The enigma that is Garry Hocking

by OROTON

HARD to believe, but Garry Hocking is a trained hairdresser. Grew up in country Victoria with his best mate, Johnny Barnes. Used to ride down the street bouncing a football while riding his bike. Try it sometime.

But who exactly is this guy Buddha? And is he mentally a lot closer to his sobriquet, than most footy fans would believe.

Despite his approach to the game on-field, his off-field demeanour is quite reserved. Across the white line he's a rabid pig-dog, but back in the civvies he seems a troubled soul. A restless Hamlet wandering the streets of Corio staring at a skull. To be or not to be?

Anyone who saw that famous Footy Show footage of him sliding down a metal ramp as he tried to eat a hot dog would know that Buddha can be a figure of fun. Or what about the legendary kick to kick with the kids in the street when he was doing his garbo round. Tripped on the gutter and put his ankle out. Couldn't front up against West Coast the next day in the match of the round. Stuff like that seems to happen to the Buddha.

Not to mention the Whiskas stunt, where he changed his name so the club could make some cash. Or the sticker the club put out allegedly in his glory. It reads: 'What a Buddhaful Day', with a poorly drawn image alongside the type.

Doesn't quite work, does it?

At times he's been one of the most destructive midfielders in the AFL. Distributing the ball elegantly from out of the tumult, and always managing to inflict maximum physical damage in the process. Silky skills and a knuckle duster in the handbag. A one man demolition squad, his main aim seemed to be to change the enduring perception of Geelong as soft. Nearly killing himself in the process.

The four grand final appearances didn't help his cause. Too young and reckless in 89, not quite right in 92, and fighting a lost cause in 95. But 1994 was the saddest day for Buddha. Johnny Worsfold had correctly identified Gary Hocking as the only thing that stood between West Coast and a premiership that year. In the first quarter he seized the opportunity, kneed Hocking in the thigh, gave him a severe corky and that was pretty much it for the day. Buddha played on bravely in the second half, but wasn't able to cause anything like his usual damage and the match was lost.

So, he's never been able to achieve that most valuable quality to be considered truly a champion. The ability to succeed on the day when it matters most. A mixture of bad luck and a misguided approach. What was he thinking in 1989? Was he under instructions from Blight?

And finally the captaincy. He never wanted it, and then he did. Like a joke punchline he could never remember, then suddenly he wanted to host the whole show. What was going on there? As a Cat fan I was just mystified, first he didn't then he did. Like Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas did he have to wander the vast desert to find what he wanted. To find the truth among the mud and shit and dirty blood spattered bandages, amongst the darkening light of old Kardinia, amongst the cruel smile of Worsfold and mates as they jogged away on Grand Final day 1994.

No, I don't think we'll ever know what Buddha is thinking. As inscrutable as his namesake. The mystery endures, the enigma that is Garry Hocking.

2001

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