After rambling on a bit about injuries in my last column, I couldn’t help but follow-up with Brent Staker’s amazing comeback against the Bombers.

Much has already been said about ‘that’ kick, but the fact he was out there in the first place probably helped motivate us to get ourselves into that winning position.

His fight to get back onto the field was mentioned on more than one occasion in the lead-up to the game, and even during some of the breaks.

I’m sure he was probably a bit embarrassed by all the attention, but it definitely had an impact on the group.

Before Saturday, he hadn’t played a senior AFL game in 629 days (or something close to that). And that’s not including the few months he spent in rehab after his first knee reconstruction early in 2011.

I’ve been out for long periods myself – although nothing compared to what Stakes has gone through – so understand how spending so much time away from the team can affect you mentally.

But if Stakes was frustrated throughout the process (which I’m sure he would have been), he never let it show when he was around the boys.

He would always come to the Club with a smile on his face and wouldn’t let his own misfortune bring anyone else down.

It’s that type of positive attitude that makes him such a popular bloke, and is why we were all rapt that he got the fairytale finish that he deserved.

It also sets a great example for guys like Claye Beams and Stephen Wrigley who are going through something similar right now.

Not only is Stakes an inspiration around the footy club, but he’s also a very eligible bachelor.

No doubt you’ve already seen that he’s been named as one of the finalists in Cleo’s Bachelor of the Year competition, and it’s fair to say the boys have given him heaps ever since that shirtless photo of him came out on Monday.

The guys at the Club are always looking for new ammunition to stitch up their teammates, so this was pure gold!

But I guess he’ll end up having the last laugh considering it’s only going to make him even more popular with the ladies.

Plus, last week’s on-field heroics probably won’t hurt his chances either.

Make sure you get around Stakes and vote for him to become the 2013 Cleo Bachelor of the Year.