When St Kilda Coach Alan Richardson suggested to Tom Lee that he should consider switching roles to the other end of the ground, the West Australian was open to moving away from the forward line and exploring another avenue to senior football.
That decision was made at the end of last year’s pre-season. And now, more than a year on, after 21 months between appearances at the highest level, Lee has returned to the AFL, albeit in a completely different role to the one he was plucked from Claremont as a mature-age recruit at the end of 2012.
After collecting a career-high 19 possessions against Hawthorn and displaying his ability to read the opposition’s movement and react swiftly to thwart their forays forward, Lee reflected on how his inconsistent form at the time led to where he stands today: back inside St Kilda’s senior setup.
“It started pre-season last year. I spent a NAB Challenge game up forward against Brisbane and then went back to the VFL and was just struggling to find my feet a bit, couldn’t get a kick,” Lee told saints.com.au on Tuesday afternoon.
“‘Richo’ just asked me if I wanted a change to mix things up a bit, I was pretty happy to do so and just stuck with it.”
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Round 14, 2014, and Round 4, 2016, plot two significant posts on Lee’s football odyssey, given the distance between Lee’s two most recent AFL appearances, and it is the journey between those two dates and the people who have contributed along the way that Lee credits with helping make the transition a success.
“I’ve had a lot of help from a lot of people. Everyone here has helped, I’ve chatted with coaches, with players. It’s been a really good transition,” Lee said.
“‘Spud’ Frawley’s been in my ear the whole time. He’s taught me the hard-nosed stuff about being a defender – the not very glamorous side of it.
“Rohan Welsh and Lindsay Gilbee have been really good in helping me transition into it.”
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They say a week is a long time in football, so what do they call 94 weeks? For Lee, after such an extensive period away from the speed and intensity of AFL football, the step up wasn’t made any easier given the opposition was reigning premiers Hawthorn. And on their own patch too.
“The intensity was ridiculous and the week I come in we play Hawthorn, so the intensity was always going to be really high,” Lee said.
“It was definitely a step up from VFL level, but I’m happy to be back in. Hopefully I can get a few weeks to get up to scratch.
“I really enjoyed it out there. It was good just to get my hands on the footy. Hopefully this week, if I get another crack, I’ll be a bit more comfortable and a bit more composed with the ball.”
After waiting so long to add game No. 14 to his previous 13 appearances, the 25-year-old forward-turned-defender has set his sights on entrenching himself within the Saints’ defensive setup.
“Well it would be nice to stay in the team for the rest of the year and help us win some games,” Lee said.
“I’m not in here to hold my spot I really want to make the team win. If helping them win means I’m in the side then that’s what it means.”
