TO EXPLAIN how Port Adelaide great Robbie Gray became the AFL's king of clutch, former teammate Kane Cornes tells a story about the Power players' old NBA Fantasy competition.
The smartest player Cornes ever played with, Gray's IQ allowed him to be a step ahead of opponents when the game was on the line, and it gave him an edge over teammates when it came to friendly competition.
Couple that with a ruthless competitive edge and supreme skill and you have a winner, on an off the field.
"He always used to win our NBA Fantasy competition, and I'd ask him what his secret was," Cornes told AFL.com.au this week.
FADE TO GRAY Port great calls time on a glittering career
"He said I've got this secret formula but I'm not telling anyone. It's my own secret formula.
"I texted him about it the other day, and I said you know that secret formula you had, now that we don't play anymore can you tell me what it was, and he still wouldn't.
"So it was just that IQ … he was a cunning poker player too."
The moments that cemented Gray's reputation as one of the AFL's great clutch players include his after-the-siren goal from the boundary against Carlton in 2020, and a magical final-minute stoppage goal against St Kilda in 2017.
In 2021, he kicked difficult late goals against Richmond in round four, and then the Western Bulldogs in round 23, with that final-round effort securing the Power a home qualifying final.
Cornes said there was no coincidence behind Gray consistently being in the right position as matches hung in the balance.
"He's the smartest footballer I think I've played with, and he has the ability to sense the moment and understand what his teammates are trying to do up the field," Cornes said.
"He probably just thought one or two seconds ahead of his opponent to be able to forecast where the ball might be going.
"So his IQ would be No.1 for me. Then he just had the desire to have the footy in his hands when it mattered. They're the two things."
An undersold aspect of Gray's career was the way he used his footy IQ to support teammates, either by blocking or clearing space in the forward line or at stoppages. He also used it to be ready to play multiple roles whenever the team needed.
Cornes believes the 34-year-old is the closest player the AFL has had to Geelong and Gold Coast legend Gary Ablett Jnr, making the comparison when the midfielder/forward first arrived at the Power at the end of 2006.
"He'd just been drafted and didn't really look like a footballer, but from the minute he started playing in these handball games you could tell there was something special about him," Cornes said.
"We instantly likened him to Gary Ablett Jnr with his movement and the way he was going about it, so there was definitely something special about him.
"No one's played that role better apart from Gary Ablett as a small forward that is also destructive around the clearances when they go onball."
Gray could have been wasted if he was played predominantly as a midfielder, Cornes said, with the sharpshooter sitting second behind champion forward Warren Tredrea on the all-time Power goalkicking list with 365.
He also sits second to Tredrea when debating who has been the club's greatest player. But Cornes, who played alongside Tredrea for 10 years and Gray for nine, says Gray produced the bigger body of work.
It's a resume that now includes three best and fairest awards (2014, 2015, 2016), four All-Australian blazers (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018), the Power's leading goalkicker award (2011, 2017), the AFL Coaches Association Award (2014), and a record five Showdown medals (2010, 2015, twice in 2018, 2019).
His 2014 season, which saw him win the Power's best and fairest award by a massive 143-vote margin to second-placed midfielder Travis Boak, was the period that stands out, finishing the year with 42 goals and averages of 24.9 disposals and 5.8 clearances.
Making that year even more special was Gray's ability to rebound from a devastating knee injury against Collingwood early in 2012 and become a dominant forward/midfielder.
"That was the best individual season that I've seen first-hand … and it was the best individual season any Port Adelaide player has played," Cornes said.
"To see him in his absolute prime after that knee injury, there would have been some dark times with that knee.
"I remember him being in the doctor's room and they were just trying to get him to wiggle his little toe, and he couldn't. That's how bad it got.
"To go from that to being what I thought was the best player in the comp two years later is phenomenal."
Gray's retirement this week has been sad for teammates, who have paid tribute to the contribution he has made to the Power and the support he has given the younger players he mentors.
Teammate Dan Houston said sending the Victorian out the right way was important and provided a great sense of motivation for the round 23 Showdown.
"We're sad, but we're really grateful that we got to and go out to play with him one last time," Houston told AFL.com.au.
"It's a huge game being a Showdown, but it's an even bigger game being Robbie's last game and we want to make sure he comes off the ground with a smile on his face and a win.
"There's nothing more important than that at the moment."
