Almonds
There was a time not so long ago in Rory Laird’s AFL career when he would open a packet of almonds and count them one by one as they went into his bowl of cereal. When he would finish a captain’s run the day before a game, hop in an ice bath and then head straight to the same place for lunch to order the same thing every time. And if he was interstate he would walk to the nearest supermarket often by himself to buy the same ingredients so he could prepare just as if he were at home. “If you ask a few of the guys who have been around a while I have a bit of OCD with it,” Laird said. “I’ve calmed down a little the last 12 months. I’ve kind of been forced to with the whole Covid situation, and last week was a perfect example going to Melbourne with hardly any notice.
Routine
“But from 2015 to 2019 I had a routine I had to tick off every week and it was crazy. “It was down to how much cereal I was eating on the day of the game and how many almonds I was putting in my cereal. “I’d make sure I put 12 almonds in my Special K, and when we go away I’d go to the shop the day before and buy it. “On away trips I’d just keep to myself so I could tick everything off. I didn’t really care what the boys were doing, I just felt like I needed to get to a game knowing I’d done everything I could to prepare, that was my mindset really. “I got that from Daniel Talia who was so full on with his recovery and I picked it up because it seemed to work. “I still eat the same foods but have just cut it back on how specific I am with the amounts.”
Training
In response to Laird’s 36-disposal, two-goal performance in Saturday night’s win over Hawthorn, Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks referred to the midfielder as the “ultimate professional when it comes to the work he does during the week to prepare himself”. And what that looks like is often out of view of the fans. “I guess it revolves around training, making sure I do specific drills to feel good, stuff in the gym to prepare, I’ve had some issues through my glutes and hips so I like to tick those things off,” Laird said. “I do a couple of touch sessions, ice baths, pool, I love massage, it’s little things I do more behind closed doors. “It got a bit manic and because I did the routine for so long, by the end of 2019 I didn’t enjoy it as much, it got a bit mundane.
Changing
“So it was about changing it up and being more lenient with how strict I was and my game still improved. “This year being forced into relaxing about it, even with schedules chopping and changing I’ve been able to play good footy so I can see it was in my own head.” Laird grew up in Adelaide and played juniors at Kenilworth before going to Scotch College where he made the First XVIII as a Year 10 student, and was coached by Nicks. “I don’t remember too much to be honest but he did the same as what he’s doing now, chucked me from half-back and into the midfield,” Laird said. “I remember him being quite jovial off the field but when the whips needed to be cracked he cracked them.”
Overlooked
With his birthday on December 29, Laird only scraped into his draft year in 2011 by three days and was overlooked in the national draft. “My manager got a call the day after the draft and said Adelaide had pretty much confirmed they were going to take me with their first pick in the rookie draft which was Pick 5,” Laird said. “But then I went and trained with Essendon for a week and they had Pick 9 and were interested as well. “I had one session with the Crows the day before the rookie draft and ended up going there the next day. “Looking back at it I was really lucky to stay home and now there’s only me and Browny (Luke Brown) left from our draft class.”
Smaller
Almost always smaller than his teammates and opposition growing up, Laird was cut from the state under-16 squad but made the state under-18s. “I was never big, and pretty slight, that was pretty much the knock on me, some said I was too small but that was at a time where recruiters really liked the big inside mids,” he said. “But once you get in there (AFL system) it’s more about earning the respect of your peers and playing good footy. “I tried to play to my strengths which was not fumbling the ball and being able to read the play pretty well. “Over the years I played on some taller opponents as well so was able to mix and match a bit.”
Valued
In his 178-game career, twice Laird has been an All-Australian (2017, 2018) as a ball-winning half-back but he has always been valued highly internally for his ability to win or at the very least neutralise a one-on-one contest. Like many young players entering the competition, Laird had to bide his time after being drafted and didn’t play an AFL game in his first season in 2012. Instead, he spent the whole year at West Adelaide under Andy Collins where he played 18 games and three finals before being dropped for the SANFL grand final. “That was massive for my development, I’d never played league footy before that,” Laird said. “I had a pretty good understanding of where I was at, I was definitely not ready to play AFL, I was still putting on weight and working out my position, learning the AFL system. “I was playing good senior footy at SANFL level but our AFL team was so strong, we made the prelim that year, so I had no expectations on that that year.”
Switch
After seven seasons as a defender, last year Laird made the successful switch to the midfield which has now become permanent. “I had it in the back of my mind, I’d had a few pinch hits in the midfield but never a sustained period of time,” he said. “Last year was the first year I spent more time on the ball, and I’m still working on my (aerobic capacity), it’s a different kind of fitness and running patterns. “I don’t get as much high-speed running as I did down back, this is more in close, short and sharp and a lot more physical contact and I have pulled up a lot sorer than I have in previous years mainly through the upper body with grappling and tackling. “Because you’re around the ball so much you are exposed to that a lot more and I enjoy that side of things.”
200
All going well next season Laird will play his 200th game which is invaluable experience in such a young team. But the two-time All-Australian and 2018 Malcolm Blight Medallist says he has never had any ambition to be in the leadership group. “To be honest I’ve never really had too much of an interest in that space,” he said. “I find it a lot more comfortable to talk on game day, in games, and on the training track, and more so setting an example with my preparation and trying to perform on game day. “I’m not really a talker in the off-field space, but I’m super open to guys asking me questions and having a chat. “At the same time I am still learning the midfield position too so it’s a bit of a double edged sword.”
Five
In March the 27-year-old signed a five-year deal to remain with the Crows until at least 2026. Having played in three consecutive finals series including a Grand Final from 2015 to 2017, he says the challenge is to start climbing the mountain again. “The expectations have shifted a bit going from an older, more experienced group from 2015 to 2018, to now realising we are in a rebuild and are super-young,” he said. “But my personal expectations of myself haven’t changed, it’s doing the most I can to perform at a high level for the team.”
