The Courier | A YEAR is a long time in footy. A year on the sidelines watching your teammates win a premiership makes that year seem even longer.
For North Ballarat City’s Sam Bromley-Lynch, it is a tale he knows all too well.
Bromley-Lynch, who missed the entire 2014 Ballarat Football League after undergoing shoulder surgery, is once again part of North City’s calculations in its bid for a third successive premiership.
It has been a long road back, but a road that simply had to be taken, says the 21-year-old.
A recurring injury forced him into the operating theatre in the pre-season last year, with his right shoulder in such a bad state that he could barely serve a tennis ball without dislocating it.
“I first dislocated in under-18s and I reckon I did it another 10 times since then,” Bromley-Lynch said.
“The doctor said I had to get it fixed otherwise it would just keep happening.
“I knew it would rule me out of the season but I just had to do it.”
Making the decision even more painful was the fact North City had just come off its breakthrough premiership in the BFL, the first since rejoining the league in 2008.
A dominant year saw them cruise through the finals series, smashing Ballarat by 53 points in the grand final.
You still feel a little bit a part of it as a runner, but it's just not the same."
Bromley-Lynch was close to the action, performing as runner for most of the season, but not as close as he would’ve wished.
Watching his twin brother, Josh, gave him a mild comfort but it didn’t come close to the winning feeling of 2013.
“You still feel a little bit a part of it as a runner, but it's just not the same," he said.
“I was happy for Josh, definitely, it was easier in a way because there was someone in the family who had won something.”
Come season 2015, Bromley-Lynch has performed like there was never a shoulder issue to speak of.
He has played 14 of North’s matches, most importantly the his comeback game against Redan in round two.
“It was a freezing cold night at Eureka Stadium, I didn’t really want to come back that game to be honest,” he said.
“But once I got through that one I knew the shoulder was 100 per cent.”
Assessing his side’s chances of claiming an historic three-peat this year (which hasn’t been done since Sunbury in 1997, 1998 and 1999), the pocket-rocket felt this finals series would be tougher than ever before.
“We all think the other teams around us have got a lot better this year, there’s no doubt,” he said.
“We’re almost treating this week as a grand final, there’s no bigger challenge than coming up against Redan in the finals.”