Sydney recruit Taylor Adams has admitted he will never get over the pain of missing out on an AFL premiership at Collingwood.
Adams was one of the heartbreak stories of the Magpies’ season after suffering a hamstring injury on the eve of the club’s preliminary final.
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The 30-year-old, who was vice-captain, was then arguably the biggest shock of the trade period when he left the Pies to join Sydney.
Fronting the media for the first time in his new club, Adams became emotional as he discussed his exit from Collingwood.
“It’s been a really difficult eight weeks, it certainly played a role in a small part of me probably wanting to remove myself from the club, in a sense,” Adams said on Monday.
“I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over that … it’s not just me, it’s my family, my support network, people at the footy club who put so much time and effort in and then you fall one hurdle short.
“It’s heartbreaking … and it was so bittersweet because there were so many people at the footy club who I’ve been side-by-side with for 10 or so years who I knew deserved it, and I was extremely happy for them, but you just want to be a part of it.”
Adams signed a three-year deal at the Swans and hopes to return to an inside midfield role after he was forced to the half-forward line during this year at Collingwood.
“The decision was based on footy. I was clearly playing out of my preferred role,” Adams said.
“To be honest the biggest reason (for joining Sydney) was I felt my footy was on the decline. I felt like I had more to give.
“(Sydney) have identified that their stoppage work had room for improvement last year and maybe their on-field leadership so hopefully I can have an impact in both of those parts of the game.
“I still think I’ve got my best footy ahead of me.”
Adams also said his career would be unfulfilled if he didn’t win a premiership after two near-misses at the Magpies.
And after joining the club, along with star ruckman Brodie Grundy, former Fremantle defender Joel Hamling and ex-Demon James Jordon, Adams believes they have the perfect list to challenge for the flag.
“I’m 30 years old, just turned 30 and missed out on a premiership. I’ve been playing for 12 years, chasing one of those,” Adams said.
“You’d go as far as saying my career would be unfulfilled if I didn’t get one.
“I know that’s a bold statement but I’ve packed up my life and moved myself and my family up here.
“I believe that we’ve got the list and the coaching panel and the support network to get it done at some point in the next three years.”
Former Collingwood teammate Grundy joins Sydney after a season at the Demons that began with the hopes of forming a ruck-forward partnership with captain Max Gawn.
It ended with Grundy playing only one senior game after round 17.
But with the chance to have worked alongside six-time All-Australian Gawn at a flag-contending club, Grundy insists he is not bitter.
“I don’t have any regrets about my time at Melbourne,” he said.
“If I was really attached and fixed, then that year, I’d be framing that as a negative but that’s definitely not the case.
“Like any good management or any good team you have to sit down and think about, ‘Is this working?’
“Credit to Melbourne and my team, we were just pretty honest and forthright.
“I think everyone’s happy and I get to go on and try to play some senior footy and contribute hopefully really meaningfully to this side.”
Grundy will fill the spot vacated by the retired Tom Hickey and is keen to work under former West Coast premiership ruckman Dean Cox, now an assistant coach at the Swans.
“I really identify with the way that he played his football,” Grundy said.
“I actually remember having a beer with him, he might not even remember, maybe in my second or third year, at our manager’s Christmas party.
“I was probably 20, 21. Now to have him be my mentor here, that younger version of me would be saying ‘Well done, that’s a great outcome’.”
– With AAP