As eager as he is to revive his AFL career, perspective is everything for Sam Naismith.
After dominant form for Port Melbourne in the VFL, the 30-year-old ruckman is among a number of players hoping to be picked up in next week’s mid-season draft for his second AFL chance after injuries plagued Naismith’s time with the Sydney Swans.
Naismith’s injury woes with the Swans from 2012 to 2022 saw him undergo three knee reconstructions and numerous other operations, limiting him to just 30 games, including just two appearances since 2017, before being released at the end of last season.
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Tragically, however, Naismith’s brutal series of failures paled in comparison to the harrowing family circumstances he experienced in his life.
After being pulled out of Sydney last year, Naismith traveled back and fourth to country New South Wales to spend time with his ailing mother Debbie, who is battling breast and blood cancer, with her condition unlikely to be cured.
It comes just three years after Naismith lost her sister, Christy, to pancreatic cancer in 2020 – exactly three years ago today. During the Covid-19 hiatus this season, Naismith made regular eight-hour trips to Mudgee to visit her.
The Swans paid tribute to Christie, as well as John Kennedy senior, who died that week, by wearing black armbands in their Round 4 clash with the Western Bulldogs in Naismith’s final game for Sydney.
These recent hardships were a poignant subject for Naismith, whose father, Michael, died of bowel cancer when Naismith was just 19.
However, this is not a story of sympathy or sadness, but rather one of resilience, inspiration, redemption and, as above, perspective.
“When you’re inside the four walls of a football club, your focus becomes internalized and you think a little bit about yourself. When you take a step back and realize what’s going on with other people, your perspective changes, and I had a first-hand perspective,” Naismith said foxfooty.com.au.
“The family stuff really puts the injuries and the game and everything into perspective.
“I could take care of my knee, but it definitely pales in comparison to what my sister was going through and what my mom was going through.
“Being a footballer and being paid to play with your feet, you complain about a minor injury when you’re usually first in line for surgery the next day because the medical staff are really good and you’re the priority.
“I don’t think there’s much to complain about in the scheme of things. I think I’ve been able to use that in my mindset and be grateful for what I’ve been able to do rather than what I haven’t been able to do.”
Seven years ago, Naismith lined out for the Swans in the 2016 grand final against the Western Bulldogs, a game he admits “doesn’t feel like yesterday” but remains a “fond memory” despite his side losing the famous decider.
It was part of a two-year spell in 2016 and 2017 when the much-loved Lebed led a star-studded midfield in 27 games and looked set to be in charge of the club long-term before injuries scuppered those plans.
The countless setbacks, along with the emotional toll of Christie’s illness, unexpectedly weighed heavily on Naismith as he “fell out of love with the game”.
Since being released by the Swans late last year, Naismith was able to see his mother more regularly before finally deciding to move to Melbourne, where he has other family, and play for Port Melbourne.
“I’ve been coming back as much as I can to spend time with mom,” he said.
“I tried to find the best place for me to play again and try to play at the highest level.
“That included coming to Melbourne … I think picking a family was the most important thing and I’ve got a little family in Melbourne so I decided to play there.”
You only had to see Swans champion Josh Kennedy present Naismith with his Port Melbourne jumper to understand the respect the ruckman was held in Sydney.
And playing in his first game of footy for three years in Round 1 of the VFL season, Naismith rekindled his love of the game in red and blue stripes.
He also kept his AFL dream alive, averaging 15.1 disposals, 5.5 clearances, 3.6 tackles and 40.9 hit-outs as one of the VFL’s most dominant kickers, putting his name on the radar of the clubs.
Foxfooty.com.au reported earlier this month that Geelong were heavily linked with Naismith, while Collingwood and Sydney were also monitoring his progress.
“For me, it was about getting back into the game,” he said.
“With a few unfortunate injuries and stuff, my focus was to get back to enjoying the sport because I spent a few years where I didn’t enjoy it.
“Port Melbourne was the best fit for me and I think it definitely helped me fall back in love with the game.”
Naismith spoke earlier this year of his desire to play in the AFL and that hasn’t changed.
Of course, anyone who has faced the adversity he has would have every right to hang up the boots.
But he remains “eager to play at the highest level” and is “proving himself right” to those close to him who have supported him throughout his journey.
Above all, he owes it to himself.
“I’m not necessarily trying to prove anyone wrong, but there were a lot of people telling me that I should have been cut years ago and I should have given up,” he said.
“I’m trying to prove the people who stuck by me and supported me right. Also just for myself because I know I can play footy and I want to enjoy it and I think I have something to give.
“I feel like I haven’t had a chance to really try myself, which is disappointing, but I definitely don’t regret anything I’ve done.
“When you miss football so much, you realize why you play it and I want to get back there. Hopefully something will come of it.”
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Asked how much more he has to offer at AFL level, Naismith said: “I’m ready.
“I think if I can go in there and throw my weight around and be physical, that might appeal to some teams.
“If I get the chance to show what I can do for at least six months, I’m sure that could potentially turn into two or three years, even more.”
Away from football, Naismith has found other important things in life, one particularly close to home.
He organized a fundraising drive for a charity based in country NSW for sick people going through chemotherapy, but it has been put on the back burner for the past six months.
Meanwhile, his day-to-day passion is ceramics, taking up it in 2021 when he re-injured his knee and his Swans teammates moved to a center in Melbourne.
You can now find him regularly in his small ceramic studio in his garage, while he is also in the process of starting his own business, Luck Love.
“I spent a lot of time in a friend’s pottery studio in Tamarama in 2021 and fell in love with it and used the wheel throwing, ceramics and whatnot as a sense of mindfulness and a mental health aid to escape from things, through that I was going through,” he said.
“The community that surrounds the arts is worlds apart from footballers and such environments.
“I really enjoyed meeting new people and being able to sit there and create. I think I’m pretty creative, so it definitely helped me in that sense.
“It’s definitely something I’ll be doing after my football career is over and something I love now.”