.
We were just going to try it for a year or two, but it turned out we loved the life down here.
With Dave, everyone might think the next step is coaching, but there are so many things he can dive into. He would be excellent going into the administration side of football, he’s got his bachelor of Marine Science and an MBA and it would be interesting to see who from the corporate world comes knocking on the door.
No matter what happens, I’m looking forward to having the conversation in the coming months to hear what he has in mind for his next step, as I think he has a range of opportunities.
Hopefully, the team win the Grand Final so he can go out on a high and I can hear all about it over a beer or two.
Most ex-players when they retire as they settle into the couch or the comfy recliner chair get a little better with time, kicked a few more goals, got a few more possessions.
I’m happy to say that this won’t be the case with Dave as he simply could not be better. It will all be left on the field without any regrets and will go down in history as a champion the Fremantle Dockers and the AFL.
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