TARKYN LOCKYER’S GAME OF SECURITY

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IN-DEPTH NEWS FEATURE:

Tarkyn Lockyer, Collingwood midfielder, trains hard and looks after his health and fitness, so that he can be the best he possibly can on the footy field, and he uses the same strategies when it comes to investment, looking for minimal risk and making hay whilst that sun shines.

Born on the 30^th of October 1979, in Western Australia, Tarkyn Lockyer, a midfielder for Collingwood Football Club, declares that when he debuted in round 8, on the 15^th of May, 10 years ago, he was simply blown away by the size of the crowd and the sheer magnitude of the game.

“Compared to the MCG, I played country football before playing for Collingwood. I remember being I in awe my first game; the size of the MCG, it is massive, and the game pressure was enormous, but fantastic,” Tarkyn said. “I also could not get over the support from members and fans, it was huge. On average there are 60,000 fans at one of our games, so when they cheer you can really hear it.”

Since his debut, Tarkyn has played over 200 games with Collingwood and has scored over 140 goals, earning him the title of ‘a consistent veteran’ amongst his fellow players and peers. In addition to this, Tarkyn has also been awarded four Best and Fairest trophies, being the RT Rush Trophy in 2000, the Jack Regan Trophy in 2001, and the JF McHale Trophy in 2002, as well as the JJ Joyce Trophy in 2007. He also placed as runner-up for the Copeland Trophy in 2000, and has accumulated 16 Brownlow votes.

Thought Tarkyn believes that his success on the field is attributed to a number of factors. “The brand of Collingwood is big, we train at second-to-none facilities, everything is there, and we are spoilt,” Tarkyn said. “Winning is more than just a victory. Post-game recovery is a pay off when you win, and your bruises and scratches are worn with honour. It is about putting the effort in and then getting the reward, this is what drives you week-to-week. I cherish this feeling after the game.”

During the 2009 season, Tarkyn played 22 games, scored 30 goals, and he ranked 1st in total marks taken, with a game average of more than 18 disposals. His season highlights included 29 disposals, 21 kicks, and 14 marks during the Brisbane match on the 17^th of April, and scoring four goals in the match against North Melbourne on the 1^st of May 2009.

However at only 178cm in height and weighing in at 81kg, Tarkyn Lockyer, who sports the number 24 guernsey for Collingwood, confesses that he is not the largest footy player on the field and this can have its drawbacks, especially when most players have a height and weight advantage.

“I am not overly tall or quick, therefore I have learned to do everything correctly away from footy, so that I can be professional on field and leave no stone unturned,” Tarkyn said.

But what the veteran lacks in height and speed, he makes up for in tenacity. In 2007, Lockyer led the league for marks with an impressive score of 203, proving that even those with a disadvantage can succeed.

“I don’t think I am unique, but I do think what sets me apart from others in AFL, is the fact that I know my strengths and weakness and I work on making these advantageous. My preparation for the game focuses on developing my skills and often this is intense.”

Lockyer has progressively worked toward establishing himself as one of Collingwood’s key midfielders, and at times as a defender. To reach the top in a sporting sense, Tarkyn believes that understanding the game on and off the field is the key to success.

“Purely from a footy sense, a good understanding of structures and good game play enables you to be successful. If you are not smart enough to read the game, then you will not cope with the pressures of the game, it is that simple,” said Tarkyn. “It is important to be able to use and depose of the football under duress. Plus, you need to get your body to a level where you can perform consistently.” Tarkyn pauses and then adds, “For some players, it is so easy to get distracted and off-track, especially when they have to deal with the point of views of the media, the public and the supporter. Therefore, it is important to be a role model and avoid bad publicity, you have to have a level head and make the publicity a fun scenario, so that you don’t get caught up in the Hollywood styled hype. Honestly, it is about coming into the game with hopes, and then developing your skills so that you cope with the game on and off the field, so that you don’t get caught.”

But, Lockyer’s football career with Collingwood has not been without its challenges.

Tarkyn Lockyer injured his knee during the 2003 season (April 12^th), in a game against Geelong. He turned awkwardly and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, during a tackle with Geelong’s David Wojcinski. The club doctor, Paul Blackman, stated at the time that he expected Lockyer to be unable to play for the next 6 to 9 months, and at the worst, it could possibly be as long as 12 months before a full recovery was made. Some 14 months later, Tarkyn returned to the field after having a knee reconstruction, and recovering from stress fractures to his right foot.

When asked about the ups and downs he has experienced in his career, and how he has coped, Tarkyn said, “From an injury point of view, routine and preparation help me get back to my former fitness, I just put everything I can into getting me back on top. I can’t speak highly enough of the sports medicine team at Collingwood they are incredible when it comes to rehabilitation and assisting players to get back what they had, and to feel success again.”

Tarkyn is grounded and family focused when it comes to life and lifestyle. “My whole life is clearly sport and football and the single most important thing I have to put my mind to, but my family is my number one accolade. I remember when my son came along, I then had an opportunity to put everything I had done into perspective,” Tarkyn said. “The five most important things in my life are my family, my health and well-being, football, financial security and assets, and friendships.”

Tarkyn’s son Charlie, who is three, is only but one of the footballers loves in life, his other two, apart from football, are his wife, Benita, and daughter, Leni, who is 18 months old. And it is these individuals that inspire Tarkyn to focus on his future and work toward greater financial stability.

“My driving force when it comes to investment is life after footy. When I exit the game, I want to have a good solid base and equity to support my young family, so that I can pay for my children’s schooling and then be able to sit back and watch my kids grow. I want something behind us, for us to have no mortgage to pay and to not have to be concerned with how the children’s schooling will be paid for, Tarkyn said.”

Predominately a bricks and mortar investor, Tarkyn also professes that he dabbles in shares, and has an investment portfolio and a broker. “When it comes to investment I guess I like to see my investments, this is why I elect to invest in bricks and mortar mostly. Very early on in my career I tried to get ideas and perspectives from the people I trusted, such as my parents, when it came to investment. My mum and dad kept telling me to buy a house. So I did. This was my first investment, and the feeling of home ownership was truly monumental,” said Tarkyn.

Tarkyn believes that when it comes to investment you make hay while the sun shines and this for him means minimising risks and looking at longer term investments rather than short term.

“When it comes to investment, do the research, because if you have enough information you can then work out if the investment is good or bad. I honestly believe in talking to as many people as you can,” Tarkyn said.

“Talk to financial advisors and other people you trust and respect, and ask them questions, get a lot of advice and tips, but just remember that you need to sort out the good information from the bad, and that you need to work out your investments for you and your own personal requirements. Keep your goals in mind, and be disciplined, for example – focus on paying off your house and paying your debts as soon as possible, and don’t get side-tracked with other things that involve higher risks and give you no apparent rewards.”

“I have a lot of faith in my manager, and the financial people who help me. I have my finances set up so I can concentrate on footy, and I don’t have to worry about payments, or financial stress.”

“I firmly believe it is about finding value for money and portfolio growth. Clearly if you are not making money, then you need to change something. I am all about security, I need to know where my money is growing,” Tarkyn said. “I watch stocks with my broker, and I have a hands-on approach. This comes back once again to advice.”

In addition to being a Collingwood player, Tarkyn also owns and runs Elite Lifestyle Solutions (ELS), a health, well-being and teambuilding initiative, in conjunction with fellow Collingwood team player, Nick Maxwell. ELS operates out of the Lexus Centre and includes group and one-on-one training sessions that incorporate running, riding, swimming, free-weights, and football skills, as well as innovative fitness and training concepts to improve lifestyle and the quality of life.

And, it is the philosophies that he teaches at ELS that construct Tarkyn’s ethics for life, as his future is about enjoying a quality of life with those that he loves the most.

“Lifestyle is really important, for me, it is about enjoying my family, watching kids growing and spending time with them when my footy career ends,” said Tarkyn.

“However, when it comes to my future investments I would have to say that I am intrigued with the housing market and how we are going to go in an investment sense, because of the recession. Many people have told me to invest in certain share portfolios, because we have seen the worse and we are out of it, but others say we are still in it and to just sit still. Me, I am sitting on my hands at present, and just waiting to see what unfolds.”

For more information on Tarkyn Lockyer, or ELS, please visit http://elitelifestylesolutions.com.au

Please Note: This article was originally written by Tricia L. Snell and published in Lifestyle Investor Magazine Vol. 1.3 | Issue November/December 2009. This article has been re-printed with the permission of the Lifestyle Education Group.