Mental toughness is a catch-cry of modern sport. You hear it all the time and if you’re looking for a case study, apply it to West Coast Eagles half-forward Ashley Hansen in the grand finals of the past two years.

In the premiership decider of 2005 it is fair to say Hansen did not have the game he might have envisaged. Conversely, his opponent, Sydney young gun Lewis Roberts-Thomson, was among the most influential on the ground. An average day personally was completely destroyed by a four-point loss.

Sport does not always offer the chance for redemption, but it did in this case and when that occurred Hansen was prepared. Now there is one day he will never forget; September 30, 2006.

Hansen helped to give West Coast a powerful start in the grand final, kicking two first-quarter goals, including the opening major of the match, and at the same time he struck an important personal psychological blow.

In the 2005 grand final he had struggled against Roberts-Thomson, but was able to create some self-doubt in his opponent by making such a bold early impression.

“It was much more relaxed,” Hansen said of the whole grand final experience. “I knew what to expect. I was more relaxed and more focused on the game, I even tried to enjoy the fanfare. Last year it was probably a bit more difficult to do that because we hadn’t been there before. I knew what to expect at the parade and with the fans. You can get caught up in it all.

“My performance this year was better than last year and I would think that was a factor. I had it in the back of my mind that Lewis Roberts- Thomson had a pretty good day against me in 2005 and I wanted to get some early touches against him.

“That’s part of the mental toughness aspect that we work on as a team and as individuals and that was just a great  challenge for me. Of course they were going to send him to me because they did it before and he did well.

“I was looking forward to getting one back. I would have worked just as hard at the end as I did at the start, but getting on top of him early and being able to have an impact was very satisfying.

“I won a few punters some good money  at 15-1 when I kicked the first goal. It was just sensational to kick a couple early, I was just disappointed I didn’t carry on with it because after such a good start I could have had a really, really good day.

“Your reputation grows in finals and from an individual point of view I will always look on it as one that got away a bit. Then again, at the end of the day, I have got a premiership medal and that’s all that matters.”

While it ended memorably for Hansen, the lead up was not as smooth as it could have been. A decision by Perth Football Club could have denied him the greatest moment of his sporting life.

Hansen was recovering from a knee injury when a special application was made for the flame- haired forward to play in a reserves semi-final for his WAFL club Swan Districts.

But Swans’ opponent in that game, Perth, would not agree to a proposal which would have seen Hansen available for the black and whites while young Docker Marcus Drum could have played at Perth. That decision left Hansen without badly-needed match play or form as he tried to force his way into the West Coast finals campaign.

The match committee, however, decided to elevate him for the semi-final against the Western Bulldogs despite the fact that he had not played since the opening seconds of the round 19 game against the Kangaroos.

It was in that game against the Roos that Hansen felt a popping sensation at the back of his right knee, found later to be a punctured baker’s cyst. It was only a minor injury expected to sideline him for one, possibly two games. But, as he trained for the round 21 derby, it went on him again, throwing some concern and doubt over his finals campaign.

“I always thought we’d make the grand final and it was a matter of being up and running at the time and to give myself a chance at selection,” Hansen enthused. “It was something I was always striving for, even when we were coming into the finals series and I was struggling with a knee, I knew that finals were such a different ball game and anything could happen.

“It was very similar to last year when Brauny and Rowan Jones missed with knee injuries in the week leading into the grand final. And Brett Jones went down as well.

“You have to be up and running because you just never know. I was confident I would get another opportunity and I just wanted to be at my best so that when I did get the opportunity I could perform at my best.

“In finals footy you can’t run yourself into form, you have to be up and running straight away. So that was a good challenge and one that I think I faced pretty well.

“I hadn’t played for five weeks and they didn’t let me play reserves with Swans. I was definitely a little bit frustrated. There were no guarantees I was going to be picked the following week, but the match committee did say ‘look, if you can get even half a game under your belt it is going to help you,’ and looking from a personal point I thought that would be a real bonus to get a run into my legs.

“It wasn’t the end of the world and it didn’t help, but in hindsight it didn’t matter.”

Hansen swung back into action emphatically against the Bulldogs and backed it up a week later against Adelaide. But his elevation back into the team did come at the expense of one of his close mates, Brent Staker.

The match committee went with a different attacking structure which saw the amiable Staker miss selection in the preliminary and grand finals.

“It was a little bitter-sweet,” Hansen offered. “That’s the hardest thing about footy, for every player that comes back in someone has to miss out. Every grand final has those stories about blokes missing out and unfortunately Stakes happens to be one of my best mates at the footy club.

“That is what is going to drive me over the next couple of years, to get him one. I am probably going to enjoy the second one as much as he is going to enjoy his first. To get him one will be pretty special.”