Lovett was exceptional for the Bombers, kicking two goals during the course of the game and giving the Bombers some serious leg speed through the midfield. And the Essendon fans have warmed to him, with the red and black fans on the edge of their seats every time the 22-year-old got his hands on the football.
>> Buy the actual guernsey Andrew Lovett wore when he won the Anzac Day Medal - click here!
Lovett was a key to Essendon’s victory – his second goal of the final quarter sealing the Magpies fate. ""That was the goal I enjoyed most I suppose because that is what I am picked to do – it was a crumbing goal and it also came at an important time in the game,"" Lovett said after the game.
""Winning the medal feels a bit surreal at the moment. It is a bit overwhelming, I am just taking it all in at the moment. The players are giving me a bit but they are really happy for me.""
Lovett said he enjoys celebrating goals and if the fans enjoy it as well then all the better. ""I like celebrating goals but I try not to get to over the top. I don’t know how the fans react to me – I think they just cheer as much as they would for anyone else,"" he said.
Lovett, however, is doing his best to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground.
""I really haven’t thought past tomorrow and next week’s game against Brisbane. I just want to keep contributing and stay in the team. That is the most important thing – we just have to beat Brisbane and get our season kick-started,"" he said.
Strutting his stuff today on the MCG is a long way from the days when this young man walked out on the Northern Knights simply not believing he was good enough.
""I went down to the Northern Knights but only played a handful of games – I basically walked out because I felt that I wasn’t fit enough at the time, and I wasn’t working hard enough to fix that,"" he said.
""I went back to play back at my local club North Heidleberg. I played a season of under 19s and a couple of years in the seniors before I went over to play for East Perth. At that time I had decided I wanted to give myself the best chance of playing AFL.""
Right now it is a decision that Bomber fans are absolutely thrilled about.
>> Buy the actual guernsey Andrew Lovett wore when he won the Anzac Day Medal - click here!
