GRYAN Miers grew up wanting to do exactly what he is doing right now. But when it is all over, the young Cat already has a plan in place for what's next.
At 23, life after football might not be for another seven or eight years – maybe even a decade, if everything goes to plan – but it will still involve watching plenty of football all over the country.
When Miers fractured his fibula in round seven last season – and again late in the season – he headed down to the recruiting department inside GMHBA Stadium and asked to be put to work.
Under the watch of Geelong list boss Andrew Mackie, veteran talent spotter Stephen Wells and recruiter Liam Woodland, Miers was assigned projects to analyse types of players – live and on the computer – and write reports on prospects.
Miers ended up writing reports on four players Geelong drafted last November after watching NAB League and school games, where he watched Ollie Dempsey playing for Carey Grammar before the Cats made him one of the biggest surprise picks of 2021.
Safe to say the Geelong Falcons product has caught the recruiting bug, much like Hawthorn star James Sicily did during his 18 months on the sidelines while recovering from an ACL tear. Those inside Geelong's recruiting team believe Miers has the eye for spotting talent, a great understanding of the game and the pathways.
But for now, Miers will put that work on the back-burner on Friday night when the Cats go to work against Brisbane in another preliminary final – No.8 in 12 years under Chris Scott's watch – at the MCG.
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"Last year was the first injury I ever had in my career and I thought to myself, 'OK at any moment your whole career can change, it could change this weekend, you could get injured or you could just never get back in the team'. I want to always be prepared," Miers told AFL.com.au at GMHBA Stadium this week.
"I want to stay in footy. I'm very lucky to have people around me that are in the areas I want to get into and I'm using them as resources. Liam Woodland has helped me out heaps this year. The goal is to become a list manager one day, at this stage. You never really know where your career takes you but I know recruiting is a pathway into that.
"Any time I've been injured over the last year or two, I’ve gone to the under-18 champs or down to games or watched vision at home and done some reports. It's quite funny, I did reports on four of our draftees from last year about what I like about them and what I don't like about them, now they are some of my best mates, so it's very interesting and pretty awesome to get that opportunity."
Since arriving at the Cats via pick No.57 in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft, Miers' role has evolved from crafty goal sneak to a more hybrid forward across the past two seasons, following the big money acquisition of Jeremy Cameron at the end of 2020 and the bargain signing of Tyson Stengle less than 12 months ago.
With Cameron earning a third All-Australian blazer – and almost winning a second Coleman – and Stengle rising from the scrapheap to the team of the year in his first season at Kardinia Park – plus a fifth All-Australian selection for Tom Hawkins at the age of 34, it has been far less about goals and scoreboard impact for Miers in 2022.
"It has changed this year with the addition of Tyson Stengle this year and Jeremy Cameron last year. When I was playing last year and 'Jezza' wasn't playing and vice versa. That's been different again this year," he said.
"When I came in, I probably had more of a set role over the last few years, we had a set forward line and pretty much the same seven played every week for three years straight. This year I'm more of a hybrid, filling the roles of others when they're on the bench or tired because I know the forward structures really well and feel I can contribute that way. That's what I've done this year."
The manner in which Cameron and Stengle were recruited by Geelong couldn't be much different – one cost a fortune, the other was a delisted free agent – isn't lost on Miers, who loves the different avenues for acquiring talent in this game.
After breaking into Geelong’s side for the first time in round one 2019, Miers has played 81 times in the famous hoops, including the 2020 Grand Final at the Gabba around 10 other finals appearances.
While not the same stage, Miers produced one of the most famous TAC Cup Grand Final performances ever when he kicked seven goals to help the Falcons win the premiership in 2017, in a performance that still fuels his confidence.
"It's a bit of a cliché, but this weekend is just another game of footy, just with a bit more intensity and more fans watching. Growing up I was always a big game player, at least that's what I thought. I basically got drafted on the back of my TAC Cup Grand Final performance and then getting the AFL experience it only helps. But it is a new game, so playing well last week doesn't help. We'll need to go out and play our roles," he said.
"The TAC Cup Grand Final wasn't just an easy win, we only won because they missed a goal after the siren, so it was a really hard-fought win. I was kicking goals genuinely a bit lucky but it showed what I can do and it showed I don’t get overawed by the moment. Really my career relied on that moment to deliver, so I don't know why I can’t keep doing that. I do look back at it and think I can keep doing it."
When the 2022 season finally finishes, the boy from Grovedale will turn his attention to the selections the Cats will make in November's NAB AFL Draft. That can wait for now.
