Richmond ruckman Troy Simmonds loves a challenge.
If it's not helping to save the endangered animal from his which club takes its iconic nickname - the Tigers - to taking on the AFL's tallest ruckman - Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands at the MCG this Saturday, Simmonds is up for it.
The 30-year-old veteran has already overcome one significant recent challenge in bravely returning to the field this season after overcoming a life-threatening blood clot in his lung last season and now he is hoping to guide his club into its first finals appearance since 2001.
The Tigers kept their finals hopes alive last week with a shock win over second-placed Hawthorn at the MCG and while they are warm favourites to account for bottom four pair Fremantle and Melbourne over the last two rounds, they also need other results to go their way to pull of a shock finals appearance.
But Simmonds - whose battle with his former Fremantle teammate Sandilands on Saturday will be crucial to the outcome - insists the Tigers would more than hold their own if they can somehow conjure a finals appearance.
"There is a great vibrancy around the club and all we have to do in win our last two games and hope some results go our way," Simmonds said on Thursday while visiting Royal Melbourne Zoo as part of his role as an ambassador for the Melbourne Zoo's Tiger Taskforce - which aims to raise funds to help secure the future of all remaining Tiger species.
Simmonds has played in one finals campaign with each of his former clubs Melbourne (in 2000) and Fremantle (in 2003) and is now desperate to do so with the Tigers in the twilight of his career.
"It has been a while (since Richmond played in the finals) but we have definitely got a good group to be part of the September action but whether it’s this year or next year I would like to be part of that," he said.
Simmonds has played every game this season and his statistics for the year almost mirror those of 2006 when he was third in the Tigers' best and fairest.
But Simmonds admits he is just happy to be out there after not only fearing for his career but even his life late last season.
"Having the clot I had in the lung, it does wake you up a bit and you look at life differently," he said.
"It was a life threatening illness and I just wanted to make sure I was out there this year and doing everything right."
Now he is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with Sandilands - who at 211cm and 123kg dwarfs Simmonds, who at 196cm and 99kg is one of the league's smallest ruckman.
But having had just had an up close and personal encounter with 12-year-old Sumatran Tiger - Ramalon - at Melbourne Zoo, Simmonds was looking forward to locking horns with another giant on Saturday.
"Big Aaron - I played with him when I was at Fremantle and I love a big challenge," Simmonds said.
"We are two totally different players, he has got the height and I will try and use my speed and agility around the ground."
As for his work with Melbourne Zoo's Tiger ambassador program, Simmonds admits he was the natural choice.
"I've got a love for animals and everyone knows my past history with the snakes (which Simmonds used to have as pets) and I have got a passion for wildlife and anything I can do to save such a great creature as the Tiger - I'm all for it," he said.