If it was anyone else but Ainslie Tricolours coach Chris Rourke, there is a good chance Aaron Wiles doesn't answer the call.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rapt with three consecutive AFL Canberra premierships, the Ainslie midfielder was enjoying every moment of his short-lived retirement.
But it is a testament to Rourke that Wiles and a host of others answered the call ahead of the club's season opener against the Tuggeranong Hawks at Greenway Oval on Saturday.
Star forward Nick Paine will put his body to the test for one more year, former premiership captain Ashley Harris is back, while Liam O'Neill and Mitchell Ward are back in the fold.
"I decided I wasn't going to play again. It was mainly Chris' influence on us all, and he is going through a pretty tough time so we all banded together and decided we would have another tilt at it," Wiles said.
"We've got a lot of the same blokes that want to hang them up together. We thought, 'we've come this far, we might as well have another crack at it'.
"This one would mean a lot to the football club especially in regards to the view other clubs have had on Ainslie for a number of years.
"To win one with a completely even playing field, a salary cap, we play with less points, and we're probably going to play with just as many juniors [would be special]. I think we'll have 14 local juniors playing on Saturday and four at the [Canberra] Demons.
"This one would be pretty special, it would feel like a real homegrown flag, if last year didn't enough."
But first there is the small matter of winning in round one - and then the other 14 rounds and the finals series that come afterwards.
Wiles laughs Ainslie were "a laughing stock" after they dropped their first three games last year - but they would not drop another on the road to the premiership.
This time around they will have to get their season off to a perfect start without a host of key players.
Paine is busy with a few auctions, the looming election is keeping political media adviser O'Neill on his toes, Scott Sienkiewicz is travelling around the country, and Liam Griffiths is tied up at work.
But in come Harris and former NEAFL player Billy Muir to bolster Ainslie's bid to claim an opening round win against a young Hawks outfit.
"Fortunately we haven't turned over many, I think we're only missing three of our grand final line-up at full-strength," Wiles said.
"We're still hopeful [Nick] Salter will play, so we might only lose two. He lives in Cronulla. He's got his daughter up there so he is spending a lot of time with her, [watching her] sports on Saturdays, now she is getting a bit older."
AFL CANBERRA ROUND ONE
Saturday: Belconnen Magpies v Eastlake Demons at Kippax Oval, 1.15pm. Tuggeranong Hawks v Ainslie Tricolours at Greenway Oval, 1.15pm.
Sunday: Queanbeyan Tigers v Gungahlin Jets at Margaret Donoghoe Oval, 1.15pm.
