Home Fires Burn As Magpie Takes In The Sun

The Age

Friday June 18, 2004

Emma Quayle

Collingwood's Leon Davis has less to worry about this year as he joins teammates on a mid-season trip to Queensland, writes Emma Quayle from Mooloolaba.

Leon Davis has enjoyed Collingwood's mid-season trip to Queensland as much any of his sun-drenched teammates. But he will love going home even more.

The Magpies won't get back from their four-day break until late tonight, but Davis expects his 14-month-old daughter, Shakari, will be wide awake waiting for him.

``She just loves it when I get home. Every time I come home after training, I pull the car in and she's standing there in this window at the front of the house," Davis said.

``She stands behind there and she smiles and waves at me every time I get home, no matter what time it is. I get in there and make sure she's all right and not getting up to any mischief around the house. I sort of look forward to getting home every day after training now."

That wasn't the case for most of last year. Davis was desperate then to finish training and take off each day, but not because he had a happy, healthy baby to get home to.

Far from it. Shakari was born two months premature, weighing just 1080 grams, and spent two months in intensive care at the Mercy Hospital before being moved to the Epping Hospital for a few weeks after that.

Each day, Davis and his partner, Janelle, sat for five or six hours, watching, and waiting, and there was more work to be done when they could take their baby home.

``She came home on oxygen and she had prongs in her nose and stuff like that. We had to learn to look after her and we did, but it was really tough at first," he said.

``We sat in the hospital every day for hours and that was all we could do, watch her and try and be there for her. Every day, you're thinking about her and trying to make sure she's all right but there wasn't anything we could do but be there.

``We started to get to change her and hold her, which was good, and the doctors all looked after her for us and it was amazing, what they did. She's a normal, happy little girl now."

Davis is more content, too. The club understood football could not be his focus last season, and he is grateful for that, but wants to prove now that he can be a committed, consistent player.

He is happy for that to happen where he is, in the forward pocket - a difficult gig, said Davis, because of the concentration required to make the most of chances when they come. ``If the ball comes down twice in a quarter, you can't miss getting it. You've got to be switched on," Davis said.

``If your midfield's not playing well and not getting the ball in, you can't really do a lot, but when the ball does come down, you've got to be ready and be in the right mood that you can go and get it."

A move to the midfield one day appeals and Davis has begun working quietly towards one, without telling coach Mick Malthouse, but aware it will mean building a much more resilient body.

``We've got a great midfield at the moment but I'm certainly working hard to get up there in the next year or so. I'm working hard on my fitness and trying to get that up," he said. ``I've been doing more running, trying to be able to run for four quarters. Mick hasn't said much about it, but I'd kind of like to prove to him I can do it.

``He's working me hard as a forward but one day I want to prove I can play up the ground as well."

© 2004 The Age

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