When a player willingly volunteers to do an interview about a fellow teammate unprompted, you know straight away that the player the story is about means a great deal to his peers.
“I want to pump the Doc up!” Josh Battle calls out enroute to a recovery session at the Danny Frawley Centre as he spots Liam Stocker in a one-on-one sit-down some 15 metres away. “He does my homework!”
That ‘Doc’ isn’t one of the Saints’ medicos, but this week’s milestone man Mason Wood. Tonight, the reigning Best Clubman will celebrate his 100th senior game on the Friday night stage, a decade after he made his debut for North Melbourne. For context, vice-captain Callum Wilkie is on track to reach the same milestone later this year in less than half the time.
The amount of time it’s taken Wood to reach the triple figures, however, speaks volumes to the persistence and professionalism he’s acquitted himself with during his time as a Saint.
For a while, it looked like he’d never reach the fabled figure. With his career on the rocks as part of North Melbourne’s mass list cull at the end of 2020, St Kilda took a punt on the delisted forward and brought him in via the following year’s pre-season supplemental selection period. It’s paid off in spades.
The 29-year-old has pieced together a career-best season along the wing in 2023, earning widespread recognition across the league for his work-rate and impact he’s had in St Kilda’s 5-1 start under Ross Lyon. But among the Saints’ playing group is where the greatest respect has come.
Battle’s homework he’s referring to is his Certificate III and IV in PT Fitness, which Wood – who is studying his Master’s Degree in Sports Science at ACU – is sure to help him out with whenever the need arises.
Wood’s helping hand has extended to far more than just homework, and well beyond Battle.
Ask any young player on the list, and they’ll likely tell you how much of an influence Wood has had on their careers, especially when it comes to ramping up professionalism. Little pointers here, changes in diet there, life lessons and more, Wood has become the ultimate team man.
In many ways, it's similar to his role on the wing: lots of work getting done behind the scenes, often unnoticed in the larger scheme of things, but priceless for those around him.
“I feel he’s so much younger than what he is! He’s very mature but the way he gets around the young fellas is great… he definitely looks a lot younger than he is too!” Battle told saints.com.au.
“He’s a true professional in the way he goes about it and it’s been awesome to see the way he approaches it and gets up for games.
“All the defenders they love Mase and the way he’ll bust his backside off to help our defence to get back. His hands are on fire at the moment.”
Changing perceptions and second chances
So much has changed since Liam Stocker and Mason Wood first met each other on-field.
The two started as adversaries while at Carlton and North Melbourne’s respective VFL affiliates, with the former on debut doing a number on the then-Kangaroo to keep him to just four touches.
Both laugh about it now they’re in the same colours. But the Mason Wood of that time was a far cry to the one who has captivated the competition seven rounds into 2023.
“They’re polar opposites… I find it hard to believe they were the same footballer,” Stocker told saints.com.au.
The days as rivals are behind them, but how they eventually became teammates in red, white and black came no small part thanks to Wood, again taking another player under his wing.
Stocker was invited to train with St Kilda in early December after coach Ross Lyon sensed the appetite within the delisted Blue to reignite his AFL career.
The potential wariness surrounding a ready-made player who could slot straight into the line-up was non-existent for Wood, who like everyone else in the squad, had an eye to get on the front foot and solidify his standing in the team under Lyon’s new administration.
Having joined St Kilda himself via the pre-season Supplemental Selection Period like Stocker would in the ensuing weeks, Wood knew first-hand what it took to turn an audition into a leading role.
The talk of elite standards was quickly passed down to the Saints hopeful, as was the shift in mindset he had made a few seasons ago when questioning his footballing identity. A few more pointers in terms of diet saw Stocker shed the kilos. He was running as good as he ever had been. By mid-January, he was on the Saints’ list.
“He was in a position where he didn’t have to put much time into me, but he did. I thought that showed a lot of character and probably shows why he’s held in such high esteem around the group,” Stocker told saints.com.au.
“I made a commitment when I got here that I wanted to be the best professional possible and emotionally give everything so that if it didn’t work out I could just go ‘alright, I wasn’t good enough’. Mason was really good at helping me harness that.
“Effectively I’m someone coming in to take someone else’s spot in the 22, it’s a pretty weird situation to be in as an SSP, but he was just really welcoming and direct.”
Stocker has since pinned down a spot in St Kilda’s defensive unit, with tonight’s match against Port Adelaide marking his seventh straight game in the colours he grew up idolising as a child.
Just as the No. 14 has begun to consolidate his place, Wood has flourished amid what is shaping up to be a career-best season after a decade at the highest level.
The reborn 29-year-old has dominated in his role on the wing; his work-rate between the arcs and capacity to push back hard to help defensively a particular highlight from St Kilda’s blistering 5-1 start to the year.
“I think the most impressive thing about Mason is the open-mindedness to the role he’s playing,” Stocker said.
“I’ve found throughout my short career that once whoever it is gets an idea of what your identity as a footballer is, they’re quite averse to changing it. Mason’s managed to change it and become the ultimate team player.
“It seems weird to think that a guy this professional is at 100 games. It seems like he should be at 150, 160. A lot of that points to the change he had to make. That depends solely on your mindset, which is the most difficult change to make.
“He should definitely be commended for that.”
The Cook and the Chef
Frozen dinner meals were a staple of Matty Allison’s diet before he moved in with Mason Wood in November last year.
As the young Allison came to know fairly quickly, ready-made recipes plucked from the freezer section of the supermarket were – and still are – a strict no-go in the Wood residence. And don’t even get started on takeaway.
A few cooking lessons and trips to the grocery store later with his housemate/teammate in tow, Allison now knows his way around the kitchen.
Yes, it may still take the odd nudge to remember where the kitchen sink is and where the dirty dishes go – much to Wood’s chagrin – but whipping up an aromatic coconut curry, his “signature dish”, is now in his wheelhouse.
“He’s certainly pulled me up on a few things!” Allison laughed.
It’s a small snapshot into life at the Wood household, yet one that’s been a huge “eye-opener” for the untried, and currently sidelined, Saint.
Having a balanced and nutritious diet is treated in the same manner as when heading out onto the training track: do everything you possibly can to better yourself. And aren’t the results for Wood showing on-field so far.
“I absolutely love living with Mason,” Allison told saints.com.au.
“He’s got a real strict routine with his diet, sleep and recovery and it’s an eye-opener to see how guys like him prepare.
“He’s playing so well at the moment, but I get to see first-hand what he does behind the scenes to get himself ready each week.”
It doesn’t take long for the word “professional” to come up in conversation. And it won’t be the last time. Every action of Wood’s is deliberate and absorbed by his younger teammates at the dawn of their careers.
Allison and Wood both arrived at St Kilda heading into Season 2021 at two very different points of their footballing lives; the former via the National Draft and the latter via the pre-season supplemental selection period after being delisted by the Roos.
An avid North Melbourne supporter in his youth – his dad’s cousin, Brett Allison, played 219 games for the club – who loved watching Wood in the royal blue and white, the relationship has since developed into one where Allison views his housemate as an “older brother”.
That bond was solidified in Allison’s eyes only a few days after he’d moved into the Wood household.
“It was probably after the first night or two after I moved in, he sat me down and we had a two, three-hour chat about everything,” Allison recalled.
“I got a lot of things off my chest about life and footy. He was really good in terms of giving me advice on how to go about the things I was struggling with, especially with my footy.”
The locker room dynamics for any player can be a hard one to navigate early on, especially so for one fresh out of high school and trying to build new relationships with 44 other teammates.
“Maso, he had similar experiences as a young player and was able to relate to what I was saying about fitting in.
“Obviously I’m injured at the moment, but I feel like that was a real turning point for me in my career.”
Allison was flying in the pre-season and was barrelling towards a potential debut before an untimely foot injury cut his run short.
“A lot (of my pre-season form) had to do with that chat I had with him, it gave me a lot of confidence going forward,” he said.
“Because we play pretty similar positions, he’s been able to guide me through playing as a forward and playing as a winger, but above that he’s also been someone who I can go to for general life advice and someone I really appreciate.
“I grew up a North Melbourne supporter and Maso was someone I really loved watching growing up, but he’s now someone I’ve been able to go to for advice. Just like an older brother.”
Doctor’s orders
A fresh waft of cumin and paprika greets Cooper Sharman as he comes through the doors of the place he used to call home.
Chef Wood has put on a Mexican spread for the dozen-strong crew of Saints, ranging from housemates Allison and Wanganeen-Milera, Leo Connolly, Jack Bytel and several others as a whole spiced chicken, beef dishes and salads are passed down the table to begin the fiesta.
Rewind a few years ago when mid-season rookie Sharman eventually landed in Melbourne from Adelaide, via Sydney, in his incredibly unorthodox arrival to the club, it was the same: Wood had a steaming hot dinner prepped and ready to go as soon as he stepped through the doors.
It was a sign of what was to come for the inaugural ‘House of Mase’ housemate as he acclimatised to the whole new world of an elite-level footballer.
While the call to appear on Celebrity MasterChef hasn’t sounded just yet, it’s another profession where Sharman jokes that the hard-running wingman truly shines.
“He’s got the nickname of the ‘Doc’ at the moment… he’s the doctor that everyone goes to now he’s got his Sports Science degree and started his Master’s,” Sharman told saints.com.au with a grin.
“He’s the first point of contact if anyone’s got any issues, and he’s the first one to be able to tell you what’s going on with you!”
The self-diagnoses can humorously be a bit off (“like when he told all of Australia a few weeks ago that he was out for two months with a shoulder and then played the next week!” Sharman chuckles), but when faced with a serious setback during his first year as a Saint, knuckled down to take his professionalism to another level.
Bone stresses in his lower back, compounded by a hamstring injury, curtailed him to just nine appearances, serving as the perfect prelude to Wood’s elevation in preparation to a level he’d never reached previously.
“That year he took a big leap in that off-field space. He started doing a lot more stretching, trying to find ways to get more flexible for his joints and muscles to go that little bit further and hopefully reduce that injury time he’d had previously,” Sharman said.
“I suppose he thought his career was done at North and he was lucky enough that the Saints picked him up, so he tried everything he could do to make sure this stint at an AFL club lasted as long as it has. That’s the perspective I take out of it as well.
“I was given a chance at age 21, and hopefully I can make my opportunity last as long as I can as well.”
So far, the track record from those who have studied the art of professionalism under Wood has been strong. Sharman starred in his debut season with a captivating patch to close out 2021, Wanganeen-Milera delivered and then some in his first campaign in 2022, while Allison could make it three from three in 2023 once he returns from a long-term foot injury.
Sharman has since flown the nest, but has taken the lessons with him in his stride. The two still share many positional similarities, first as forwards throughout 2021 and 2022, and then as wingmen under Ross Lyon.
The passing on of knowledge is just as apparent today, with Sharman and Wood watching vision from St Kilda games just gone together and openly sharing tricks of the trade as the No. 43 looks to reclaim his place in the side.
“Maso’s definitely a sounding board for anything. He’s such a wise old head that you can have a chat about anything,” Sharman said.
“He’s a good talker and can talk for hours, but he’s always wanting to help you out as much as he can, especially now.”
A chip off the old block
Friday night won’t only be a poignant night for the milestone man.
Second-year Saint and housemate Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera will be the one to present the 100-game Wood with his playing guernsey just before the prime-time affair at Marvel Stadium, forming the crown jewel of a tight-knit bond that has manifested over the past year.
Wanganeen-Milera wasn’t the first to come under Wood’s care – that honour goes to Cooper Sharman – but he’s been nestled into their south-east abode the longest, closing in on a year in-between two separate stays at the Wood residence.
Just like Matty Allison, the wingman-turned-defender has only grown under the tutelage of his elder housemate. In fact, the flow-on effect from it was so profound, it ended up playing a key part in the No. 7’s decision to re-sign with the Saints for another two years.
“It definitely did. Having Mason here, he’s helped me settle in pretty quickly and easily,” Wanganeen-Milera told saints.com.au.
Wanganeen-Milera has lived with Wood and his partner, Mikaela, for close to 12 months; the pair putting their hand up to host a young player from interstate after Sharman’s successful stint.
Ask anyone around the club and there’s few better than Wood for a young player to gravitate towards, latch onto and learn off in the most formative stages of their career. Head of Development and Learning Damian Carroll even describes him as the unofficial “fourth development coach”.
The growth in Wanganeen-Milera has been apparent, not only in his application before, during and after training and matches which now mirrors that of his role model, but from a physical sense as well.
Wanganeen-Milera’s change in physique from lightly framed teenager to developing man has been noticeable as he embraces his new role coming off half-back. A big part behind it? You guessed it, the Doc’s diet.
The off-season focus to put on more muscle hasn’t lessened his zip as seen from the Saints’ start to 2023, while the meditation, visualisation and recovery of Wood’s has been steadily absorbed by the budding 20-year-old.
A laugh is contagious – Wood provides plenty of those, says Wanganeen-Milera – but so are the professional elements which have leeched into the young Saint’s daily and weekly routines.
“Just being with him for about a year I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to be a professional and I’ve changed the way I go about it to prepare for games.
“Along the way he’s taught me about what foods do what, portion sizes, sleeping… he’s always in bed early… I think last night he was in bed by 7:30. He tells me things he does which helps him on-field and I’ve used some of that as well, mainly the visualisation side of things and trying to implement that in my game.
“Mason loves to crack a joke, but he’s always switched on and knows what he’s doing. He’s a selfless bloke, probably one of the most selfless at the club, and helps educate others around him.”
