Former Hawk excited and a little nervous for SAS course

A COMBINATION of a gift from his wife and being a glutton for punishment, one of the Drysdale Football Club’s most well-respected names is preparing to participate in what will be an experience he will never forget.

Set for late-March, Luke Matthews will undertake a three-day SAS training course up in the Victorian town of Mansfield.

Matthews is not trying to complete the course for any sort of military advancement, but rather to give it a go and push himself physically and mentally as he had done at Drysdale FC for so many years.

Matthews may have hung up the boots back in 2013 and dedicated three seasons of his life to being the Hawks senior head coach, but now another challenge awaits him.

“The inspiration for this I guess came from the show (SAS Australia) as silly as that may sound,” he said.

“I then said to my wife that I would have loved to have done something like that when I was younger and fitter, but then four months later for my 40th birthday my wife surprised me with the three-day course up in Mansfield.”

Matthews has done an abundance of training in preparation for the course alongside two of his long-time friends Brad McDougall and Mick Ford, running the You Yangs, swimming and a program of strength training accumulating up to 10 hours a week.

While Matthews is excited and a little bit nervous, he and his mates are also raising funds for a charity and cause close to his heart.

“The reasoning behind raising the funds for Beyond Blue probably has to come mostly from the Drysdale Footy Club and the passing of my friend and former teammate Ryan Gatgens, who passed away from mental health issues in 2019,” Matthews said.

“Ever since, mental health has always been an issue that I’ve tried to advocate for, particularly given I had been a coach of football.

“I’ve always tried to look out for my players and giving someone the confidence to speak out when they’re struggling is always a big thing so hopefully this experience can raise awareness for that.”

If you would like to help Luke and his mates reach their $5,000 goal as they set forth on their “SAS Adventure”, the link to their fundraiser can be found on the Drysdale Football Club’s Facebook page.