Graham Johncock knows fatherhood has changed him for the better.

And it was never more evident to him than this week when he returned home after the shattering loss to Collingwood in Melbourne.

“A bad loss like that used to get me down for days on end,” Johncock said. “But arriving home to my two smiling babies lifts my spirits and puts it all into perspective.”

Johncock’s smiling babies are daughters 20-month-old Felicity and 10-day-old Nevaeh.

Partner Jade Warren was good enough to give birth to Nevaeh on Friday night prior to Johnock’s stellar 31 disposal performance against the Gold Coast Suns in Round eight.

It is obvious to those around the club that Johncock is relishing his new found
off-field responsibilities and perhaps now it is revealed to the wider football community why Johncock had such a wonderfully consistent season last year.

Johncock finished fifth in the Club’s best and fairest even though he only managed to play 15 of a possible 22 games. He averaged 21 disposals and led the Crows in rebounds with his line breaking runs from defence.

Crows General Manager of Football Operations Phil Harper says it has been really pleasing to see Johncock blossom.

“He has always been a strong family person and from what I am seeing fatherhood has brought out the best of him, both on and off the field,” he said.

Johncock himself is in no doubt that his consistency and form can be attributed largely to his family life.

“Before, I used to get caught up in the hype around footy - I lived and breathed it,” Johncock conceded.

“Injury, form, being dropped - it would get me down. Now I have a clearer perspective - there is more to my life than footy.”

Johnock also understands now why fellow team mates and “dads” such as Scott Thompson and Ben Rutten, and in the past Andrew McLeod, found it hard being away from their young families when they played interstate.

“You miss them terribly and it is hard on them too because they don’t understand. The only upside is that I get an unbroken sleep,” Johncock chuckled.

Johncock, who has played 192 games for the Club since his AFL debut against the Bulldogs in 2002, is chuffed that daughter Felicity is now starting to recognise her daddy on the television.

“Jade says she gets quite hysterical when she sees me,” he said.

Look out for young Felicity making her own appearance on the footy field later this year, alongside her dad, when he plays his 200th.