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from afc.com.au
Carey ‘excited’ about fronting the Roos
Alan Shiell
afl.com.au
7:55:05 PM Tue 29 April, 2003
Wayne Carey says he is “really excited” about the challenge of playing against his former club, the Kangaroos, for the first time – at Telstra Dome on Friday night.
And he jokes that he has had “25 debuts this year – one in the practice match (at Mount Gambier), one against Norwood, one against Fremantle and now I’ve got this one”.
“Once this one’s over, I don’t think there’s too much we have to talk about for the rest of the year then,” Carey said at a media conference at AAMI Stadium on Tuesday.
“We can just hopefully be writing that I’m kicking a few goals in a four-quarter effort, and that’s about it.”
But Carey was reminded he still had at least one more “debut” – playing against Carlton and two of his long-time friends at the Roos, coach Denis Pagan and defender Mick Martyn.
“Yeah, maybe one more,” Carey conceded.
He mentioned Martyn when he was asked what sort of reception he expected from the pro-Roos crowd on Friday night.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I spoke to Micky Martyn and he said he was sitting in the crowd and got a bit of a razz last week, so I expect to get a little bit of that, I’d say.
“But you’d like to think 15 years’ service to a club mightn’t be too bad, but you know what footy supporters are like. They’re very passionate about their club and when one of their own for a long period of time leaves … yeah, I expect a little bit, but that’s all a part of it and I’m used to that.”
Was it easy to get himself up for a game like this?
“Aw, no, it’s the first time,” Carey said. “Irrespective of whether it’s the Kangaroos or Collingwood, for that matter, it’s another game and I have to lift. The fact it’s the Kangaroos just adds that little bit of extra spice.”
Asked if he expected former team-mates to say anything to him, Carey said: “I’ve met all of those guys on numerous occasions and had them to my house for a beer, and I know there was no aggression shown on those occasions, so I wouldn’t expect with 25 cameras and three umpires for anything to change.”
Carey said he was “not too sure” about his likely opponent.
“If Denis Pagan was there, I probably could have given you some sort of insight into what they’d do,” he said.
“But Dean Laidley has really changed the whole environment in the way they play. Their whole structure is different so I could get a number of different guys who could line up there.
“They’ve recruited a few key-position players. (John) Baird’s had some really good games back there and they’ve recruited (Leigh) Brown, who’s been forward and back, and then obviously you’ve got (Glenn) Archer and (Shannon) Watt, so they’ve got a lot of different options and I’ll just have to wait and see on the night.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge – one, because it’s the old club and two, because I really have to step up to the plate and start kicking a few goals and getting a few kicks myself. So there’s that challenge in itself as well.
“It’s definitely taking some adjustment to play the style of game that Adelaide and Gary (Ayres) wants us to play. When you’ve been playing a certain way for a long period of time, it is difficult to change – working out the skills and ability and players who carry the ball and don’t carry the ball.
“There are a lot of adjustments to make, but I think I’m getting a grasp on it. Hopefully I can get a grasp on it this week and get a few kicks.
“The body feels pretty good. It’s an amazing thing. Looks can be deceiving. You can do all of the training and running and all the weights and feel fantastic, but when you get out there and start clashing bodies and twisting and turning and all that sort of stuff, it takes a bit of getting used to.
“I had a scan on the knee (on Monday) and it came up fine. There’s no damage there. I just started getting a bit of fluid on the knee, which I’m sure most players get most weeks. I’ve had that taken out and I’m cherry ripe for this week.”
Carey said he was not surprised the Kangaroos had been able to perform creditably this season.
“The Kangaroos have never surprised me,” he said. “They’ve got great character. It’s always backs-to-the-wall-type stuff and I think they’ve proven over a long period of time they’re a great club.
“They have got a lot of pride in their performance and they’ve shown that this year. They’ve had some great results. They’ve had a couple of downers the last couple of weeks but so have we.
“Not just because I’m playing against my old side, but … the Adelaide footy club needs a win and so do the Kangaroos, so it makes it a pretty special sort of a game.”
Carey ‘excited’ about fronting the Roos
Alan Shiell
afl.com.au
7:55:05 PM Tue 29 April, 2003
Wayne Carey says he is “really excited” about the challenge of playing against his former club, the Kangaroos, for the first time – at Telstra Dome on Friday night.
And he jokes that he has had “25 debuts this year – one in the practice match (at Mount Gambier), one against Norwood, one against Fremantle and now I’ve got this one”.
“Once this one’s over, I don’t think there’s too much we have to talk about for the rest of the year then,” Carey said at a media conference at AAMI Stadium on Tuesday.
“We can just hopefully be writing that I’m kicking a few goals in a four-quarter effort, and that’s about it.”
But Carey was reminded he still had at least one more “debut” – playing against Carlton and two of his long-time friends at the Roos, coach Denis Pagan and defender Mick Martyn.
“Yeah, maybe one more,” Carey conceded.
He mentioned Martyn when he was asked what sort of reception he expected from the pro-Roos crowd on Friday night.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I spoke to Micky Martyn and he said he was sitting in the crowd and got a bit of a razz last week, so I expect to get a little bit of that, I’d say.
“But you’d like to think 15 years’ service to a club mightn’t be too bad, but you know what footy supporters are like. They’re very passionate about their club and when one of their own for a long period of time leaves … yeah, I expect a little bit, but that’s all a part of it and I’m used to that.”
Was it easy to get himself up for a game like this?
“Aw, no, it’s the first time,” Carey said. “Irrespective of whether it’s the Kangaroos or Collingwood, for that matter, it’s another game and I have to lift. The fact it’s the Kangaroos just adds that little bit of extra spice.”
Asked if he expected former team-mates to say anything to him, Carey said: “I’ve met all of those guys on numerous occasions and had them to my house for a beer, and I know there was no aggression shown on those occasions, so I wouldn’t expect with 25 cameras and three umpires for anything to change.”
Carey said he was “not too sure” about his likely opponent.
“If Denis Pagan was there, I probably could have given you some sort of insight into what they’d do,” he said.
“But Dean Laidley has really changed the whole environment in the way they play. Their whole structure is different so I could get a number of different guys who could line up there.
“They’ve recruited a few key-position players. (John) Baird’s had some really good games back there and they’ve recruited (Leigh) Brown, who’s been forward and back, and then obviously you’ve got (Glenn) Archer and (Shannon) Watt, so they’ve got a lot of different options and I’ll just have to wait and see on the night.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge – one, because it’s the old club and two, because I really have to step up to the plate and start kicking a few goals and getting a few kicks myself. So there’s that challenge in itself as well.
“It’s definitely taking some adjustment to play the style of game that Adelaide and Gary (Ayres) wants us to play. When you’ve been playing a certain way for a long period of time, it is difficult to change – working out the skills and ability and players who carry the ball and don’t carry the ball.
“There are a lot of adjustments to make, but I think I’m getting a grasp on it. Hopefully I can get a grasp on it this week and get a few kicks.
“The body feels pretty good. It’s an amazing thing. Looks can be deceiving. You can do all of the training and running and all the weights and feel fantastic, but when you get out there and start clashing bodies and twisting and turning and all that sort of stuff, it takes a bit of getting used to.
“I had a scan on the knee (on Monday) and it came up fine. There’s no damage there. I just started getting a bit of fluid on the knee, which I’m sure most players get most weeks. I’ve had that taken out and I’m cherry ripe for this week.”
Carey said he was not surprised the Kangaroos had been able to perform creditably this season.
“The Kangaroos have never surprised me,” he said. “They’ve got great character. It’s always backs-to-the-wall-type stuff and I think they’ve proven over a long period of time they’re a great club.
“They have got a lot of pride in their performance and they’ve shown that this year. They’ve had some great results. They’ve had a couple of downers the last couple of weeks but so have we.
“Not just because I’m playing against my old side, but … the Adelaide footy club needs a win and so do the Kangaroos, so it makes it a pretty special sort of a game.”
