Patrick Cripps - Interview after making the 2024 All-Australian Team - AFL Awards

cppo ladies and gentlemen extraordinary footballers uh Maxi we'll get to the seven time in a moment but I was just asking both you guys as the package was going to air how do you like watching your highlights packages uh well as a Rockman your highlights package obviously isn't as good as the rest of them so um I always think it's better than what it is and you go back and you have a little watch and you're like yeah that's not actually that good is it what about yourself Pat yeah it's I'm a bit the same as Maxi sometimes you're in the moment you think they're better than what they are and then um it's just a set shot 308 directly in front but um no sometimes pregame I watch a bit of highlights to get myself pumped up but um yeah in these moments it's uh can be a bit awkward you watch highlights yourself pregame well a bit of motivation um yeah sometimes when you're down on form you might flick through but um yeah not all the time but sometimes um it can be a pretty stressful job so you think the role of the Ruckman is harder than the role of the midfielder well talking backstage and cripp a Ruck this year and he said that was the hardest couple of minutes of his um of his year how do you go rock uh it's definitely challenging it's um feel like Maxi it's a you sort of learn a bit of a different craft we more got thrown into it just had a few injuries but um as a year went on I started picking TDK and PTO brains and a little bit of a Ru craft but um yeah definitely it taxes you in different ways and zaps you so um your appreciation for rck definitely goes through the roof so um might be taking big Max on next year I look forward to seeing that um incredible moments at the end of the season obviously the Higgins goal and then you you sat there and watched um I think quite as a group what what was the emotional roller coaster crippy because at one point freem Manel in front you're probably having a a quiet beer on Monday next Port come strong and you've got two more weeks to prepare for a final yeah it was a terrible 3 hours Howe um absolutely hated every minute of it um there something about when you're playing you're in some sort of control but when that gets taken out of your hands um and the way it did it sort of felt a bit like dja Vu of 2022 for us so we're just lucky enough there was another game that could dictate our sort of Our Fate so um going back to the club rooms was was great from a connection point of view and everyone's sort of sitting around I couldn't watch the last quarter I went downstairs with Georgie hu we uh just watched the score I couldn't write every every emotion you were just watching what the app oh we sort of had in the background just having a having a quiet one and um yeah it was sort of just sitting there and just hoping for the best and then um we said we wouldn't go there unless there was a minute to go and they're right but I cut the goals which happened to be so then we carried on like we'd won and Monday morning mate I've never been more happy after a loss in my life so it felt like we generally won so it's been a it was a crazy crazy sort of five six hours but um the best thing was even we did win would be in the exact same position so hopefully we carry a bit of that momentum throw yeah hopefully um we watch you play and you obviously went to the West Coast Eagles and they had so many injuries Carton and it was like well this could be the end of carton season and the first five minutes of that game it was I watched it a couple times it was like you right we're not losing this game where do you put yourself mentally and physically at at that point when the season is on the line you've got injuries you've traveled to Western Australia you're in the middle and you're the skipper cripper yeah I I I love those challenges it's um probably didn't trated it two differently but one thing I reckon in in games when really started to matter later in the year that um you know there's fear can sometimes creep into guys mind so um I just wanted to really go out there and say I'm going to fail I'd rather fail having a crack so um really trying you know give as much effort um know we had a younger team uh in that week so just try to give those younger boys a lot of confidence and Clarity in their role but um as a lady you sort of want to go out and set the example so tried to do that and um yeah that was one of my most enjoyable wins as a as a as a player and also as a captain and see some of these young fellas smile off the game and carry on a bit and just get the taste of what AFL foot is like um he's rewarding when you youve you've been captain of the club for a little bit M time all Australian four time all Australian uh enjoy your off season Maxi you'll be back bigger than better the next year and Patrick good luck to you and the Caron football club moving forward thanks har