It is indicative of the impact that Ben Staines had for the Goulburn Geckos in 2019 that the midfielder missed nearly a quarter of the season and still claimed the highly coveted Brophy Medal.
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At Hockey ACT's annual Brophy McKay presentation evening last week, Staines had done enough during the season to finish on 34 points, one clear of OCHC's Lewis Shepherd, and claim the prize for the most valuable men's player.
Over the course of the 18 matches Staines played, he scored 36 goals, five more than Shepherd managed in the same number of games.
The medal came as a complete shock to Staines, who tore a ligament in his calf and was out for four weeks.
"I wasn't expecting it at all really," Staines said.
"I was fairly blown away with it ... it's a bit of a pat on the back. You put a lot of effort in. It's a team sport and everything but it's good to be recognised for the efforts you put in."
The injury was more than just a physical blow to Staines; it also took a mental toll on the 22-year-old. But, by the time he made it back onto the field, he had come back with an important lesson ingrained in his mind.
"I just managed myself a lot better," he said.
"It's [about] self-management, that's what I wasn't doing and I've taken it on board in the last six months."
Having recovered and returned successfully, Staines intends to take the confidence from his Brophy Medal win into what he hopes will be a groundbreaking Hockey One season.
"Probably the main goal in the near future is to be in the finals of the Hockey One," he said.
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"We just want to make the finals and [then] take it step by step. We want to take the first Hockey One title out. It'd be good to have the Canberra Chill name on that list."
The Canberra Chill are set to open their account in the new-look tournament this Sunday, September 29, against the Brisbane Blaze.
Until the team list is confirmed until later this week, Staines will not get ahead of himself and presume a place in the side.
But he expressed pleasure with how his calf is performing at the moment and said that both he and the team are in a good space.
The winner of the McKay medal, which is presented to the most valuable women's player, was Central's Tina Taseska.
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