UP UNTIL his retirement, Tom Logan admits that all he knew was football.
The no-frills defender was drafted straight out of high school in 2003 and spent the next 12 years playing in the AFL for Brisbane and Port Adelaide.
“I hadn't really experienced much outside of football since my time as an 18-year-old getting drafted, I had no real direction of where I wanted to go,” Logan said.
It’s a common reality for AFL and AFLW players when they come to the end of their playing days.
It’s also a familiar feeling for those who retire from the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Both players and veterans have spent their lives in high-performing environments that are all consuming.
Once they can no longer serve or compete, they’re dauntingly required to transition to a life away from all they have known.
Ash Muir recounts the challenges he faced when he left the Air Force after nearly two decades worth of service.
“I was medically discharged after 18 years. I guess the challenge for me was not really knowing where I belonged anymore. Not really knowing who I was,” Muir said.
“What did I tell people that I did now? Because often you get asked questions now, what sort of work do you do. And for the first couple of years, I really didn't know what to tell people.”
As Logan and Muir navigated their transition, the pair connected through the Port Adelaide Football Club.
The Power shares a long and rich history with the ADF, with more than 160 past and present players serving in the armed forces, and recognised the similarities between the two cohorts and created a six-week program.
The program links former players with ADF personnel to support their transition by providing support, learning and guidance.
After retiring, Logan was invited to be a guest speaker, thanks to his strong relationship with the Power’s community staff.
“I jumped at the opportunity. I was a bit nervous about it all to be honest with you, not really knowing what to expect,” Logan said.
“I really enjoyed it and I found that I could connect with a fair few of the veterans. Even after the first session I did, the amount of questions that they wanted to ask.
“It makes you think, maybe I can provide something here. Even if it's just a tiny bit, if I can connect my story to theirs.
“If they can just get one little bit out of my story to help them with transitioning out of the defence force into the real world. It's rewarding.”
Despite having no prior connection to football in general, let alone the Port Adelaide Football Club, Muir decided to sign up to the program.
“I didn't watch AFL, wasn't a football supporter, didn't follow any club, let alone Port Adelaide, but I saw it as an opportunity for growth or learning,” Muir said.
“But within a couple of weeks, I'm like, you know what, I love what this club does for veterans and for defence.
“It kind of felt like I belonged somewhere. So I guess over those last couple of weeks, I tried to build some connections with the facilitators to see how I could stay involved.”
Significantly, it was Tom Logan’s speech that inspired Muir to put his hand up for ongoing role with the club.
Logan now works as a carpenter but had to get out of his comfort zone in order to find purpose after football.
“I possibly hold the record in the AFL for the most one-year contracts. I got eight one-year contracts at Port,” Logan said.
“During my career, there were a lot of opportunities for me on my day off to go study, to work on life after football.
“But being on the one-year contract, I probably used that as an excuse to do extra work on my football career.
“I guess looking back, I wish I'd put steps in place to move into my next career, whatever that was to be.
“I was painting with one of my best mates and he owns a painting business and I remembered back when I was in Year 10 that maybe a carpentry apprenticeship would be something that I'd be interested in.
“I made a few phone calls, which wasn't something I was really comfortable with, to be honest with you. I got phone numbers of builders and just asked for an opportunity. That's how it started.”
Muir could relate.
“When you hear those stories, you're kind of going, ‘You know what? It's not just me.’ And so there's that relatability where you kind of go. It's okay that I don't have my stuff together,” Muir said.
“It's okay that I don't necessarily know what my immediate future plan is. Because Tom didn't know what his was, and that makes me feel a bit better.”
“Having heard him speak, I was like, ‘You know what? This is what he did. He showed courage. He made phone calls. He got the phone book out. He just followed these things up. You know what? I'm just going to say what I want to do.’”
The program had a similar impact on Air Force Veteran Andy Materne, who served for 29 years in the Air Force where he completed five tours of the Middle East.
“The program came about at the perfect timing for me - throughout the six-week format I was transitioning from full-time service,” Materne said.
“Throughout the program I got to listen firsthand from former AFL players and staff of the Port Adelaide Football Club and in doing so, I gained some practical tools and strategies on transitioning into “civilian life”.
“There are so many similarities between serving in the ADF and being an AFL player from the high-performing environment, especially around structures, for example being told what to do and where to be daily.
“Hearing from players like Dom Cassisi and Tom Logan showed that we in the ADF aren’t alone in feeling the same way about transition and there is hope to find purpose and identity.”
Both Muir and Materne have continued their association with the club as alumni of the program.
Muir is now the program’s facilitator, whilst Materne helps with the AFLW side.
“(I) assist coaches and staff in preparation for trainings as well as run water for the players and help out when needed throughout the duration of training,” Materne said.
“The program has helped dramatically by giving me a new sense of purpose and a place I feel a part of.
“Being in the ADF you have a strong sense of team and the comradery that comes with that. That was the one thing I was nervous about leaving the military, missing out on that, but being involved in this program has eased my transition.”
Muir explains a typical evening as part of the program which is open to both men and women.
“The first hour is generally the guest presenter and we'll talk about whatever the topic is of the night. It's casual, it's open, there's questions,” Muir said.
“Then we then go back to the high-performance centre and do some physical activity. It might be handball games, it might be kicking.
“That's followed by dinner provided by the club, which is probably one of the most important parts of the entire session.
“It's an opportunity to maybe reconnect with people that you haven't seen for many years. For others, it might be making new connections or talking to new people.”
Muir admits initially he didn’t know how the partnership between the ADF and Port Adelaide came about.
“I guess early on I didn't quite understand why the Port Adelaide Football Club was doing things for defence and for veterans and for defence families,” Muir said.
“The more I was involved and I started to understand the history of having over 160 past players having served across all wars and the pride that they have in those stories.
“The medals are in the museum at the football club. It's not tokenistic, it's not an opportunity to get memberships. The club really cares about defence and veterans because of their history.”
Back in his playing days Logan was commonly described as courageous.
Logan was twice awarded the Anthony Williams Memorial Trophy for the most courageous Port Adelaide player in the SANFL as well as being voted by his Port teammates as the club’s Most Courageous at the AFL Player’s Association’s MVP Awards.
But his experience with the ADF has put his bravery into context.
“Their courageous is on a totally different scale to mine. I was just chasing around a footy,” Logan said.
“Some would say mine wasn't really courageous at times. It was probably stupidity.
“They're on the front line, a few of them. It's a whole different type of courageous what a few of these people have been through.
“They're not really comparable, to be honest with you. That's how I feel anyway.”