I still can’t believe this. Pies 2023 premiers!

AND The Age asked me to commentate the game happening in my brain for all of Grand Final week.

The Age Grand Final Diaries was a dream writing brief that sat in my thoughts every waking hour. Sure, my brain would’ve been full of magpies and nerves anyway, but this was way different. 

When you take a huge mark, you need to gather yourself and put it through the middle. The pressure to convert The Age’s and my Collingwood friends’ faith with ideas, thoughts and words each day was wild.

Not to mention that each of the pieces I wrote went straight up to the top, middle of The Age website as soon as I wrote them. I’ll never forget the weird feeling of seeing my face top centre of the site, when I checked my phone minutes before the game started. What a way to make a nervy time even nervier!

But that pressure was made so much easier with all that barracking from so many. I was amazed with how many friends and people I’ve worked with over the years contacted me to tell me how much they were enjoying it. Even more amazing were the strangers at Collingwood training and at the game itself who stopped me with “You’re that diaries guy,” and “Loving the thing you’re doing in The Age, mate.”

Thank you to everyone who got in contact. Your nice words lifted me even higher. 

This couldn’t have come at a better time. I loved every minute of it, especially the moment the siren went and we won the Grand Final.

What’s next? Who knows.

You can read the diaries here.