St Kilda's Sam Fisher at Mentone Beach. Picture: Hamish Blair Source: Herald Sun
DENIALS are the choice of the beholder and St Kilda's Sam Fisher says he's not in denial.
He smiles when he says it, seemingly not in a smarty-pants fashion, but in a way that reflects his personality: laid back and non-fussed .
If this was a Seinfeld episode, it would be titled The Smiling Denier.
He says his pre-season hasn't been much different to any other, although this one did create headlines.
In an article in The Age in late November, headlined ''Fisher on outer at Saints?", he was accused of antagonising teammates, being a bad influence on teammates, of having "off-field issues", and that he would be kicked out of the leadership group.
"The accusation, or the comments, made in a certain paper were disappointing and I was a little bit hurt by them," he said.
"But have I lost any sleep over them? No, I haven't."
Why wasn't there anger?
"Because I don't tend to worry about what's written about me, I never have and I never will, good or bad, and the way I look at it is, I can control what I control and whatever happens outside I can't control.
"My focus is on preparation, my effort at training and my performance and that's held me, from what I reckon, that's held me ... in pretty good stead for 10 years in the competition.
"So I must be doing something right, away from footy and at the club."
Fisher shakes his head at the fact his off-season behaviour was worthy of making headlines.
"I was surprised by it for sure," he said. "I went overseas during my break and had a good time like a lot of players do."
He visited America for three weddings, Zac Dawson's in Vegas, Nick Riewoldt's in Texas and that of another former teammate, Dylan Pfitzner, who married a Mexican woman.
He returned to Australia briefly, was written up in The Age, and then departed the next week for the Saints' pre-season in Colorado.
He told the Herald Sun his pre-season was not unlike most others, although when spoken to by senior St Kilda officials, he admitted he probably drank alcohol more than any other off-season, and flatly denied drug use.
The parents ... that's the most disappointing thing. They've got to read it and then you get asked questions by them.
The thing is, the rumour was Fisher was "off the rails".
"Again, that's the surprise," he said.
And the insinuation was drugs? "I gathered that, I put two and two together and that's how it came across," he said. "And that's why I was so surprised."
Any truth? "There's no truth at all to that.
"There's no issue with my state outside the footy club."
So, again, why wasn't he angry at the insinuation?
"I was. I said I was disappointed and hurt and, as I said, have I lost any sleep over it?"
At 30, Fisher is big enough and old enough to look after himself, but the hurt came when the accusations hurt his parents, and when it involved his teammates turning against him.
"The parents ... that's the most disappointing thing about it," he said. "They've got to read it and then you get asked questions by them.
"They know me closely enough and how I am away from the club, they know how I am at the club and they know how I am when I'm home with them.
"I'm happy with who I am and I don't need to change for anyone.
"There's a lot of speculation about many things in the AFL and if it's fair or unfair, it doesn't really matter.
"I'm not saying it didn't hurt me, it did, especially when your character is called into question ...
"But I thought, 'What's the best way to attack this?' Do I retaliate on social media or something like that, but that's not me.
"What's been successful for me is my focus, my effort, my preparation and that's the way I'm going to prove to people this hasn't been an issue."
As for his teammates and reading they didn't want him in a leadership group, that clearly stung Fisher.
He is out of the leadership group and he says it was his decisio, pointing out he's in the mentoring group with Lenny Hayes, Justin Koschitzke and Adam Schneider.
Sam Fisher and Jason Blake celebrate St Kilda's win against Sydney. Source: Getty Images
"That was definitely one of the hurtful things in the article because Schneids and myself and Lenny and Jason Blake have stood down from the leadership group," he said.
"I pride myself on my leadership and my role won't change. None of my teammates told me they wanted me out."
A Saints veteran, Fisher is due to play his 200th game this season and says he is enjoying footy as much as any time of his career.
While other players talk of the problems of living in the fishbowl that is the AFL, Fisher is the opposite.
I back myself in to play on the bigger key forwards. I love the challenge of doing that.
He is contracted for this year and next and wants another contract for 2015.
"I don't mind the lifestyle, I've never found it a problem, I've never got overwhelmed by it," he said.
"I'm pretty relaxed type of guy and I don't get to wrapped up by it.
"That's me. I enjoy my sport, full stop.
'I'm proud and privileged of what I have been able to achieve in the game so far.
"I still have things to learn and improve on, and I want dedicate myself as much as I can to the footy club over the next couple of years.
"I still have a passion, a hunger, and the body is reasonably good."
That attitude still pervades despite a more-demanding working environment.
Fisher fondly remembers the days when you could actually stand still next to your opponent.
"You would stand there waiting for the ball to come to him, walk all the time, but now there's no rest on defence, no rest on offence, and there's no rest when the ball is in dispute," he said. "You're always running up and down the ground, defending or attacking.
"It's demanding but I still love the game. No doubt.
"I love the competitive side to it, and it's probably more competitive than ever.
"I can't wait til it starts again."
One of the dominant running key defenders in the competition in the past five or six seasons, Fisher is likely to be more of a stay-at-home defender this season, which will allow the likes of James Gwilt, Sean Dempster and Arryn Siposs the scope to attack from half-back.
Fisher's role changed in the latter half of last season.
"It's a role I like," he said. "Run-off defender has been a trait of mine but I have played on key fowards throughout my career.
"I suppose people don't see that side as much, but I back myself in to play on the bigger key forwards.
"And I love the challenge of doing that."
At 95kg and 193cm, Fisher stands players such as Nic Naitanui (101kg, 201cm), Jonathan Brown (102kg, 194cm), Travis Cloke (108kg, 196cm) and Kurt Tippett (104kg, 202cm).
Again, he's not fussed about the size of the opposition.
"You get a lot of satisfaction beating players like that," he said.
He says he is not overwhelmed when he plays on West Coast's Naitanui, but he is when he watches him on television. "I back myself no matter who it is, you have to," he said.
"When he's on TV, I'm in awe of him, he's one of my favourite players to watch.
"But when he's standing next to me I'm too busy focused on what I have to do to stop him.
"I have my own techniques I use. (Naitanui's) quicker, more athletic, taller; however you want to put it, I still have my techniques to limit that.
"That's the game. Players have their strengths and weaknesses and and you try to use your strengths against them."
Fisher cites former teammate and now St Kilda part-time coach, Max Hudghton, as a wonderful teacher.
"It's all about heart and the will not to be beaten, the pride of the jumper, and the pride in your own performance," he said.
"I look at Max and think, if he can do it, why can't anybody else do it?
"All of his career he played on guys bigger than him."
While footy remains the priority, Fisher has an itch he wants to scratch.
It's called golf and, when his football days are over, he hopes to become a golf professional.
"I'm going to give golf a crack, but only when my footy is over," he said.
