Caleb Serong opens up about the challenges he overcame to win his third Doig Medal

Reflecting on his history-making third consecutive Doig Medal, midfield star Caleb Serong explained how his elite consistency is, in part, thanks to the support and faith shown in him by his fellow leaders, the Club and fiancé Chloe Furnari. 

Speaking to media after claiming his third Doig Medal on Saturday night, Serong opened up about the difficult start to the 2025 season, and how a simple act from his fiancé helped get him back on track. 

“Consistency is something that I pride myself on,” Serong said. 

“Wanting to perform for my teammates and the Club week in, week out, and having the trust that I can do that – this (third Doig Medal) is potentially an outcome of that.

“I have a lot of fears and doubts every week. Throughout the pre-season I do a lot of work with a sports psychologist… it’s funny, halfway through pre-season you have guys like Matthew Johnson, Neil Erasmus and Murphy Reid coming in – who are hungry as anything to improve, get better, and take your spot – and I’m sitting there doubting if I’m going to be able to hold my spot inside next year. 

“That kind of thought process needs to be monitored to make sure it doesn’t drain you, but it’s also what drives me to try and get better every single day.” 

Despite averaging over 29 disposals individually across the first six rounds, the team sat at a 3-3 record. With pressure mounting on finals aspirations, Serong was asking himself questions as one of the leaders of the side.  

Serong explained that returning to a simple mindfulness trick he first trialled in 2024 helped guide him through the tough time. 

“I lean on Chloe (fiancé) a lot to keep me pretty even-keeled,” Serong said. 

“The first couple of months of the season were tough. 

“We didn’t start the way we wanted and there was a lot of pressure on the football Club. 

“As a leader, you feel that – and I felt a responsibility to problem-solve and try to fix it and have all the answers, and you’re just never going to. 

“That’s where leaning on the guys and the people around me – whether it’s Chloe, the other leaders, coaches – that’s why I speak so fondly about our leadership at the football club, because we lean on them a lot. 

“There were times in those first couple of months where Chloe had to kind of call me out on some of the stuff I was going through and pull me out of it.

“I’ve spoken a lot about Lego this year … but that started last year. I did a little bit, but stopped and didn’t really pick it back up … but there was one day I was down in that hole, and I was feeling the heat in the first couple of months, and Chloe pretty much said, ‘go into that study, open up that Lego again and don’t come out for two or three hours until you feel a bit better.’” 

The simple advice worked wonders as Serong and the team finished the year strongly, winning 12 of the final 14 home and away games and playing finals for the first time since 2022.  

Serong’s Doig Medal hat-trick is the first since Pavlich’s run from 2005 to 2008. 

It caps an outstanding individual season that saw the 24-year-old earn his third All Australian selection, his fourth Glendinning-Allan Medal (equal record), plus set Club records for the most inside 50s in a season (134), along with the most clearances (197). 

Serong now sits alongside Nat Fyfe and Peter Bell with three Doig Medals, second to six-time champion Pavlich.