There’s the usual match preparation, the stretching, the warm-up drills, the coach’s address.

But he always takes a moment to remember where he comes from before he crosses the white line.

Waite is the great grandson of World War II veteran Peter Chitty, the decorated soldier and winner of the Changi Brownlow, awarded after his efforts in the competition held in the Changi prisoner of war camp in 1943.

The legacy left by his ancestor is not lost on Waite, who hopes to emulate his on-field achievements.

“I think about him every week,” Waite said.

“He sacrificed his footy career to go to war and the stories I’ve been told about him, not just from playing footy in the camps but the way he acted as a soldier, are something I use to inspire my own game.

“When you’re out there having trouble finding the footy it’s a buoying influence in a way, I realise that I have it pretty easy.

“It’s a good way to re-focus and just get on with things.”

Murray’s aunt Ros Taylor, Peter Chitty’s daughter, said she was proud of her nephew’s recognition of her father.

“Football runs in the blood, so for Murray to be playing at an elite level is a wonderful way to keep the name going,” she said.

“Winning that Brownlow meant more than anything to Dad, he carried it with him all the way through the war.

“It was as important to the men in Changi as any other Brownlow Medal, and he treated it as such.”

The medal itself now sits in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, but Ms Taylor continues to tell her father’s stories with pride.

She spoke to the Bushrangers after training on Wednesday night and hoped they could draw inspiration from his story.

“There were around 200 registered VFL players in the Changi camp and 10,000 men watched the final game before the Japanese officers put an end to it,” she said.