Gisborne midfielder rides highs and lows in chase of premiership dream

Without her he wouldn't be playing with Gisborne in the BFNL grand final against Strathfieldsaye.

After a string of knee injuries put his footy career on hold, Minns moved from Gisborne to Western Australia in the early stages of 2020.

He returned to his hometown midway through this year to attend his sister's wedding.

The 25-year-old midfielder never made the trip back to WA and on Saturday will pull on the red, white and blue jumper as his beloved Bulldogs attempt to win their first premiership since 2006.

"When I was back for my sister's wedding I went down to training to catch up with the boys and have a run around,'' Minns said.

"Afterwards I said to (Gisborne coach) Robbie (Waters), 'stuff it, I'm staying'.

"I didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to play finals with the club, so I thought I'd give it another crack.

"My knees have been crook for a while.

"I've had two ACLs and then I ruptured my patella tendon and I had to have surgery on that.

"That was a couple of years ago, so I thought I was probably done with footy and I moved to WA in that first COVID year.

"I didn't play footy in WA at all, so it had been two-and-a-half years since I'd had a kick before I pulled the boots back on with Gisborne halfway through this year."

Minns made his senior debut with the Bulldogs as a 15-year-old in 2013 - the year after the club played in its last grand final.

Minns has ridden some highs and lows in his time at the club.

"I've seen the other side of it when the club was struggling for a few years, so to be back up the top is fantastic,'' Minns said.

"It's a great group at the club and we're all best mates. We're having a lot of fun.

"It's a young group as well, so we should be up near the top for a few years to come as well."

That plethora of young talent coming through the club meant Minns was not an automatic selection upon his return midway through the season.

His fragile knees took some managing through a wet winter as well.

"I gritted my teeth and have done the best I can to get through,'' he said.

"I'm still underdone, but I've tried to get myself in the best position I could fitness wise.

"Luckily, I've kept my spot in the team and here we are in a grand final."

The Bulldogs haven't been at their best during the finals series, but they've still managed to qualify for the big dance.

Minns said his side has another gear to find.

"At the end of the season we weren't training on a good ground,'' Minns said of Gisborne's difficulties with finding a dry ground to train on.

"I think four of our last five games were at home in the mud at Gardiner Reserve.

"The big, dry ground at the QEO we weren't acclimatised to, so after a couple of finals games there in a row I think we'll be better for it.

"When we played Kyneton at Gardiner, it was one of the first games I played this year, is when we played the best footy I've seen us play.

"I don't think we've got back to that level since, so there's room for us to improve on Saturday for sure.

"We're confident we can get to that level again."

The grand final berth came on the back of a tense two-point preliminary final win over Golden Square.

As Gisborne players belted out the club song last Saturday, there were few more excited than Minns.

"It's been a long time coming, it was very exciting,'' Minns said.

"I've played in a few semi-finals and a couple of losing preliminary finals, so to finally win a preliminary final and make a grand final... it was a bit emotional.

"If that was the feeling after just making the grand final, I can't imagine what it's going to be like if we actually win the big one."

Minns' mates back in Broome, and the lifestyle that comes with living there, are never too far away from his mind, but it's a premiership medal that occupies most of his thinking this week.

"I look at the weather each day in Broome and it's 30 degrees,'' Minns said.

"A couple of my mates are still in Broome and they send me photos of them fishing all the time.

"Meanwhile, I'm down here running around in the mud at Gardiner Reserve and it's 10 degrees if we're lucky.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. If I was still up there and I'd missed the chance to play in a grand final with these boys I'd be heartbroken.

"Winning a flag with Gisborne is my dream. It's my hometown, it's my home club and I love the place.

"I want to make the most of this week, it might not come around again."

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