Lee Spurr has labelled playing his 50th game this weekend as a ‘just reward’ for the tough journey he has had into the AFL.

The mature age recruit was drafted to Fremantle via the 2011 Rookie Draft from SANFL club Central Districts.

Born in Queensland, Spurr moved to Adelaide when he was 19, with the hope of giving himself the best opportunity to live his dream of playing football at the elite level.

But after nominating in four drafts without any success the then 21-year-old Spurr returned to Queensland to spend Christmas with his family.

“I had actually decided to leave Adelaide and move back to Queensland at that stage,” Spurr said.

“The reason I moved to Adelaide was to get drafted. I wanted to play in a better league, but after a few years I hadn’t been drafted and noticed that not many mature age guys were getting picked up.

“I started to question whether it was a bit of a pie in the sky dream and if it was over.”

“I spoke to my mum and dad and they asked me if I still wanted to play football and if it was still my dream.

“They said that I wouldn’t want to be their age and regret when I look back.”

The advice from his parents was enough to change the defender’s mind, he left Queensland after Christmas to head back to South Australia and continue towards his dream.

After playing in two premierships with Central Districts in 2009 and 2010 Spurr, who was studying for a law degree, was finally picked up in his sixth draft attempt and moved West. 

“There was a period there where it was very hard to decide if I needed to get on with my life or keep pushing and putting everything on hold,” he said.

“The end result shows that I’m glad that I did and glad my parents were behind me, they were a major part of my journey into the AFL.

At the age of 24, Spurr debuted for Fremantle in round 6, 2012 against Gold Coast and played 13 games during his first year on an AFL list.

While he didn’t break into the team straight away, Spurr grasped a last minute opportunity in round 16, 2012 with an excellent 19-disposal, 11-mark performance off the half back line.

Since that moment he has rarely missed a beat, cementing himself in the heart of Fremantle’s defence.

Spurr credits senior coach Ross Lyon and teammate Michael Barlow as major influences on his career to date

“Ross has helped me get the best out of myself. He has helped drive me and develop me into a player who can play different roles,” he said

“On a personal level, I get on really well with Michael Barlow, we do a lot of extra training together and we hold each other to account. 

Running onto Patersons Stadium this Saturday in the Cartlon Draught Derby, the Queenslander will have no regrets. 

“When I put into consideration where I came from I had a different journey from most players.

“Reward for hard work is probably what I feel the most, it’s really satisfying but there’s a lot of hard work left.

He also has some advice for anyone who is unsure about their future.

“Make a decision about what you really want to do.

“If that’s what you want you need to be prepared to sacrifice everything.

“Wear your heart on your sleeve and put the emotional risk out there.

“If you love what you’re doing put everything into it.

“If you don’t quite get to where you want to go at least you can be proud and not have any regrets.

“I wasn’t afraid of failing, I’ll be running out for my 50th game this weekend and hopefully, I’ll get to 100.”