Miers keen to light up big stage again
Gryan Miers has shown he can do it on the big stage before.
The Geelong small forward is only 20, and approaching his first AFL finals series, but that doesn't faze him greatly. Nor should it. Miers is a proven finals performer.
Two years ago he booted seven goals in the grand final against Sandringham to haul the Geelong Falcons to a thrilling TAC Cup premiership.
Still sporting the dreadlocked look from that night at Docklands, Miers said that performance gave him confidence for Friday night's qualifying final against Collingwood at the MCG.
"Yeah, it does," Miers said. "I've always wanted to be a big-game player.
"I feel the good players rise in the big moments. So I think that's what I'm striving for.
"I think in our past in Geelong we've been very good in the home-and-away season, we've kind of fallen away from that in the finals. We're trying to make sure that doesn't happen this year."
That confidence comes from an inner sense of calm. Miers is a laid-back character and knows football isn't the be-all and end-all.
"I'm quite relaxed. I don't really get anxious or nervous before the games.
"Maybe sometimes I might feel a little bit of nervousness, but I just think of it like, the sun will rise the next day, it's not going to affect the world. I'll still be alive, it's just a game of football."
Miers didn't play a senior game in 2018 but after making his debut against the Pies in round one, the goalsneak hasn't missed a game, finishing with 25 majors.
"I'm quite happy with my year," he said.
"Playing every game, I definitely wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting to play round one, and kind of felt lucky to get the call-up. I've just tried to hold my spot from there.
"But I'm quite happy with how it's gone. I've had some ups and downs in the second half of the year, but it's great learning for my future.
"[The message from coaches] hasn't really changed since round one. Just apply pressure and use the ball well, hold my spot I guess."
Miers lined up on Pies defender Tom Langdon back in March, but with Langdon sidelined through injury the youngster will have a different opponent this time around.
A Brisbane Lions fan growing up – because his first name rhymes with Lion – Miers only attended one final as a kid, a forgettable losing semi-final against the Western Bulldogs in 2009.