The later stages of Crow Nathan Bassett's career have seen him become one of the game's most effective running defenders
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AT JUST 190cm and 88kg, Nathan Bassett was among the smaller full-backs to grace the AFL stage and, despite holding the post for nearly six years, he was one of the most reluctant.
Bassett, who announced his retirement on Wednesday, has stood some of the game's greatest full-forwards throughout more than 200 games, including the man who kicked more than anyone – champion Saint and Swan Tony Lockett.
The 31-year-old, often referred to as an 'unlikely-looking' footballer, overcame any insufficiencies with sheer courage, smarts and determination.
But he admits it's been tough keeping up with the ever-increasing pace of the game.
"The game has changed so much during my career, and I think as a player you have to adapt to it," Bassett said. "It's such a running game now and you need to be such a good athlete.
"I’ve done my best to keep pace with it, but it’s only going to get faster and guys are only going to become better athletes. It’s been difficult for me to keep up, but I think I’ve been able to move with the changes and continue to play pretty decent football."
In 2005, Ben Rutten assumed the key defensive post, which allowed Bassett to refine a creative, running role that was recognised with All-Australian selection in a back pocket a year later.
"I never asked to play full-back—I just got lobbed there at Melbourne in 1997 and Jammo [Rod Jameson] was injured when I started here in 1998," Bassett said with a laugh.
"I couldn’t get out of there for six years, so I’d like to thank Ben Rutten and Neil Craig because he put Truck [Rutten] to full-back in his first game as coach.
"In that game, I remember (Melbourne forward) David Neitz kicking the first two goals in about five minutes and I thought, 'Here we go, straight back to full-back'.
"But Craigy left Ben there and has left him there every since, which has been fantastic for me.
"I’ve actually been able to get out and play some footy and I think with the way defences are structured these days, it's certainly made it easier to defend than it was for a lot of that period when I played full-back."
Bassett, who said he was comfortable with his decision to retire, has been involved in charity work and the media throughout his career but was unsure what the immediate future held.
"I've got a daughter to look after for a bit and we’ll work something else out," he said. "I'd like to think I've picked up some good skills while I've played and also during the week as far as work goes.
"We're always doing extra stuff and I'm hoping something will turn into something that looks like work and, if it doesn’t, I’ll stay home with (daughter) Charlotte and send (wife) Nicole back to work.
"I know a bit about football I think, because I've been doing it a long time. There’s potential for me to be in football down the track, but I don’t know in what way."
And Craig endorsed Bassett as a future AFL coach.
"I think Nathan has a lot of good qualities if he decided to go down that [coaching] path," he said.
"He’s got a lot of experience and I’d like to think the experiences he's had at our club have enabled him to generate some of those qualities necessary to be a coach.
"Nathan's certainly got those."
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