SHOULD Golden Square players be marching up the QEO grandstand stairs tomorrow afternoon to collect premiership medals, the loudest cheer will be reserved for the first player called out, Clayton Anderson.Two years ago Anderson was advised by doctors never to play football again after injuring his neck while representing Bendigo in an inter-league clash with Ballarat.Anderson, who was 25 at the time, had a squashed disc in his neck that pressed up against his spinal cord.Risk further damage to his spinal cord or play footy? There was no choice to make. Anderson hung up his boots.The injury cost him a place in Golden Square’s 2009 and 2010 premiership sides.Having previously played in losing grand finals with Golden Square in 2006 and Lavington in 2008, Anderson thought he was destined to never win a senior premiership.That was until the start of this year.The lure of a premiership got the better of the running defender.“I wanted to come back last year, but the doctors wouldn’t let me,’’ Anderson said.“They said I needed the extra 12 months, so I had to wait until this year.“The neck still feels a bit sore after a game, but there’s no major problem.“If Golden Square wasn’t going to contend for the flag this year, I wouldn’t have come back.“I just want to win a flag. It would mean everything to me.”Anderson’s attitude and the way he goes about his footy means everything to Golden Square.He doesn’t get the plaudits or headlines of a Simon Rosa or Grant Weeks, but there’s plenty of Golden Square followers who will tell you he’s not far below them in importance.“Last year Clayton trained all year and wanted to play, but we just couldn’t risk it,’’ Golden Square coach Nick Carter said.“Part of that was the legalities around it, but when your messing with someone’s livelihood it’s a critical situation.“The fact that he’s just playing footy this year let alone one of the key players in our back six, is a credit to the type of person Clayton is.”It didn’t take long for Anderson to prove to Carter and his team-mates that he had no psychological issues with putting his body on the line.“I think it was our second game this year and twice in a short time he ran back with the flight of the ball and stood under it,’’ Carter said.“Straight away the boys knew that Clayton knows no other way to play footy.“He’s pretty inspirational with what he’s done. He’s added to our team like you wouldn’t believe.“The best thing he brings to the table is he’s a competitor. There’s no fuss with him and he really loves the club.“He’s so proud of what the guys achieved while he’s been on the sidelines.“For him to get an opportunity this week is a great story.”Anderson has been one of Golden Square’s most consistent players this season, but it’s been far from a cruisy ride for the 27-year-old.“I cracked my fibula five minutes into the first game of the season and I missed four weeks,’’ Anderson said.“Then I had a small fracture in the other one. We had the bye the week after, so I only missed that week because I didn’t want to give up my spot in the team.“I mightn’t have got back in otherwise.”Anderson is likely to reignite a long-standing battle with Eaglehawk’s Shane Davis in tomorrow’s grand final.“I usually play on Davis... I’ve been playing on him for seven or eight years now from when he played for Gisborne,’’ he said.“Hopefully, I can get a few more kicks than I did last time we played.” A premiership would be the perfect way to finish a career, but Anderson hasn’t ruled out playing on next year.“I haven’t thought about next year yet,’’ he said.“I know a lot of the boys are keen to play on again next year.“I’ll just get through Saturday first and see what happens from there.”Win, lose or draw, Carter is hoping Anderson goes around again.“I said to Clayton after the second semi-final, ‘how does this feel?,’’ Carter said.“He said that all the hard work he’d done had paid off.“We’ve potentially got a couple of guys who might retire after the weekend.“He may or may not be one of those, but the way Clayton has played this year he could keep going for three or four years.“He’s been through a train wreck and come out the other side pretty well.”