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While Craig McRae exhorts his Collingwood players to remain in the moment, Jamie Elliott finds it hard not to imagine what it would be like to become a premiership player on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely think about it,\u201d Elliott said, of the prospect of Collingwood winning the grand final and securing his first flag.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard not to project to what could be … Craig (McRae) has been massive about keeping us in the moment and making us present and enjoy what\u2019s now rather than projecting forward. But at the same time, believe that we can achieve it, speak it into existence.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jamie Elliott.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n Elliott missed the whole of the 2018 season, when Collingwood made and narrowly lost a grand final that he and his good friend Darcy Moore missed, the latter\u2019s absence one that Nathan Buckley has been wistful about lately (Moore had trained freely beforehand).<\/p>\n It was a period of Elliott\u2019s career that he called \u201cpretty dark days\u201d, given that he missed all of both 2016 and 2018 due to a broken back (2016) that required screws against his vertebrae, a frustrating hamstring pestilence (2018), plus a syndesmosis injury that he carried, with injections, during 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more I look back at that, there\u2019s no point,\u201d Elliott said of his absence from the 2018 grand final and season. \u201cMay as well not dwell on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Elliott, who could have been a Brisbane Lions player on Saturday (he considered a tempting Brisbane offer after the 2019 season), says that he\u2019s happy with what he\u2019s achieved in his dozen years with Collingwood, given where he came from, and he wouldn\u2019t consider his career a failure if the Magpies don\u2019t get up.<\/p>\n Elliott (right) with Nick Daicos after Collingwood\u2019s preliminary final win.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AFL Photos<\/cite><\/p>\n But, as with many older players, his craving to be a premiership player has grown with the passage of seasons, knowing that there mightn\u2019t be another shot at it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll retire. Cut my contract short,\u201d Elliott, 31, jested, when I asked him whether a flag would bring career fulfilment.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, yeah, it\u2019s the pinnacle, winning a premiership. And the older you get \u2013 you could speak to anyone in the system … the more you want a flag and the ultimate success.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019d be a failure because I feel my career, in terms of where I\u2019ve come from, basically started from nothing and here I am, 170-odd games. I\u2019m pretty happy with what I\u2019ve done, but then I\u2019d love to cap it off.\u201d<\/p>\n Elliott shapes as a critical player for the grand final, more so given the Magpies have lost Daniel McStay, their primary key forward, after managing nine and eight goals in their previous two finals. Elliott has not kicked multiple goals yet in the finals.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he\u2019s going to be hard to cover,\u201d Elliott said of McStay. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not sure what they do, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n Would Elliott\u2019s role change?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll retire. Cut my contract short,\u201d Elliott, 31, jested, when I asked him whether a flag would bring career fulfilment.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think so … look it depends on who they pick and how they structure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey could play Coxy (Mason Cox) deeper … we\u2019ve got so many different options. I don\u2019t think it changes my role too much, I don\u2019t think it will affect me. It will be interesting to see.\u201d<\/p>\n He notes how teams who\u2019ve failed to convert scoring opportunities have been eliminated.<\/p>\n \u201cWell you\u2019ve seen that all finals series,\u201d said Elliott. \u201cThe teams who haven\u2019t taken their chances have gone out.<\/p>\n \u201cSo scoreboard pressure is massive, especially in finals where some players might feel nerves and get a little bit nervous about kicking for goal or the game, it plays big part in people\u2019s minds, in players\u2019 minds, so definitely take your chances.\u201d<\/p>\n Elliott has a knack for the nerveless nailing of clutch shots, as against Essendon (post-siren) and Carlton late last year. No matter the situation, his method is to stick rigorously to a goalkicking routine.<\/p>\n \u201cIt could be (crucial),\u201d he said of his conversion in the grand final. \u201cAt the same time, if you look at my year I\u2019ve been kind of inaccurate, in some regards. Look I\u2019ve got my routine, I\u2019ll have a good week on the training track and hopefully it takes care of itself game day. And I\u2019ll have my processes that I\u2019ll put place.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing changes. It depends where I am on the field, where if I want to snap it, drop punt, but my routine doesn\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n Elliott is a stickler, too, for recovery and preparation, having endured myriad mid-career injuries. At 31, he says his body feels as it did a decade ago, having a clean run under McRae.<\/p>\n \u201cApart from my shoulder, and I broke my leg in \u201921 … Apart from those freak accidents, I feel really good in my body and I feel like I did 10 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n In projecting forward to this grand final, Elliott said the Pies had been rusty against the Giants in the first half, and that they should be better on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cOur pressure was there, whether that was from the week off I don\u2019t know,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think we\u2019ll be better this week and … thinking about it, I can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n Elliott has a sizeable contingent coming down from Euroa to the MCG. \u201cMum, two brothers, sister, nephew, sister\u2019s partner, uncle. Couple of mates. That\u2019s going to sting the pocket,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Contracted for another two seasons, the forward recognises the need to nail this opportunity. \u201cWe\u2019ll just worry about this year.<\/p>\n \u201cShould be a fun week … you never know if it will happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>. <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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