Joel Corey

[catempire]

Check out this MASSIVE article on my main man JC.

Hope this doesn't wake other teams up to his existence...

Corey slips under the radar
08 April 2006 Herald Sun
Grantley Bernard

He gave up a promising baseball career to play footy and he still hits the waves at Torquay. He's one of those brilliant, tallish midfielders Geelong seems to produce en massse. Only he's the best, as last year's best-and-fairest proved. But still nobody seems to know who he is. Even growing a beard in pre-season didn't make much difference, which suits Joel Corey just fine.

Heading in right direction: Joel Corey is "the sort of bloke that knows exactly where he's headed on and off the field".

SETTLING into his first season at Geelong, it didn't take long for assistant coach Andy Lovell to know the gap in his diary for Thursdays between 11am and 11.30am should be left clean.

He came to realise that somewhere in that 30-minute window last year there would be a knock at his office door as regular as newspaper deliveries and garbage collection.

He would haul himself out of his chair and, at the player's behest, go to work on an extra session that usually covered all manner of football skills and techniques aimed at making a good player better.

Even on his way to winning his first Geelong best-and-fairest, Joel Corey never missed one of those extra sessions with Lovell. The same still applies after winning the Carji Greeves Medal. Every Thursday.

"Every Thursday I just get a knock on the door," Lovell says. "He's just a beauty. My first year here last year, it probably surprised me. I just factor it into my week now. I put in around half an hour and away we go. He's been great. He just works.

"He's pretty well organised and does what he has to do. He's the sort of bloke that knows exactly where he's headed on and off the field. He knows exactly what he needs to do and goes about it and does it."

There, in a nutshell, is the footy life and times of Joel Corey, the unassuming and, for many, underrated Cats midfielder who is surely working his way into the upper class of AFL footballers.

While others court headlines and the spotlight, Corey is working in anonymity. His appearances in public are limited to weekends, when he marshals the Geelong midfield and wreaks havoc on the opposition.

"I've got a lot of respect for him," Geelong coach Mark Thompson says.

"He's one of those boys who's been prepared to do a lot of work on his game and we're prepared to give them that chance to do it. In our group he's rated really, really highly."

After winning the best-and-fairest last season and picking up 31 possessions in Geelong's season-opening win against the Brisbane Lions last Saturday, it's easy to understand why.

But the real reasons those inside Skilled Stadium love Corey is because of his work ethic, his devotion to the club, the game and his improvement, and his quiet personality that says shyness but reflects friendliness and assuredness.

Of course, it helps being able to play the game as well as Corey does. But the inner circle has also seen the development of a boy who left his West Australian home at 17 and now stands as a club leader and one of the best and most versatile midfielders in the game.

Thompson was named Geelong coach in September 1999 and Corey was the first player drafted under his command, taken with the eighth pick a couple of months later, so there is a special footy relationship between them. As coach, Thompson forbids himself from getting too close personally with his players, but he has a sense of pride in what he has seen from Corey, among others, since he arrived at Skilled Stadium.

"He's come a long, long way since then," Thompson says.

"He's just turned into a real man. The things he wasn't very good at, he's had an appetite to improve those parts of his game."

Among the improvements and refinements are Corey's attack on the footy and the rudimentary skills of kicking and marking. Any deficiencies were more about technique and execution, rather than intent, and he has since passed the AFL exams with straight A's.

Finishing up his AFL playing career with West Coast, Lovell recalled Corey, then with East Perth, as a spindly, skinny little kid who could obviously play. The word from the recruiters was they loved his attack on the footy, even if it was borderline dangerous, and he could sniff out the ball.

Corey had chosen football over baseball, a sport in which he was a junior Australian representative, so there were reasons why he might not have been as well developed as his teenage peers.

That was when the makeover started. The skills, the body, the whole package have evolved in seven years at Geelong. But the greatest improvement might have been an intangible.

"He's now got competitive spirit," Thompson says. "We didn't see that in him, but he is just a great competitor. Coming to Geelong he's made his mind up that footy was the way he wanted to go."

Cameron Ling was taken by the Cats at No. 38 in the same draft as Corey and they made their AFL debuts two months apart during the 2000 season. These days they live nearby in coastal Torquay, about a 20-minute drive from Skilled Stadium.

Probably the most time they spend together is in the water on their surfboards at Thirteenth Beach or Jan Juc. As Ling prepares to lash his board to his roof rack, he will send a text message to Corey and, nine times out of 10, they will hook up for a few hours of surfing.

They are Geelong's odd couple when together. Outgoing Ling will talk to a lamp post. The perception of Corey is that of a shy person reluctant to talk much, happy in his own environment.

"He's just not one of those blokes who's out there," Ling says. "We're all like that when we get to the club; I was that nervous I could hardly speak early days.

"I wouldn't call him alternative, but he's into a few different things to what we'd class as the norm, I suppose. He keeps a low profile out of footy, but he gets along with everyone. He's got a few close mates at the club, a few close mates outside of footy.

"He lived with Cam Mooney for a while. That was good for him. That might have helped bring him out of his shell a little bit."

Living with a former wild child of the AFL would have some kind of effect on you. Which might help explain why Corey turned up for pre-season training with a full beard rapidly advancing into a small shrub.

By the time Corey reluctantly shaved it off for the official team photo, it was a point of wonderment among teammates, coaches and staffers. Yet nobody really knows why Corey had grown it so thick and for so long, other than he and his girlfriend liked it.

"He's a different cat," a club insider says. "It was like Forrest Gump when he started running. It just kept going."

As Lovell suggests, maybe that's the eccentric side of his personality emerging. Maybe it's the confidence that comes with age and a feeling of belonging. Maybe it's none of the above. Only Corey knows and, right now, he's not telling the newspapers about it.

That's fine. As the cliche goes, he's just happy to let his footy do the talking. In that case, Ling and his teammates need earmuffs. Playing alongside each other in Geelong's midfield, Ling sees Corey come alive.

Rated among the AFL's elite midfielders for his constant motion and excellent delivery, Ling has witnessed the evolution of Corey into a hard, tough, polished unit. Initially, Ling heard peeps from Corey only on match days. Now Corey is the take-charge guy.

"The only time I heard him on the field was when he called for the ball," Ling says. "The last four years he's really started taking control of the midfield.

"He talks us through our midfield set-up. He knows the ball doesn't always bounce the way it's supposed to and it's not all set plays.

"He's very good at knowing what's likely to happen. When you're out there you look to (captain Steven King) for leadership and Joel Corey's the other one."

Which just goes to prove you don't need to be a loud talker or incessant yapper to be a leader. Almost without prompting, Thompson, Lovell and Ling all say the same thing about Corey: When he says something, everyone stops and listens. Yet there is even more to learn from Corey just by watching him.

As a member of the leadership group, he mentors several young players, working with them on video analysis and any aspect that requires attention. He is as devoted to that role as he is to playing the game. Then there is his own work. There are gym, skills and video sessions. Nothing is left to chance. Lovell draws the line at calling Corey obsessive, but concedes there has to be a strong element of single-mindedness to succeed at the elite level of any sport.

"His attention to detail is second to none," Lovell says. "The thing that really stands out for me is he's a very, very good player, but at no stage does he think he's made it. He just keeps working hard to improve his game.

"He's been a really good role model for the young players. They look at him and see someone who's just won the best-and-fairest, but never misses an extra session. He's one of those blokes who doesn't take for granted any skill in the game. He's had to work on that from the beginning."

The one skill that Corey probably needs more work on is his goalkicking. He has 33.40 from 105 AFL games, which is understandable given he has spent a good deal of time playing off half-back.

Yet Thompson quickly mentions the crucial goal Corey kicked in the NAB Cup final win against Adelaide as evidence that aspect of his game is on the rise, too. Should we be surprised as Corey continues to elevate his game? Not if you're Ling.

"He's one of my most admired blokes at the club," Ling says. "I still reckon he's one of the most underrated players in the competition. I can't believe the football public and clubs don't rate him as highly as I do.

"He gets contested footy, he's smart enough to get uncontested footy. He can play midfield, half-back, he can go forward. I really rate him very highly. He's all you want in a balanced midfielder.

"I'm a big, big fan. Just the way he goes about it. The way he plays with a hardness. He's an in-and-under player, but he just doesn't rely on that and he doesn't carry on and look for attention and be a star player."

Lovell refers to Corey's genuine modesty, Thompson describes him as low maintenance and Ling says it's a pleasure to play alongside him. Talk about top-shelf testimonials.

But, as in many walks of life, there has to be give and take. There can not be one without the other. That's Geelong and Joel Corey. One has been just as good for the other.

"He made a big commitment to us and we've turned him into a better footballer and a better person and we're pretty proud of the person he's turned out to be," Thompson says.

"We're getting the rewards now. He's paid us back tenfold."

The Cats can expect those repayments to continue, and Lovell can expect to keep hearing that knock on his door every Thursday.

 

[thehoff]

Qauality read. We're so lucky to have some of these boys at our club when they could hand pick any club in the AFL and they would be in the starting 22.

There seems to be a real loyalty and culture at the cattery that i have never seen that before.

 

[sarbbo]

Great read. Has been a favourite of mine for a couple of years now. All the qualities you'd want in a player and leader.

 

[JUBJUB]

Check out this MASSIVE article on my main man JC.

Hope this doesn't wake other teams up to his existence...

looks like the North coaching staff didn't read it.

 

[jess_555]

"Probably the most time they spend together is in the water on their surfboards at Thirteenth Beach or Jan Juc. As Ling prepares to lash his board to his roof rack, he will send a text message to Corey and, nine times out of 10, they will hook up for a few hours of surfing.

They are Geelong's odd couple when together. Outgoing Ling will talk to a lamp post. The perception of Corey is that of a shy person reluctant to talk much, happy in his own environment".

I thought that part was so funny! Especially the Lingy talking to a lamp post. HAHAHA Thats our Lingy!

 

[Turbocat]

Like I said in the review thread, He is a star. If other dont see it then, they have a vision impearment

 

[worthogs]

He is in my dream team, actually captain thie week

 

[ezbian]

A Mate and I often discuss if we wore Cats jumpers to the game what number would you wear. I am certainly in favour of the #11. After his start to the year, this has only been reaffirmed.

Loved the words about his work ethic. You can see it on the ground, but great to hear he likes to do that bit extra.

 

[Blakatak]

Interesting read on Joel Corey.

 

[catempire]

What a peculiar bump!

 

[scottydeewah]

peculiar indeed!

 

[noclashjumpers]

My favourite Commetti comment this year came this weekend about Joel.

He described him as Geelong's George Harrison.

 

[FoxC]

My favourite Commetti comment this year came this weekend about Joel.

He described him as Geelong's George Harrison.

Who's Ringo Starr then, Ling or Selwood?

I assume we already know who are Lennon and McCartney.