And Jayden Kotzur is the perfect example.

Kotzur, oozes class and came out of retirement last weekend to play for Thurgoona against Wodonga Saints.

It was the Barton medallist's first match since the Bulldogs' 71-point grand final romp over Barnawartha in 2019.

Despite not playing for more than two-and-a-half years, Kotzur bobbed-up with nine goals in the Bulldogs' big win over the Saints.

A typically modest Kotzur played down his performance.

"I was going to play a bit earlier but we got Covid in the family and I had to put the comeback on the backburner for a while," Kotzur said.

"The kids have been pestering me to play and they are mad keen about their footy at the moment and are playing Auskick.

"So I had a training run and pulled up fine and I was lucky enough to get picked in the seniors.

"I kicked a few snags but the boys really looked after me and I got on the end of some nice delivery.

"It was all a bit of fun, which is the main thing."

Kotzur said he was also highly-motivated to play again to honour the passing of popular Bulldog Garry Rake who was tragically killed in an accident in March.

Rake was a life member of the club, a former player, committeeman and a tireless volunteer since retiring from playing.

Kotzur is close mates with his sons, Dylan and Tom, who are also premiership team-mates.

In a major boost to the sixth-placed Bulldogs' finals aspirations, Kotzur plans to play most matches for the remainder of the season.

"After Garry passed away, I was motivated to play again with Dylan and Tom," Kotzur said.

"I will play the games that I can.

"I've got a few family commitments where I can't play some weekends but I'm keen to play most matches."

Kotzur, 36, said he had surprisingly pulled-up well despite not playing for so long.

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He also couldn't resist taking a cheeky swipe at two of his premiership team-mates.

"I actually felt fine on Sunday which was a bit surprising but I was a bit stiff the following day," he said.

"I've hardly even kicked a footy over the past two-and-a-half years, except for the kids' footy at home.

"But I'm still fairly young compared to Matty Fowler and Jamarl O'Sullivan who were 40 plus when we won the flag a few years ago.

"Those two were on the recruiting radar of the Murray Crays but were still able to contribute for us in 2019."

Thurgoona travel to Yackandandah on Saturday with both sides in desperate need of four points to stay in striking distance of the top-five.

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