Whether on the ground or at the club, experienced St Kilda defender Sam Gilbert is renowned for his willingness to go above and beyond for his teammates and his football club.
At last Thursday night’s Trevor Barker Award, the 30-year-old was awarded his second Robert Harvey Best Clubman prize, following another season of selfless service, both on the ground and around the club.
“It means a lot. I very much pride myself on being a good clubman. I love every player we play with,” Gilbert told saints.com.au at Crown Palladium. “It’s an award I’ve won before and it’s something I pride myself on, so I’m absolutely rapt.”
While Gilbert performed a number of different roles for Alan Richardson this season, he also got involved in several initiatives in the community, most prominently as one of the faces of the AFL’s inaugural Pride Game in Round 21.
Gilbert said that winning the award on the back of his involvement in the Pride Game was extra special because of his passion for equality.
“I really wanted to get behind the Pride Game. It’s about diversity in football, which is something that’s really important to me,” Gilbert said.
“I’m just absolutely rapt that that’s something the club’s really gotten behind and it’s something that’s moved forward.
“For me to win this award on the back of that is just cream on top because it’s something I believe in and very important.”
After three injury interrupted seasons, the Queenslander rediscovered the durability he had earlier in his career, playing all 22 games in 2016.
He started in the midfield, spent time forward, before finishing the year in his natural habitat in defence. If a hole needed to be plugged, it was Gilbert who Richardson called upon.
“I went into this season really wanting to be versatile and hopefully that’s what I achieved. I played multiple roles – midfield, back and forward. I found myself down back a lot and really enjoyed that,” Gilbert said.
A permanent fixture during the Saints most recent period of sustained success, Gilbert has traversed through all the ups and downs in his 11 seasons at St Kilda. And now, he is hoping the Saints can take the next step in 2017 and return to September.
“When I first got to the club we were kind of in the position we’re in now, where we started to get close to finals. I’m really hoping that we can take the next step and play finals next year,” he said.
With some time away from football now at his disposal, Gilbert is off to Germany and France for a well-earned break before he has to report back for pre-season in November.
“I’ll sneak away. I’m going to go to Oktoberfest with a few mates and then going to France with my wife so I’m really looking forward to the break,” he said.
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