Age article on Blakey

[Copernicus]

The accidental hero

Peter Hanlon | April 11, 2008



THESE crazy days in Cat land, fresh evidence of Mark Blake's burgeoning as a football cult figure arrives by the week. Last Sunday, against Melbourne, it came when his third goal in a fortnight prompted the sort of crescendoed roar that fans reserve for the most unremarkable of happenings.


Underscoring the idolatry from the terraces was the reaction of his teammates; as with each of Blake's five career goals, the frenzy certainly wasn't confined to the public side of the pickets.


"We get as much excitement out of it as the crowd," Joel Corey said of that new footy phenomenon - the Blake major. "We all like to have a bit of fun when we kick a goal, but certainly when Blakey kicks one it makes it even more fun."


And funny. As Corey notes, it is not so long ago that cheers greeted Blake getting a kick full-stop. "He didn't get too many in his early days - he just handballed a lot. The crowd picked up on that ... now, it's moved on to every time he kicks a goal. We all get a sense of excitement."


At 22 and after 36 games, Blake's story has effectively been divided into two files. In one he is the son of a former best and fairest who, like father Rod and many an old-fashioned big man, is pegged as a footballing slow-burner rather than a Kreuzer-like cannon who explodes from the outset.


In the other, more recent addition, he is the jilted disciple, turned away at the door and forced to watch Steven King take his place at the table for the long-awaited feast. Elements of both conspire to make him a figure to warm to.
Interviewed on local radio station K-Rock on Sunday afternoon, Blake was asked by another much-loved member of the tall-guy fraternity, John Barnes, when he was going to start flogging "Blakey" T-shirts? "Mate, you've gotta do it," Barnes said. "You'd sell 25,000 every Sunday at Skilled Stadium."


From behind the goals, cheer squad president Norm Richardson has watched Blake's development keenly, writing mischievously in his weekly newsletter that the Cats' new "goalsneak" may soon have designs on a permanent home at full forward. Tongue removed from cheek, he notes Blake's growing popularity.


"Matty Scarlett really didn't like being the cult figure, and as soon as we started wearing the Scarlo wigs he cut his hair," Richardson said. "But the new kid on the block is emerging, growing in stature with every game."
Love is rarely a universal thing, however, and you don't need to upturn rocks to find critics who are not so keen to embrace Blake's quirky charms.



Footy supporters don't mind a whinge, and the internet gives them a vehicle to sound off while hiding in cyber space. The supporter forum BigFooty carries as many negative Blake postings as positive - from Geelong fans - but one recent rant, which appeared after he and first-gamer Trent West were bettered by Port Adelaide's supreme ruck duo Brendon Lade and Dean Brogan in round one, encapsulated the knockers' beefs.

"Why do we put up with Mark Blake? I have never seen anything to suggest he will be a decent player. He cannot jump, he's not overly tall and he's got skills that would look ordinary in an Auskick game. The love that Geelong supporters have for Blake is similar to the love that people have for a three-legged dog."

The author of that little "tribute" was BigBadCam, although Blake's teammate Cameron Mooney would seem to be in the clear, judging by his central role in the on-field cheerleading; Blake needed all of his 200cm and 101kg to support a delirious Mooney after his famous first goal, against Richmond in round 18 last year.


Corey says the barbs don't land. "There's not a player out there who doesn't cop some sort of criticism from supporters ... I don't think that's Blakey's problem, he knows within the footy club that he's a valuable member of our team."


And becoming moreso. Corey senses an increased confidence "in everything he does", from his ruckwork to contribution around the ground. Sunday's goal illustrated the point, Blake ignoring a handball option to set sail on the run from 52 metres. The shunned teammate? Only the Brownlow Medallist, Jimmy Bartel.


Blake spoke on radio of his admiration for the work of injured ruckman Brad Ottens and his ability to push forward and hurt the opposition on the scoreboard. "I suppose ruckmen these days spend only 60 to 70 per cent on the ground, so if you can go forward and play 15 to 20 per cent in the forward line, hopefully snag a couple, it beats sitting on the bench."


But his primary work will always be spoon-feeding Geelong's voracious on-ballers, and the early-morning repetitions devoted to seamlessly transporting ball from ruckman's palm to rover's lap are paying dividends.
"We've done a lot of work in the last 18 months, finding out what he likes, what he's strong at, (and) what I like - not just me but Jimmy and Gaz and Lingy and Joel Selwood," Corey said. "Blakey has a preference in how and where he likes to tap the ball, so underneath him you've got to learn that. And he's got to learn the angles and directions that you like.



"He's just getting to that filling-out period and we're seeing the rewards."
The premiers defy the norm by not having a devoted ruck coach, with Blake, West, Ottens and Co instead working with stoppages mentor Brendan McCartney and the midfielders. Blake joked on Sunday that McCartney was the smallest ruck coach in the AFL and his ideas were sometimes "pretty crap", but the unconventional arrangement is clearly working.


So to this afternoon, when for the first time since grand final week, "Blake v King" is again on everyone's lips. The original showdown, for a spot in the team, left a nasty taste in many mouths; Blake found out while on the tennis court, and the news broke on radio within the hour after a chain of tearful calls and text messages.


His was the most forlorn Geelong figure at the MCG, shielding his pain behind dark sunglasses and with only the injured Matthew Egan able to truly empasthise. As if to rub it in, the Cats' No.24 and No.19 watched their teammates make history with a record winning margin - and a score of 24 goals 19.


King departed for Moorabbin, leaving behind a wounded and out of contract Blake. He could have sulked off to another club, but chose to stay and fight, hitting the gym and the road several weeks before his celebrating teammates and emerging from pre-season bigger, stronger and with no need to search for motivation.


He senses the interest in today's clash, but vowed on Sunday to "just play my normal game and have a crack, that's pretty much what I do every week".


Corey doubts thoughts of King will have dogged him this week - "Blakey's mind works in mysterious ways sometimes" - and while acknowledging he has something to prove, says it has nothing to do with King.


"Blakey's got a point to prove just from the perspective of being a good footballer," Corey said. "He's got a lot of talent and a very good work ethic, and you'd want to show that to your teammates and to everyone in football that you can play this game."

Gotta love the BF reference thrown in there

 

[scottydeewah]

good stuff by us!

 

[HulkHawkins]

"Blakey's mind works in mysterious ways sometimes"

I could only imagine what may go on in that head of his sometimes

 

[Exhale You]

A good read, and great to see a couple of his detractors highlighted.

 

[haywood jablome]

BigBadCam is famous.. It seems a lot of reporters look through these forums for bits and pieces they can use.

 

[thejester]

Chief should get this framed.

 

[rizzo]

BBC should get a prize. Excellent advertising there for bigfooty

 

[cat_fanatic]

BBC should get a prize. Excellent advertising there for bigfooty

I agree. A lot of people will visit the site after reading that... free BF 1 year membership for BBC is in order mods.

 

[cats2rise]

Hope they do an article on Byrnes.

 

[SJ]

This is is full post

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?p=10385002#post10385002

 

[BigBadCam]

Wow, I'm famous!

 

[haywood jablome]

Wow, I'm famous!

Your three legged dog quote is in massive bold print in the article

 

[couchy555]

lol i was seething with jealousy at you BigBadCam. makes me feel like swarmin these boards now and writing a hundred posts.

I wanna be in the paper!!!! lol