You couldn't wipe the smile off Coby Perry's face as he strode around the QEO on Thursday night.
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For once, Perry didn't have the weight of the footy world on his shoulders and he could just enjoy training alongside the best players in the competition.
The Maryborough co-coach hasn't had a lot to smile about this season as his beloved Magpies have copped belting after belting.
The opportunity to represent the Bendigo Football Netball League at inter-league level for the second time was, firstly, a welcome break from the weekly battle to find enough players to field a Maryborough senior side, and, secondly, the chance to potentially enjoy a rare win.
"It's always good to play with the guys you play against on a weekly basis,'' Perry said on the eve of Saturday's game against the VAFA in Melbourne.
"To come together and play a high standard game of football is something I really want to enjoy."
Perry made his BFNL inter-league debut as a fresh-faced 18-year-old against Gippsland at Warragul in 2016.
He turned heads with an impressive first-up performance in a 31-point Bendigo victory.
"It was a high-scoring game and a bit of a shootout,'' Perry recalled.
"I played okay. I think Kristian Height got hurt, so I got the chance to have a run around in the midfield. It was a great day, I really enjoyed it."
The fact Perry has been forced to wait eight years for his second game is not because of form.
A string of injuries ruined any hope he had from 2017-2019 and then inter-league games were put on the backburner for five years.
His selection this year was based around his brilliant ball-winning for Maryborough.
Perry is averaging 40 possessions and 10 clearances per game, including a 49-possession haul against Kangaroo Flat last week.
"My body has been good, which is the main thing,'' Perry said.
"I've been going into games feeling fresh and I've tried to be as consistent as I can be."
Perry's form has been the highlight of what will more than likely be Maryborough's final season in the Bendigo league.
Uncompetitive team performances and dwindling player stocks have resulted in the Pies expressing interest in joining the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League next year.
The next two rounds the Pies play the top-two teams Sandhurst and Gisborne.
"It's week-by-week for us,'' Perry said.
"Having this week off is a chance for the club to reset and, hopefully, we should get a few players back next week from injuries.
"We're looking forward to the remainder of the season."
For this weekend, Perry can put Maryborough's troubles to one side.
A victory in possibly his last BFNL inter-league game would be fitting for a player that has been so loyal to his club and league when it would have been easy for him to jump ship.
The last time Perry played in a winning side for Maryborough he was best on ground in round 17 of the 2019 season.
He was injured for Maryborough's last win which was in round two of 2021.
"It's a really talented squad we have and we're expecting to put in a really good performance on Saturday,'' Perry said.
"It would absolutely be nice to have a win."
