THE tears welled to the surface as Tom Lonergan climbed onto the winners' podium at Princes Park yesterday to accept the medal for best afield in the VFL grand final.

His voice wavered as he pronounced it "one of the best days of my life".

But he was doing better than his mother in the waterworks stakes. Tricia Lonergan was fighting them back even as Geelong ran down the race to start the grand final against Coburg two hours earlier.

The timing was significant, you see. Lonergan, Geelong's crazy-brave key position player who lost a kidney and almost his life in a sickening collision at the end of last year, had only been out of hospital for two days when he attended the VFL grand final at this time last year. He was 16 kilograms lighter than he is now, and looked to have no future as a footballer.

"Actually, I started crying when they started to run down onto the ground," Tricia Lonergan said.

"I was thinking back to 12 months ago what he was like, and what he is today. It's so good."

And so another chapter in the ballad of big Tom Lonergan was written at Carlton.

At half-time, with Geelong on top but not home, coach Leigh Tudor switched him from defence to centre half-forward, sizing up "a nice little mismatch". Lonergan went without questioning his coach; he had done the same thing in an earlier final against North Ballarat and kicked three goals.

This time, he would take it to another level. A brilliant trap, twist and snap from 40 metres to start the term, and a finger in the air. A contested mark near the point post and a banana kick for another. A tough one from an angle. As Geelong would obliterate Coburg over 30 minutes, Lonergan would kick five goals. Another in the final quarter would leave him with six. "I got in the zone, I guess," he would say later. "Mainly, I wanted to win. All the boys did."

Lonergan, who is on Geelong's rookie list, could scarcely believe it himself. "It's been such a big year. This time last year, I walked across the ground and I was that sick, I weighed 70 kilos or whatever. I came in the rooms and the boys were that flat, they'd just lost. It's been such a big year, to turn around and win the flag, kick a few and contribute was just amazing. I don't think it'll sink in for a day or so."

Lonergan had his family in tow — father Bernard, brother Marc and girlfriend Elise O'Neil. The Lonergans were quickly on the phone to sister Kate, who is in London, but who flew home last year when his life was endangered. Another brother, Terry, played in a premiership in Queensland this weekend.

Tricia Lonergan admitted that initially, she had been reluctant about her son's decision to play football again. Ultimately, though, it was his call to come back just before the split round this year. "He's very determined. We knew he'd get back. That's Tom. That's what he wants to do and we totally support him in what he does. When he was in hospital, I thought 'I don't know' but it's Tom's decision and we support what he says and does."

Lonergan wore a specially-made guard on his remaining kidney yesterday, and said he had been assured he is not in any more danger than the next footballer. "Obviously when you're sick like that, it (retirement) goes through your head," he said.

"You wouldn't want the same thing to happen again. If I lost another kidney, I'd be in real trouble. Once it started to get better, I started training and I started feeling good.

"The doctors and surgeons gave me a lot of encouragement, saying: 'The chances of it actually happening again are quite slim'. I had a guard made up and it's really thick. There's no way known you'd do it again, I don't think."

The strains of "We are Geelong, the greatest team of all" reverberated around Princes Park, six days before a legion of fans hope to hear it in even more momentous circumstances at the MCG.

Soon after it tries to wipe out 44 years of history by winning a flag, the Cats will have to decide whether to hang onto Lonergan. Needless to say, Lonergan has earned a shot at his dream, if sentiment counts for anything at all.

"I think the coaches are happy with what I've done this year, just not missing a game or whatever," Lonergan said. "It'll be good to have another pre-season and give senior footy another crack next year. They're pretty positive I might get another year. It's always been my long-term goal to play one senior game. I'll be doing all I can in pre-season and hopefully crack it next year."