As he prepares for his 50th VFL game, star Lions’ midfielder Ozgur Uysal pays homage to coach Peter German as he continues to chase his AFL dream.
“I had other clubs call me down but I thought I’d stay at Coburg because of Peter German,” says prolific Coburg ball-winner Ozgur Uysal, who is one of the favourites to claim the club’s best and fairest this season.
German’s professional, no-nonsense approach almost saw Uysal cut from the Burgers in 2014 for failing to attend pre-season training. It was the wake-up call the 23-year-old needed.
“Since the day I thought I was going to get cut, Peter German changed me as a player. He made me get to training, he made a fitter footballer, he made be a better person.”
These positive changes saw Uysal take his game to another level and he completed a stunning turnaround by being named in the 2014 VFL Team of the Year. His form attracted big money offers from rival clubs but he turned them down for the chance to spend another year under the tutelage of German.
“I am loyal and I care about my teammates – that’s the other reason I stayed – but the big reason was Peter German,” Uysal says.
“I had a big meeting with him and he changed my mind. Peter German is the best coach I’ve had so I stuck fat with him.”
Uysal started at EDFL club Roxburgh Park before switching to Greenvale, where he played the majority of his junior footy. He then took the next step to Calder Cannons and won the TAC Cup premiership alongside AFL talents Tom Liberatore, Cameron Guthrie and Dion Prestia in 2010.
Despite being considered a chance to be picked up, Uysal wasn’t selected in the 2010 and 2011 drafts.
“For the first couple of weeks, I was flat,” Uysal remembers.
“I didn’t want to play footy. But then I got motivated and my dream is to play AFL so I went back at it. I went to the gym, got fitter and started at Coburg.”
He capped off his first year as a Burger with a four-goal, best on ground performance in the club’s successful 2012 Development League grand final. 2013 was riddled with injuries but followed with two strong, consistent seasons. This, along with a renewed interest from the media and football circles, has Uysal’s AFL ambitions as strong as ever.
“I really, really want to make it so I’m trying my hardest,” he says. “I feel fit, I feel strong and hopefully I get the chance this year.”
Coburg joint vice-captain and close friend Danny Younan thinks he should.
“He has approached his football from pre-season with the mindset of an AFL footballer and he genuinely believes he can mix it with the best.” Younan said.
“I, along with other teammates, believe he could be a walk up start in any AFL side at the moment. Whether it be at half forward or in the midfield, his body is built for the big stage.”
Uysal averages over 26 disposals this season and attributes his ball-winning ability to his work-rate around the ground and an understanding of where the ball is going to go.
Another standout element of Uysal’s game is his composed attitude – he never seems flustered no matter how tight the game may be.
“That’s the way I play footy,” Uysal explains.
“I’m not a stress-head but of course I do stress at home and at work but I guess footy just comes naturally. I just feel relaxed. It’s something I love doing.”
After a best afield performance in Coburg’s win over Port Melbourne in round 16 – which saw Uysal finish with a team-high 37 disposals, eight inside 50s and a goal – Herald Sun journalist Paul Amy wrote that he “did everything but hold up the white board at the huddles”.
While Uysal admits it’s always great to hear praise from teammates and the media, he says the only opinions that truly matter are those of AFL recruiters.
But recruiters won’t be at the forefront of his mind this weekend – nor the fact that it is his 50th game – as Coburg hosts Casey in a must-win clash for the club’s finals hopes.
“It’s all about the team. I really want to win and I do want to play finals.”