Ryan Searl isn't one to back down from a friendly bet.
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It was what saw him swapping the round ball for the Sherrin for a season, and also what led him to be pulling on the Oxley Vale Attunga red, that he has worn pretty much since he was six-years old, again.
The centre-midfielder is among a handful of players from the club's golden decade that have returned to the Mushies' fold this season, although coronavirus has put the reunion on hold for now.
He stepped away last season to spend more time with his young family. He has two boys, Hayden who is three-and-a-half and Mayson who is one-and-a-half.
The seed for the comeback was planted at last year's presentation.
"I sort of said to Sam (Higgins) if he plays I'll play and then I made a couple of bets with a few of the other one's that if I could get Sam to play that they'd play," Searl said.
"And once we got Tim (Coates) back coaching it was sort of like we've all got to commit now."
Searl acknowledged it does feel a bit like a band reuniting, and said there was a really good feeling around the group before coronavirus put a halt to everything.
"We were pretty positive. We were aiming fairly high this year," he said.
"There was a good vibe around the group and a good mix of old and young together."
He noted there is some really good young talent in the club. They just probably need that bit of guidance, which Coates can provide, and that physical presence that the likes of himself, Luke Purcell, Higgins and Brendan Fergie will add.
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Part of the Mushies' first-ever premiership, Searl has played all his senior footy with the club - bar 2016 when he tried his hand at AFL.
"I had a good mate that played AFL and I sort of jokingly said to him if I played that I'd be really good at it," he said.
As these things invariably do, one thing led to another and Searl found himself suiting up for the Kangaroos.
He wasn't as he put it "great" but he wasn't "terrible" either. In fact he was voted the best first year player.
But Coates coaxed him back to the Mushies.
"I did enjoy AFL and I did want to play that as well but I was probably a bit better at soccer," he said.
This season has felt a bit like a false start. Searl played in the Mushies' two FFA Cup games but hasn't really seen his team-mates since the second game with all training and competitions suspended not long after.
He said after doing all the hard work through the pre-season to then have everything come to a stop after only two games has been hard. Now 31, he joked that it takes him a little bit longer to get fit these days.
He hasn't really thought too much about when they might be able to return but is itching to get back out on the field.
"If we can get back this year I'll be really keen to get back and playing again," he said.