“I feel very lucky to be able to call him a friend.” groundbreaking gay footballer Jason Ball said of Gilbert, whose wife Georgie is expecting the couple's first child.
“[He] gave permission to other people in the community, in particular young me, to know that saying no to homophobia doesnt make you less of a man, it means that youre a good bloke.
“Sam was willing to put his neck out at a time when most in the AFL werent. And I think that should be commended. I think the LGBTIQ community owe him a great deal of gratitude.”
Former Saints defender Jason Blake, a longtime teammate and a man Gilbert nominates as one of his biggest influences in football, said it was typical of Gilberts character that he would throw his weight behind the cause.
“Hes very empathetic, hes very considerate, and hes a very caring guy,” Blake said.
Blake looks back at that difficult period at the end of 2010 and said Gilbert deserves praise for the way he handled himself.
“It was tough. It was tough on everyone. He didnt shy away from it.
"He took it on board and to his credit he persevered through those challenges.
“Its certainly something that while its occurred, he can certainly hold his head high and be proud of the way he faced that.”
Sam Gilbert marks for the Saints.
Photo: AAP
The challenges didnt end there. Gilbert, whose grandfather and great-grandfather both played rugby league for St George, himself came from a league background. While brilliant at taking the game on and tackling, his kicking will probably always be a bit of a point of derision among Saints fans.
“Hes certainly persevered through a lot of adversity,” Blake said.
“He was a critical player for us through that 2009, 2010 era.
“[He's had] injuries, hes had to fight for his spot, and its certainly a credit to his character the way hes gone about it.
“Hes very selfless, hes very diligent. Hes always wanted to get better.”
Even as the oldest player on St Kildas list this year a senior game wasnt going to come easy as coach Alan Richardson waited until round four to include Gilbert in his side.
“He wanted to see me play my best football, and to do that I was required to play in the VFL which is totally fine,” Gilbert, 31, said.
Then last week there were a series of slips on Etihad Stadium. “A few boys have offered to buy me new boots,” he joked.
But barring any last-minute stumble, on Saturday night in Launceston against Hawthorn Gilbert will become the 30th man to represent the Saints 200 times.
“It means a lot. Something Id always had aspirations for," Gilbert said.
“Im just lucky that the club stuck with me.”
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Daniel is an Age sports reporter.
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