Down and almost out but Simpson's still standing
Dawson Simpson knows a bit about disappointment. It's hard not to when you come into your 11th season with just 30 games next to your name.
Team balance, injuries, form ... he has heard all the reasons why he has been overlooked over the years. But there was an extra sting when Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron told him before round one that he would be missing out to Rory Lobb.
Simpson had trained as the Giants' number one ruckman over the preseason and played the role in the practice matches while Lobb was injured. He had thought it was his turn, belatedly, to be the one getting the breaks.
"That was a bitter pill to swallow for me," Simpson told Fairfax Media after earning a recall for Saturday's game against Fremantle. "It took a couple of days to grab hold of myself and say "you've been here before" and go again."
Breaking the news to his wife Allira was "one of the hardest things I had to do," Simpson said. The pair and their then four-week old daughter Isla moved north to Sydney in 2015 after the big man was let go by Geelong.
"The biggest disappointment was that moment telling her and seeing her face and her in tears," Simpson, who was also in tears, said.
"For it not to happen, it was hard for her to hear. She was so supportive of me. The heartbreak on her face was tough for me to take.
"In a way they'd never say this, they probably don't feel like it, but I felt like I had let them down because of how much we'd been through."
Life changes with a newborn, as any new parent will attest, even more so when you've moved to a city where you don't have friends or family to turn to for support.
Simpson's first year at the Giants did not go according to plan. He was not playing well. He did not play a senior game. He even contemplated retirement.
"I was really questioning chasing the AFL dream because I'd had a newborn baby and we moved to Sydney to follow my career," Simpson said.
"There were times midway through the year I was in poor form and questioning where I was at.
"We went through a helluva lot of trials and heartache, the things that come with a young family
with no support other than the wonderful support of the footy club. It was a bloody hard decision."
Simpson rated last year as his "most consistent". He starred in the NEAFL and broke through for two games late in the season when Shane Mumford was injured, only to be left out for the finals.
Things, however, had changed. Simpson had been under no illusions Mumford was the "main man" when he arrived and he was the back-up if things went wrong, but he now felt he was a genuine challenger for the number one ruck position.
Simpson had always trained hard, but Mumford's retirement in the offseason gave him extra motivation.
"I attacked it with more vigour than I otherwise might have," Simpson said. "You can taste it, it's right there."
Simpson is the first to admit his career has had more downs than ups. When he started at Geelong he had premiership ruckmen Brad Ottens and Mark Blake in front of him. When he started getting opportunities, he was hit by serious injuries - three back operations and a dislocated knee that required surgery.
Some of Simpson's fellow 2007 draftees have pushed past 200 games, others well past 150. Simpson plays game number 31 on Saturday but, unlike many from his year, he's still standing. Ironically, it is injury to Robb (bone bruising) that has opened the door.
"The thing I hang my hat on is I've always given everything I've got in every situation I put myself into, which I believe is the reason I'm still at the highest level and playing Saturday," Simpson said.
"I don't think there's too many players in their 11th year on the amount of games I've played and still hung around.
"My greatest strength is the willingness and determination to give it my all. It hasn't always worked out the best, but in a way it's kept me here.
"What happened in round one, that will drive me this weekend.
"I've got as much belief as I ever have. I really hope it's the year I stamp myself."