Originally Posted by
westdog54
I'm feeling two overwhelming emotions.
The first is immense sadness. And not just for the fact that well never see Tom play again, nor that well never see him realise his potential.
As many on here know, I'm a Police Officer, and next month I tick over ten years since marching out of Glen Waverley.
In that ten years I've seen what happens when a person's mental health fails them.
I've seen people I love, admire and respect become shells of their former selves because of demons within. As such, the thought of a person's metal health cutting a career short hits very, very close to home.
Balancing that out, however, is the feeling of immense gratitude I'll always carry with me when I think of Tom.
Not just for his heroics on that wonderful grand final day and all the other highlights Tom gave us over the years.
I'm grateful to his family for the wonderful, humble young man he was sculpted into.
I'm grateful for the junior coaches who started him on his journey.
I'm grateful to Peter Gordon and Jason McCartney for deciding not to take Ryan Griffen's departure lying down, instead taking an insane gamble on an unproven talent.
I'm grateful for Luke Beveridge and his team of coaches for homing Tom's talent and showing the faith in him.
I'm grateful to the supporters in his life that have nursed him through what must surely have been a horrific last two years.
But most of all I'm grateful to Tom himself. For having enough faith in our club to commit as strongly to us as no 19 year old has ever done. For stoically enduring the worst our game can offer up simply to be one of us.
Grateful that, when 'The Stadium held it's breath', fate chose to side with us.
Most of all, however, I'm grateful simply that he's still here to make the decision to walk away from it all.
Thank you Tom. Thank you for everything. Go well. You'll always be one of us.