Great news for Mark Jamar

[AFL is Number One]

....the recent outstanding form of Stefan Martin.

Its just great news for The Russian because now, he can at last see someone who will allow him to have a well earned rest on the bench or in the forward pocket.

( Just like the old days..rest your ruckman in the pocket.)

How many games have we seen The Russian battle all day in the ruck?...with rests provided only by a Dunn or Newton or some other pinch hitter?

Now at last Stefan has given us a real option in that ruck division. Can't wait for the Russian to come back, and to see how they combine.

And I haven't even spoken about big Maxy Gawn.

Suddenly , almost overnight...our ruck stocks don't look so thin.

Bring It On. Go Dees!

 

[rhaz]

Too true. Campbell is up and going at Casey too! Hard to believe things are looking like this after the Spencer/Fitz/Jamar triple whammy a few weeks ago.

I've always worried about Jamar being run into the ground and his career potentially being reduced by a year or two - or just more injuries during the year (which happened). This injury really is a blessing in disguise. The bloke can clunk a big mark too, so time down forward will really help us. Just needs to convert instead of missing from 15m out. . .

 

[Blackas87]

Martin is going that good Jamar will have to be the pinch hitter

 

[Ghost of Grinter]

Jamar is a gun down the forward line aswell, gives us a target
and with Watts playing well up the ground, the addition of Jamar
deep in the forward line will be a massive plus.

Bailey toyed with the idea early days about Steph Martin as a forward
and with his versatility, Steph and Jamar could always remain on the
ground.

 

[Captain Jack]

Amen. What a drastic turn around in a couple of weeks.

Btw Steph is a girl's name, it's Stef with an F.

 

[chopper41]

This is the positive side of injuries. Players have to step up. Stef has gotten a lot of experience in the ruck that he would have never gotten if Jamar and others were fit. Same goes for Max. As well as Strauss replacing Grimes/Tapscott. Nicholoson and Evans getting game time and looking alright. The injuries hurt now but they are creating depth in the long run.

 

[demonfan9]

Ideally we could go:

Jamar - 60% ruck, 30% forward, 10% bench
Martin - 40% ruck, 40% utility, 20% bench

 

[MarcMaverick]

When there is chaos there is opportunity.
And When we have had the Injuries there are other to rise up and be counted.

 

[Canary]

Could we see a team with Jamar, Stef and Gawn

 

[Josh6408]

Dunno about 3 talls that didnt work to well for the bombers!

 

[bing181]

Btw Steph is a girl's name, it's Stef with an F.

Hmm, not sure about that. Stefan is the germanic/dutch/scandinavian version of any number of similar names (Steven, even Esteban etc. etc.). Stéphane is common in France, (e.g., Stéphane Grappelli) often abbreviated to Steph.

... as are many Stephanies, of course.

As you were. (slow day ....)

 

[Carusiii]

The real shame is that Gawn will most likely be dropped but hes shown he can match it with the big boys already so its just a matter of him getting a bit bigger and more confident, would love him to be sandilands like in a few years

 

[rhaz]

The real shame is that Gawn will most likely be dropped

not according to the mfc website

Bailey said ruckman Max Gawn, who made his AFL debut against the Dons, was expected to remain in the side.
“I’d like to think so,” he said.
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t play this week, unless he gets injured during training.”

 

[Carusiii]

Nah i mean when Jamar returns from injury.

Its good to see him get another game!

 

[rhaz]

Nah i mean when Jamar returns from injury.

shit, completely ignored which thread i'd opened. should've read the title

 

[Timmy Houlihan]

MARK Jamar had an injured knee, Jake Spencer was out for the season, Jack Fitzpatrick had an ankle problem, Robert Campbell and Max Gawn weren't quite ready and the last man standing wasn't feeling too good either. On the same day last month that Melbourne lost half of its ruckmen to injury, Stefan Martin was hit heavily in the back during a VFL match, a knock that any other week might have placed him in some doubt. This time, though, there was no choice. His team needed him to keep playing, and he wanted to. ''There was no way that I wasn't going to play,'' he said.

This time last year, he would not have felt so sure. Martin played almost every game in 2009, catching eyes as a high-leaping basketball convert who was studying a double degree in science/law and had done promising things at both ends. ''I felt as though I'd begun to earn some respect and begun to show what I could do,'' explained the 24-year-old, who has been asked in the last month to take over for Jamar.

''From there, I just stalled. Either that, or I went backwards.''
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''The coaches have always said they believed in me, but I lost their trust last year.''

Training ahead of 2010, Martin had a lot on his mind, some personal problems that were preventing him from sleeping or eating properly. ''You're meant to use the pre-season to build your body and your mind up,'' he said, ''and I was getting left behind.'' On the track he was trailing every single player, fresh draftees included, and he felt embarrassed. When the games started he wasn't playing well, and when he did put a good game together he told himself it was by chance.

''My attitude was affected, I felt like I didn't deserve to be playing and the year went by so quickly. It was a waste,'' he said. ''I was probably getting close to selection a few times, but there's a big difference between that and playing well, or feeling as though you deserve to be in the team. I knew that if I did get selected I wouldn't have been able to perform the way I wanted to, and that was the worst thing about it. There was no one to blame except me.''

He wasn't moving well for another reason, too. With two games left, Martin had hip surgery, an operation he feels he should have had earlier, although the timing gave him a clear starting point for this season. ''The coaches had a stern word to me about working hard during the break,'' said Martin of the last off-season, ''and I didn't want to go away anywhere either.'' Instead, he started his rehab program and chipped away at it every single day, feeling some urgency because he had just one year left on his contract.

Most days, he had AAMI Park completely to himself. He trained as the grand finals unfolded across the road, and he worked out on Christmas Day, too. ''I turned some music on and did my workout, and I really got into it. It was pretty much my life: wake up, work out, eat and sleep,'' Martin said. ''It pretty much filled in my break, but there was nothing else I wanted to be doing. I made sure I literally did everything I could; I didn't drink a thing, and I didn't eat a single calorie that wasn't going to help me. I wanted to show everyone I was working, and taking everything seriously. It was a really good time for me.''

As this season loomed closer, he felt even better. The kids weren't beating him anymore and he felt like he was ''running on air''. Even getting sick, and losing several kilograms, helped: it made him run with a little extra bounce. Martin's coaches told him the substitute rule was something that could work in his favour, although as the season started, this felt a little daunting. ''I was on the bench in my first game and got the message that I was going to go forward for five minutes, go back for five minutes and then go into the ruck. So within three changes I was going to play every position. When I got told that I was feeling a bit nervous, but now I'm starting to embrace it,'' Martin said.

''I think it's a really good way to stay involved in the game. You get exposed to so many different situations, that's got to be good, and really I'm just happy to contribute. Last year I was starting to question whether I was cut out for it, or even if I had the ability to play good AFL footy. It's a huge relief to at least be contributing a bit more now.''

Martin would much rather Jamar be there with him. ''At the start of the season he told me he wanted us to aim to be one of the best ruck combinations in the game,'' he said, ''and he's been so good for me. He's really good at teaching ruck technique, he knows how to explain things and identify exactly what you need to change or do. He'll be a really great ruck coach one day.''

In the past month Martin has felt himself getting more and more match fit, started to know more instinctively where his onballers want the ball to go, and been leaping again.

''Even just going from 30 per cent of time in the ruck to 90 per cent of time, it's naturally going to speed up how quickly you learn about playing the position. The more time you have in there, the more things you get to experience,'' he said.

''I know the players would have lost respect for me last year too, and that's a big motivating factor for me this year, because if you don't have that, you have nothing as a footballer. I wanted to earn that back through hard work, and my actions.''

great article in the Age about how Stefan has stepped it up, and how it hasn't been overnight, and how he was dogged with issues in 2010, Emma Quayle knows how to commit journalism

 

[d33my]

Great article, never realised how hard Stef had worked. Goes to show that good form rarely just 'appears' out of nowhere.

 

[PIGSTi]

Do you guys think Gawn will still get a game when Jamar returns?

 

[Timmy Houlihan]

good question i would like Gawn to keep playing but 2 ruckmen is enough, anymore and the team is lacking pace, as I'm sure you as an essendon supporter can understand! But on the other hand if they are all competitive it could work and one of the three could play permanent forward!

 

[BigSexc]

Do you guys think Gawn will still get a game when Jamar returns?

doubtful that gawn will get a game, hard to see him getting a game apart from injury for th next couple for years.

IMO thats the best way to develop ruckmen, dont throw them in the deep end!
which what a lot of you want to do with gawn.
do you think if we played jamar from day one he would be as good as he is now?
sure, his games tally would be 50 games higher but so what!

 

[melbournemartin]

Martin is the perfect 2nd ruckman. He is fast, athletic, decent at the taps and can rest as both a tall forward and defender.

 

[saj_21]

It is a great positive from Jamar's injury the Stef has really stepped up, no doubt his spot on the list was at the cross roads coming into this year and the sub rule has helped give him a chance in the side. Can play in all areas on the ground. Don't forget Jamar's injury has also help Gawn come on leaps and bounds as of 6 weeks ago he was in the Casey 2's and he hasn't been gifted his debut last week he rightfullty earned it.