After 14 gruelling rounds of bone crunching football, a week off for the bye couldn’t have come fast enough for the Cats. Many Geelong players have planned interstate trips, while some have flown north to escape the cold - but not Patrick Dangerfield.
During his eight years at Adelaide, Paddy would use the mid-season bye to fly back to his family home at Moggs Creek. Now with his loved ones just a drop punt away, I caught up with the superstar to find out what he has planned for his five days off.
We may be in the grips of one of the coldest winters in decades, but that won’t stop Danger from jumping into the icy cold water along the Great Ocean Road.
“The waves have been pretty good the past couple of weeks so there’s a fair chance I’ll hang around for a few days and my wife and I might get away after that.” Dangerfield said.
Paddy isn’t the only Cat who’s been bitten by the surfing bug.
“Scott Selwood’s a very good surfer but he obviously has to be a bit careful with his ankle so he enjoys getting out. George Horlin-Smith is useless but there are quite a few that enjoy it.”
It’s no wonder surfing is so popular among the Geelong boys, not only does it provide the perfect way to escape the stress of professional football but the chilly water doubles as a makeshift ice bath recovery.
Weighing in at 90 kilograms and standing 188 centimetres tall (6 foot 2) Paddy is the prefect physique for a modern day AFL midfielder, but being 17 kilograms heavier and 13 centimetres taller than 11-time World Surfing Champion Kelly Slater, he concedes he’s not built for the pro tour.
“I’ve been using a 6 foot 2 Haydenshapes surfboard, it takes my weight pretty well. I’m a fair bit heavier than the Whippets around my home surf break.”
But Dangerfield’s love affair with the ocean isn’t just limited to chasing the perfect wave. Like teammates Tom Hawkins, Joel Selwood, Steven Motlop and Rhys Stanley, Paddy also loves fishing and is keen to get out on the water during the break.
“If the surf’s good that’s generally what we do but I haven’t had the boat out for a while so hopefully we’ll be able to get out and chase a fish.”
“I’ve only had the boat a couple of months and I’ve just moved houses so hopefully over the next couple of weeks there’s a long list of guys that want to come out so hopefully we get out.”
Paddy mainly targets fish species around Anglesea but is keen to go game fishing along the Wild West Coast of Victoria.
“Yeah Snapper or Whiting and I’m hopeful at some stage I can get down to Apollo Bay because there’s been a lot of Tuna down there lately. So the Boat Show has been on and I’ve been speaking to a lot of people who have been getting some really good Tuna, so it would be great to get down there.”
When you take a look at Paddy’s lifestyle it is no wonder he’s in career-best form and red hot favourite to win the Brownlow medal. But individual success isn’t what motivates him.
“To be honest what I crave is a Premiership, so we need to get ourselves into the best position to finish as high as we possibly can to give ourselves the best chance when September comes.” Dangerfield said.
After three straight games on the hard Etihad Stadium surface, the icy cold waters of Moggs Creek will work wonders to prepare Dangerfield for another dominant three months of football and hopefully greatness.
Go Cats!
Sean Sowerby
Channel 7 News Weekend Sports Presenter/Reporter
Proud Geelong FC Member
@SeanSowerby7
