Phil Davis' body certainly appreciates retirement, but the rest of him still hasn't quite gotten used to it.
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And maybe that's because he still has a role to play in GWS Giants' quest to win their first AFL premiership.
It's been a little over three weeks since Davis decided to hang up his boots before the end of the season, after 192 AFL games.
The former Giants captain had been at the club from day one as its inaugural co-captain, and led them to the 2019 grand final, where GWS were humbled by Richmond.
Davis has bittersweet feelings about not being part of the current playing group vying to return to the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the last Saturday in September, but he's still proving pivotal behind the scenes, as GWS are just two wins from reaching the grand final.
The Canberra native knows exactly what it takes to get to the big dance, and is sharing his knowledge to get the Giants there again.
"I'm in like a mentor or advisory role," Davis told The Canberra Times while in the capital for the AFL premiership trophy tour.
"I get in team meetings, then on game day I sit in the box and try to help the coaches.
"Also I want to be a strong touch-point for the players leading into the game and at halftime, to be a calming presence and offer counsel between the players and the coaches."
GWS rode their "orange tsunami" into the finals winning nine of their last 11 regular season games to snatch seventh spot on the ladder.
One of the teams that beat them on that incredible run though - Port Adelaide Power - await the Giants on Saturday night in a do-or-die clash, and GWS will need every edge possible to upset the top-four side at Adelaide Oval.
No-one expected the Giants to be a premiership contender earlier this year, but Davis said this team has all the pieces to go one better than the 2019 squad under new coach Adam Kingsley.
"There's no doubt the momentum is the same," he said. "Unfortunately in 2019 we weren't quite healthy by grand final day, while at the moment the team looks incredibly healthy and playing more consistently now than we did in 2019.
"Just like '19 we're on the road for the whole finals series too, so it's an exciting team and there's no doubt we've got the capability to do it. We definitely think we're good enough."
Seeing the men in orange and black hoist that elusive premiership would be the perfect way to cap off Davis' final year in the AFL, and bookend what's been an unforgettable journey with GWS, which has been linked with his hometown for over a decade.
The former Marist College student has witnessed first-hand the growth of an AFL club from scratch, and is proud of what has been achieved in Sydney and Canberra, believing the Giants' best years are still to come.
While back in the capital for the premiership cup tour, Davis was thrilled to get back to where it all began, and inspire the next generation of footy stars, visiting Belconnen Magpies Football Club as well as Parliament House on Monday.
"I was born in Canberra, and we used to get visits every now and then from North Melbourne, and later the Swans, but to be able to be part of the Giants - we've been coming here regularly since 2012 and this is the first time the premiership cup has come to Canberra - I think it's just great," Davis said.
"The Giants' AFLW team played at Manuka Oval on Sunday night too.
"I've loved Canberra being the Giants' home, we love coming here and to see the game grow where you grew up, which was always dominated by rugby back then, it feels like there's a really big pulse for AFL here now."
AFL semi-final
Saturday: Port Adelaide Power v GWS Giants at Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm.
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