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ROBBIE Gray has four scars on his right knee ... and, significantly, not one on his mind.
There is a long cut the surgeons made two years ago to rebuild the anterior cruciate ligament. There is a another on the opposite side of the knee where they cut to fix the lateral ligament. And there are two dots that mark the keyhole surgery that saved a promising football career.
They are tributes to modern medicine ... and a player's determination to follow his dream.
Sixty years ago a knee injury ended Hall of Fame legend John Coleman's career because there was no surgery to consider. Forty years ago another Hall of Fame legend, Barrie Robran, was one of the "guinea pigs" as surgeons started repairing ruptured knees. Both had unfulfilled football careers.
Gray is on the verge of his 100th AFL game ... and the promise of a player who is labelled the "blue-collar' Gary Ablett is once again unfolding for Port Adelaide's grand gamebreaker. But it has been some challenge to get to this point - and more proof of Power coach Ken Hinkley's theme that hard work brings richly deserved rewards.
It also is a story of belief.
Gray, a fourth-round draftee in 2006, broke into the Power's line-up against Hawthorn at Football Park on June 3, 2007 - that heady season of remarkable promise at Alberton. At the end of the 2011 campaign, Gray finally managed a full 22-game season after four years of stop-start football.
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In 2007, it was two games lost to a hip injury; five to a calf complaint; in 2008, two to a groin injury; five to an ankle sprain; in 2009, one to a thigh injury and then one to appendicitis; and in 2010 it was nine games lost to two rips of a hamstring.
And then there was game No. 70 on April 21 against Collingwood at Etihad Stadium. With 32 seconds to go in a game already lost, Gray's right knee buckled as he landed while trying to nurse a one-handed mark on the boundary line.
Ligaments were torn apart and the leg bones at the knee joint were bruised.
"There was a fair bit going on," Gray says while pointing to the scars on his right knee.
Today, Gray is making up for lost time.
His fellow graduates from the Power's Class of 2007 - captain Travis Boak and Justin Westhoff - are approaching their 150th AFL game when Gray is tonight to play his 99th.
"You take it for granted early in your career," Gray said.
"I learned a lot in my year off, particularly about my body - little things about diet, hard work, looking after your body.
"I sat in the coach's box a fair bit in that year off.
"But I learned more off field about how good your preparation has to be - and how it gives you the best possible chance to perform.
"I learned more about myself off the field than what I was seeing in the coach's box about the game on the field.
"(On reflection) I had a lot of room for improvement. And after being out for so long, I wanted to make sure that I did everything right to make the most of my opportunity if I did come back from the knee injury."
Gray's comeback - that was not always smooth, particularly during Christmas 2012 when he had to pull back from his training program to ease pain in the right knee - was perfectly timed with fitness coach Darren Burgess' return to Alberton after his tenure in world soccer.
"Darren has had a fairly big influence - particularly with his strong views," Gray said. "And when those changes make you feel good, you want to keep them going.
"I've worked at getting my weight right (dropping the count from 87 kilograms to 84). I've continued doing the things that have allowed me to train consistently during the week and get on the park at weekends."
Gray tonight played his 29th consecutive game. It is his longest run in AFL football.
No less important to Gray is the form he has offered while his football-alert mind can confidently rely on a previously "fragile" body.
"I've been pretty happy with the start to the season," Gray said.
"It is probably the most consistent football I have been able to play ... but it is only eight games in - and it is a long season with plenty of work to do as a group."
It has taken Gray eight years in the AFL system to find that nirvana where personal form and team success combine to make the game fun.
"Being part of a team that is winning games of footy has made it really enjoyable," Gray said. "As it was last year. Having that year on the sidelines you realise how much you miss (football and being part of a team)."
Robbie Gray standing on Hummock Hill in Whyalla. He doesn't welcome comparisons to Gold Coast superstar Gary Ablett. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: News Corp Australia
ROBBIE'S IN GAZZA'S SHADOW AGAIN
ONCE again Robbie Gray sits in Gary Ablett's shadow ... and in comparison with the Brownlow Medallist.
Last week - as it became Chad Wingard's moment to bask in the limelight after his five-goal carve-up of the Fremantle defence - Gray emerged as Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley's hero in the 18-point against the Dockers in the voting for the AFL Coaches Association "champion player" award.
The best-afield rating placed Gray second to Ablett on the coaches' leaderboard at the end of round eight. And for Gray that is too close for his name to be alongside the image of the Gold Coast captain.
As much as the comparisons between Gray and Ablett are meant to flatter, they have not allowed Gray to do as every AFL player wants - make his own name.
"No, probably not," answers Gray when asked if he has enjoyed being tagged with Ablett's image.
"Gary is probably the greatest player ever in this game. Or top three. So (the comparison) is probably not quite on the mark.
"Everyone wants to make their own name for themselves. That is no different for me."
Gray is making his own mark this season. His influence in matches this season is highlighted in the statistics that matter for how they contribute to the Power's team game. At Alberton, the forward-midfielder ranks fourth in disposals (187), fifth in marks (44), fourth for goals (13) and fourth in the ratings points for fantasy leagues. He has set up eight goals for his team-mates. Almost half his disposals count is made up of Hinkley's much-admired contested possessions.
With all fingers crossed at Alberton, Gray next week - against Melbourne at Alice Springs - will play his 100th AFL game. As a milestone, it will be a significant achievement for one of the Power's most-popular players who has battled more than his fair share of injury curses. It will be celebrated and acknowledged that way by Port.
Regardless of what comparisons are made at the end of Gray's career, the No. 55 call in the AFL's 2006 national draft will appreciate how working through the darkest hours with injury have made him stronger.
"Before (the right-knee injury in 2011) I felt I'd had a lot of injury problems early in my career and I'd not got the best out of myself," Gray said.
"So I wanted to get back and prove to myself that I could play at this level - and play consistent footy."
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