Crawf's feel good stories of 2013

Inspiration ... Majak Daw made a huge impact in just six games. Source: Mark Dadswell / Getty Images

Hands up if you are sick of negative AFL stories. Well, there have been plenty of reasons to watch the footy and forget the controversies. Here are Crawf's 10 feel-good stories of 2013.

MARK BLICAVS
THIS former steeplechaser has gone from chasing gold medals to potentially getting an AFL premiership medal in four weeks' time.
It wasn't long ago he was aiming to qualify for the London Olympics.
Blicavs' transformation into an AFL player in a team with a strong chance of winning the flag is a classic story of persistence, hard work and having the courage to chase new dreams. It is also a massive tick to the Geelong coaching/development program.

SAM ROWE
SAM Rowe has achieved so much over the past 12 months that it is a shame he hasn't got the recognition he should have.
The most important thing was overcoming testicular cancer. But he wasn't just content with that. He was able to get himself fit enough to compete at AFL level and proved he has a real future in the game.
Coming off a year in which he was fighting for his life, he played 10 games for Carlton, won a new one-year contract and provided a real example of what can achieved if you want it.

THE IRISH
WE thought the Irish connection might have been starting to wane, but the performances of Pearce Hanley and Zach Tuohy have shown otherwise.
Hanley was third in the Lions' best-and-fairest last year, but has taken his game to a new level this season. He is just about the club's most important player and has been rewarded with a five-year deal.
He and Carlton's Tuohy, who was shown massive improvement this season, are among the best Irish kicks to play our great game.
Reckon this year's International Rules tour to Ireland might double as a recruiting expedition.

RICHMOND TIGERS
IT'S been 12 years, but Richmond supporters will finally taste some finals action next weekend and they deserve to.
Tigers fans - I used to be one of them - have stuck with the club through more than 30 years without a premiership and with limited finals appearances since that 1980 flag.
It's a credit to them, and a credit to the club that they stuck with Damien Hardwick through a tough early period of his coaching.

JARRYD ROUGHEAD
"ROUGHY" used to Robin to "Buddy" Franklin's Batman. This year the roles have been reversed.
At the start of last season there was a big question mark on Jarryd Roughead's career as he was aiming to come back from a serious achilles tendon injury.
He came back strongly last year, and has been outstanding this season. There has been no better forward, but he has performed just as well when thrown in the middle.

PORT POWER
TAKE a bow, Port Adelaide. What you have collectively achieved on and off the field has been amazing.
David Koch has taken care of the off-field and made the club vibrant and relevant again.
Some people laughed when he was announced as chairman; no one's laughing now.
Ken Hinkley has taken care of the on-field. The man who had missed out a number of senior coaching jobs took on the role supposedly no one wanted - and he is almost coach of the year. And Chad Wingard might haunt GWS forever. How did they pass over him with their first five picks in the 2011 draft?

TOM LIBERATORE
TOM Liberatore's career was in the balance this time last year after an off-field misdemeanor brought about a premature end to his 2012 season. But the Bulldog has redeemed himself. Libba has done this with hard work, dedication and a fierce attack on the ball, which has turned him into one of the best clearance kings in the AFL.
Footy can be a forgiving sport, so long as you learn from your mistakes.

JEREMY CAMERON
JEREMY Cameron is not just going to be a superstar; he already is.
I'm not sure there is anyone I have enjoyed watching more this season than the Greater Western Sydney forward.
What he has done in a team that has won only one game - and been non-competitive for much of the year - has been incredible.
Just imagine what he can do when he gets a bit of help.

FREMANTLE DOCKERS
FORGET about where they might play the first final, Fremantle is a serious flag contender.
It wasn't all that long ago the Dockers were considered somewhat of a joke. That has all changed, and Ross Lyon has played a big role in making it happen.
In the past three weeks we have seen that they can score heavily, which will concern more than a few clubs in the finals.

MAJAK DAW
WE didn't get to see a lot of Majak Daw this season, but what we did see, we really enjoyed.
Daw's story as the first Sudanese-born man to play AFL football is truly inspirational and hopefully it will pave a path for more African-Australians to start playing football.
In the first 20 minutes of Daw's first game he took a spectacular mark, kicked a goal and was concussed.
In the end, he played only six games, but Daw made a big impression whenever he was out there, particularly in his six-goal haul against the Western Bulldogs in Round 7. Troubles with his knee ended his season early, but hopefully we will see him back better than ever next year.

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