In the ultimate show of sportsmanship, Bachar Houli stepped away from the euphoric celebrations of the Richmond team after the final siren sounded on their second AFL premiership win in three years at the MCG on Saturday and offered some consoling words to devastated GWS Giants players, who had been on the receiving end of a brutal 89-point thrashing.
It summed up the selflessness of Houli, a former Spotswood and Western Jets junior, who should be admired and seen as a role model for young people of the western suburbs.
Houli did not think the gesture was extraordinary, but it showed how much he cared about his fellow competitors.
The 31-year-old said part of the reason why he did it was to show how much respect he has for the Giants as an organisation and the individuals within it.
“There’s plenty of time to celebrate and I’ll celebrate with these boys for the next few days,” Houli said.
“I just wanted to show my gratitude to a great football club [in GWS Giants], a football club that shows a lot of care.
“GWS is very dear to my heart because they come from a part of Sydney where a lot of my family and my relatives live and they do a lot of work in the community, and that’s something I’m really passionate about and they’re always on the front foot with that.
“I’ve got some friends who work at GWS as well and [former Western Jets teammate] Callan Ward plays there.
“For me, it was very important to show gratitude and congratulate them.”
Houli was magnificent for Richmond on AFL grand final day.
A hard running half-back flanker, Houli set up many of the Tigers forward thrusts and stopped a number of GWS Giants’ attacking moves with his reading of the play.
Houli finished with 14 kicks, 12 handballs, seven marks and six tackles.
His impact was recognised by the coaches, who voted him as the second best player on the ground behind Norm Smith Medal winner Dustin Martin.
Flanked by his tight-knit family in the rooms after the game, Houli was proud of the team’s achievements.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “I’m very humbled by it.”
Houli seems to get better with age.
With more than 200 top level games to his name now, Houli broke into the All Australian team for the first time in 2019.
He is a big-game performer with two of his most memorable games being Richmond’s two grand final wins.
In the 2017 grand final win over Adelaide, Houli racked up 25 disposals and 694 metres gained.
Houli’s strong late-career form is perhaps a by-product of how he approaches his football and life.
“I’ve got written on my hand the word ‘enjoy’ and that’s a simple motto in my life,” he said.
“I try to enjoy every single moment in my life.
“I’m also truly grateful for God.
“He gives me pleasures, he gives me success and even when times are down, he knows what is best for me”.
Houli is thankful that Damien Hardwick is his coach at Richmond.
Hardwick creates a positive environment that Houli and his teammates can thrive in.
“He’s the benchmark of this football club,” Houli said. “He’s all about positivity, he’s all about smiles and enjoying the opportunity.
“When you enjoy each other’s company and enjoy the moment out there, you enjoy it more, rather than just focusing on outcomes.”
One-time Williamstown VFL player Kane Lambert and former Point Cook resident Toby Nankervis also featured in Richmond’s premiership side.
Adam Kennedy, who got his start at Melton and the Western Jets, was part of the GWS Giants team, while Ward, from Spotswood, missed the big game through injury.
