Fastcrew
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- Mar 21, 2009
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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/code-jumping-to-the-top/story-e6frf9if-1225878193417
"I was playing in the midfield," he recalled this week.
"I couldn't hit a target. I was still doing torpedoes, I couldn't handball left or right. I hated handball, I thought it was ridiculous.
"I did tackle around the legs, which you can't do. I kicked through the wrong goals because at first I thought you could kick it through both."
That time has transported Armfield from rugby union and knowing nothing about AFL at the start of 2003 to being drafted in 2007, to playing his 35th game for Carlton tonight is proof the transition - the buzz-word in recent cross-code transactions - can be accomplished.
"I wouldn't say it's a miracle, but it does take a little bit of time," Armfield said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/code-jumping-to-the-top/story-e6frf9if-1225878193417#sidebar-startAn effervescent young man with a willingness to learn, Armfield is aggressive, fast, courageous and committed, and jokes he made the transition several years too early.
Not that the AFL would have paid him, a blond flyweight of then 75kg, upwards of $1 million to play and help promote the game.
"I arrived at Carlton with a bag of clothes I was given," he joked.
"I'm not one to complain. I probably did make the switch two years too early, but I was no Israel Folau or Karmichael Hunt."
Armfield took up football in 2003 after he couldn't train for union. His first game was for the school. His first club was the Kalamunda Cougars.
"It has been an enormous transition, and I'm not trying to boost myself here, but a lot of hard work has gone into it," he said.
Born in Canberra, he moved to Perth when he was six, and because his father, Brett, was a union player of some note, he continued to play the family sport until he was 17.
But once he took up Australian Rules, the hard work began. It included hundreds of hours of extra training sessions, learning the bounce of the ball and the rules.
It led him to spot at Swan Districts in the colts, then seniors, and finally an invitation to the state draft camp.
To get himself as fit as possible, Armfield would complete a daily beep test, a gruelling commitment.
"I was pushing myself probably too hard, but I really wanted this to be a success," he said.
The Blues took him with pick No. 47 in the 2007 national draft, a momentous day for two reasons - he finally made the AFL and, if he hadn't been drafted, he had decided to revert to rugby union.
The hard work became more intense, more specific.
"When I was drafted, my personal opinion was I was pretty far off," Armfield said. "I played a game on (Essendon's) Alwyn Davey in my first year and I ran 19km for five touches. That was stupid running. I was running to try to hurt him and I was running and not getting the ball. He was just laughing at me.
"So, knowledge, game sense, when to run, where to run, how to play - those were the things I was way off."
At 23, Armfield has just about booked himself in as a small backman at Carlton, completing a back group of Bryce Gibbs, Jordan Russell, Andrew Walker and himself as the runners, Michael Jamison as the key tall, Aaron Joseph as the shutdown player and a mix of Bret Thornton, Paul Bower when he returns, and reserve mid-sized players in Joe Anderson, Steven Browne and Simon White.
Indeed, Carlton's forward line wasn't the only group to be overhauled during the summer.
"Everyone talks about our forward line with (Eddie) Betts, (Jeff) Garlett and (Chris) Yarran and they talk of the pace there, but if you look at the other end we've gone with the same sort of aspect," Armfield said.
"That defensive group has definitely taken a step forward. Last year Walker wasn't a backman, Gibbs wasn't a backman, Russell was probably hit and miss forward and back, I was still trying to find my feet and probably the only two standout defenders were Thornton and Jamison, and Bower as well.
"I've grown in confidence because I'm now one of the elders. I know that sounds weird with only three years of football, but I'm 23 and most of the players are a few years younger."
Armfield calls himself a sponge for wanting to learn and reels off the names of forward scout Brett Monro, teammates Russell and Anderson, development coach Darren Harris, Bullants coach David Teague, ruck coach Matthew Capuano, assistant coach Robert Harvey, part-timer Greg Williams, and assistant coaches Craig Bradley and Mark Riley as all playing roles in tuning his game.
"Why wouldn't you listen?" he said.
When he made his debut - in Round 10, 2008, against Geelong - said he thought "purely defence" and didn't consider attack."My second year, I was finding my feet, trying to attack and defend," he said.
"This year, I've got more confidence playing off my opponent. The boys back there, Russell is massive on it, Gibbs is massive on it, they'll call you to run and they'll cover."
Armfield's confidence has rubbed off from Carlton coach Brett Ratten and his teammates, as well as club psychologist Mick Martin, who helped rid him of insecurities that beset all young players.
So much so, after having missed two weeks with a quad injury, Armfield is straight back in for the North Melbourne game tonight.
His best game this year was against Geelong's Shannon Byrnes in Round 5 and he loved the challenge of standing Collingwood's Alan Didak for a quarter in Round 6.
If the Blues are going to contend this year, it's players such as Armfield who have to believe in themselves. After all, he might have to stand Didak again - perhaps in a qualifying final in front of 90,000 at the MCG on a Friday night.
Armfield is 182cm and 80kg and, because of his union background, has a penchant for tackling.
"I always tackle hard, always try to force my shoulder into the ground and if it's through them, it's through them," he said.
It's that attitude which has helped rid the Blues of their down-hill skiiing tag, a perception that was a reality inside Visy Park.
"This year we've made a focus of stopping the six points, which is probably more important than kicking the goal," Armfield said. "Our aggression has improved."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/code-jumping-to-the-top/story-e6frf9if-1225878193417
"I was playing in the midfield," he recalled this week.
"I couldn't hit a target. I was still doing torpedoes, I couldn't handball left or right. I hated handball, I thought it was ridiculous.
"I did tackle around the legs, which you can't do. I kicked through the wrong goals because at first I thought you could kick it through both."
That time has transported Armfield from rugby union and knowing nothing about AFL at the start of 2003 to being drafted in 2007, to playing his 35th game for Carlton tonight is proof the transition - the buzz-word in recent cross-code transactions - can be accomplished.
"I wouldn't say it's a miracle, but it does take a little bit of time," Armfield said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/code-jumping-to-the-top/story-e6frf9if-1225878193417#sidebar-startAn effervescent young man with a willingness to learn, Armfield is aggressive, fast, courageous and committed, and jokes he made the transition several years too early.
Not that the AFL would have paid him, a blond flyweight of then 75kg, upwards of $1 million to play and help promote the game.
"I arrived at Carlton with a bag of clothes I was given," he joked.
"I'm not one to complain. I probably did make the switch two years too early, but I was no Israel Folau or Karmichael Hunt."
Armfield took up football in 2003 after he couldn't train for union. His first game was for the school. His first club was the Kalamunda Cougars.
"It has been an enormous transition, and I'm not trying to boost myself here, but a lot of hard work has gone into it," he said.
Born in Canberra, he moved to Perth when he was six, and because his father, Brett, was a union player of some note, he continued to play the family sport until he was 17.
But once he took up Australian Rules, the hard work began. It included hundreds of hours of extra training sessions, learning the bounce of the ball and the rules.
It led him to spot at Swan Districts in the colts, then seniors, and finally an invitation to the state draft camp.
To get himself as fit as possible, Armfield would complete a daily beep test, a gruelling commitment.
"I was pushing myself probably too hard, but I really wanted this to be a success," he said.
The Blues took him with pick No. 47 in the 2007 national draft, a momentous day for two reasons - he finally made the AFL and, if he hadn't been drafted, he had decided to revert to rugby union.
The hard work became more intense, more specific.
"When I was drafted, my personal opinion was I was pretty far off," Armfield said. "I played a game on (Essendon's) Alwyn Davey in my first year and I ran 19km for five touches. That was stupid running. I was running to try to hurt him and I was running and not getting the ball. He was just laughing at me.
"So, knowledge, game sense, when to run, where to run, how to play - those were the things I was way off."
At 23, Armfield has just about booked himself in as a small backman at Carlton, completing a back group of Bryce Gibbs, Jordan Russell, Andrew Walker and himself as the runners, Michael Jamison as the key tall, Aaron Joseph as the shutdown player and a mix of Bret Thornton, Paul Bower when he returns, and reserve mid-sized players in Joe Anderson, Steven Browne and Simon White.
Indeed, Carlton's forward line wasn't the only group to be overhauled during the summer.
"Everyone talks about our forward line with (Eddie) Betts, (Jeff) Garlett and (Chris) Yarran and they talk of the pace there, but if you look at the other end we've gone with the same sort of aspect," Armfield said.
"That defensive group has definitely taken a step forward. Last year Walker wasn't a backman, Gibbs wasn't a backman, Russell was probably hit and miss forward and back, I was still trying to find my feet and probably the only two standout defenders were Thornton and Jamison, and Bower as well.
"I've grown in confidence because I'm now one of the elders. I know that sounds weird with only three years of football, but I'm 23 and most of the players are a few years younger."
Armfield calls himself a sponge for wanting to learn and reels off the names of forward scout Brett Monro, teammates Russell and Anderson, development coach Darren Harris, Bullants coach David Teague, ruck coach Matthew Capuano, assistant coach Robert Harvey, part-timer Greg Williams, and assistant coaches Craig Bradley and Mark Riley as all playing roles in tuning his game.
"Why wouldn't you listen?" he said.
When he made his debut - in Round 10, 2008, against Geelong - said he thought "purely defence" and didn't consider attack."My second year, I was finding my feet, trying to attack and defend," he said.
"This year, I've got more confidence playing off my opponent. The boys back there, Russell is massive on it, Gibbs is massive on it, they'll call you to run and they'll cover."
Armfield's confidence has rubbed off from Carlton coach Brett Ratten and his teammates, as well as club psychologist Mick Martin, who helped rid him of insecurities that beset all young players.
So much so, after having missed two weeks with a quad injury, Armfield is straight back in for the North Melbourne game tonight.
His best game this year was against Geelong's Shannon Byrnes in Round 5 and he loved the challenge of standing Collingwood's Alan Didak for a quarter in Round 6.
If the Blues are going to contend this year, it's players such as Armfield who have to believe in themselves. After all, he might have to stand Didak again - perhaps in a qualifying final in front of 90,000 at the MCG on a Friday night.
Armfield is 182cm and 80kg and, because of his union background, has a penchant for tackling.
"I always tackle hard, always try to force my shoulder into the ground and if it's through them, it's through them," he said.
It's that attitude which has helped rid the Blues of their down-hill skiiing tag, a perception that was a reality inside Visy Park.
"This year we've made a focus of stopping the six points, which is probably more important than kicking the goal," Armfield said. "Our aggression has improved."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/code-jumping-to-the-top/story-e6frf9if-1225878193417
"Goddess" 
....
