Sooner or later, one’s true calling comes knocking.
Brett Kirk the combatant left the game he gave everything to in 2010, decorated with the respect of the football world as a captain and premiership player over 241 appearances for the Sydney Swans.
He travelled the world as the AFL’s international ambassador in 2011, and he rode the boundary line as a commentator in 2012, but his true calling didn’t involve diplomacy and microphones.
The fire within never stopped raging, and while he always knew he’d return to the competitive side of the game, it was his media gig that made Kirk realise where he belongs.
“Being on the boundary line at games, being in the change rooms afterwards, seeing the players and coaches and the emotions around it, it dawned on me that that’s where I wanted to be,” Kirk says.
Looking for the right fit, Kirk spoke with a few clubs. It was a team from the West making increasingly louder noise on the football field that he was attracted to the most.
“I really enjoyed watching Fremantle play in the second half of the year and the belief that they had,” he says.
An assistant coaching position at Freo also presented him the opportunity to reunite with the man Kirk credits for helping to turn his own stagnant career around in 2004, Ross Lyon.
READ HOW ROSS LYON HELPED BRETT KIRK TURN HIS CAREER AROUND
“With Ross being at Freo, the list being strong and the style of footy they played this year, I was really keen to be a part of it,” Kirk says.
Kirk had to convince wife Hayley to pack up and move to the other side of the country, but as it turned out, she probably convinced him.
“Hayley knew footy was something I really care about and she knows when I’m doing something that I’m really passionate about, I’m in a good space,” he says.
“It’s like anyone; if you love what you’re doing you’re a better dad, a better husband.
“As soon as I told her I wanted to jump back in, she said: 'it’s about time'.”
So, with Hayley, five children, two dogs and Brett's parents Noel and Sue in convoy, the Kirks headed West.
Not in a plane. Where’s the adventure in that?
“We feel life’s a bit of an adventure,” Kirk says.
“Rather than jump in a plane and take the easy way, we thought we’d have a look at the country.
“We travelled across the Nullarbor. It took us 11 days. It was a great adventure.”
During his playing career, Kirk was the epitome of some of the values Ross Lyon holds highest, effort and resilience.
He may just be the most resilient player in the modern era, managing 200 consecutive games at a level of intensity few could match.
“It’s about doing your best. Effort, resilience, perseverance, determination and commitment,” he says.
“Those types of words are what I’ve built my footy career on.
“And it doesn’t matter whether it’s football or any other parts of your life. That’s what I tell my kids.
“In footy you have to be really resilient. No player, no matter how talented they are, gets to the top of their game if they’re not resilient."
Kirk believes Ross Lyon’s mantras connect with who he is, and he knows what it takes to forge a culture of excellence.
“It’s about having quality people and strong leaders in your organisation to stand for something, something the players believe in that they want to stand for, and then making people accountable to it,” he says.
“It becomes a part of who you are. You start to believe in it. You live it, you participate in it. Everything about it becomes internalised.
“Successful organisations get that.
“The person at the top has to be the flag bearer and I know
Ross would be that.”
Kirk’s first challenge as an assistant at Freo will be to earn the players’ trust.
“The thing is with a coach, you’re not only a teacher but you’re a mentor, and the relationship you have with the players are key to it,” he says.
“The more trust you can have, the more open it is, the more honest it is. That’s how you’re able to connect with the player.
“They’re not going to believe you if you’re not passionate about it. That’s what I’m all about. I’m really passionate and I want to fiercely care.
“If you can get them to believe in it, it can go a long way.”
The next adventure in Brett Kirk’s life has begun.
