The reasons why Nat Fyfe is a superstar of the AFL is clear to anyone who’s seen him in action in his 199 games to date.
To David Mundy, who has played the most games out of any player with Fyfeas a teammate, what makes the two-time Brownlow Medallist great goes beyond his raw abilities.
The pair will play their 181st game together when Fyfe reaches the 200-game milestone against Hawthorn on Saturday at UTAS Stadium.
In the latest episode of Old Bull, Young Buck, Mundy, Griffin Logue and guest Josh Carr all gave their perspective about what was special about playing alongside or coaching Fyfe.
“He’s an absolute bull in the contest and it’s probably resulted in his shoulder and his broken leg (injuries). To go through all that and play 200 games is a huge achievement and his individual accolades in the game are as good as anyone’s,” Mundy said.
“We understand each other, we don’t need much more than a wink and a nod on most occasions to understand the connection between us and what the other guy wants to do.
“He’s a really deep thinker so he understands the game, his game and our system really well. He’s a great sounding board for all of us.”
As Fremantle’s midfield coach, Carr agreed that Fyfe’s footy brain was an underrated feature of his game.
“I didn’t get to appreciate how good he was until I came here and coached,” Carr said.
“I coached against him in my days at Port Adelaide and I respected that he was a really good player. I never got an understanding of how good he was until I came here.
“It’s his ability to make the ball his and how competitive he is, he’s been really impressive.
“From my point of view, he’s been impressive with his understanding. I’ve seen how much Nathan respects David and his opinion. They’ve got a great understanding of what needs to happen at any given time and who’s the one that can impact - sometimes it’s not either of them, it’s another player.”
Logue said Fyfe also stood out as a captain.
“Two hundred games is about a quarter of what you’re (Mundy) going to play but he’s still one of the best, if not the best, on-field leader you can see across the game,” Logue said.
“It’s what he can do and how he wills himself in the contest.”
“I always say it’s a privilege to play with the greats. I hate to pump you (Mundy) up, you’re one of them and Fyfe is the other one.”
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