Jon Ralphs -Mark Jamar article

[Deefolt]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...p-for-mark-jamar/story-e6frf9jf-1225884470199

MARK Jamar used to be a coach killer. If his prolonged absences through injury didn't drive his coaches to distraction, his inconsistency certainly did.
Nine seasons for 73 mostly mediocre games had his career parked in neutral, sitting at the crossroads.

A dozen matches into this season, Jamar is still a career-killer, but the vanquished are now his opponents.

So thoroughly and publicly did he demolish Josh Fraser in Round 12 that the Pies ruckman has been dumped, with no known return date.

Jamar is not just in the form of his career, he is pushing Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands for an All-Australian ruck position.

And, in the process, he is highlighting what a bumper haul the 2002 rookie draft delivered.

Taken that year were Andrew Carrazzo (Geelong, pick 5), James Podsiadly (Collingwood, 8), Bret Thornton (Carlton, 11), Quinten Lynch (West Coast, 11), Matthew Boyd, (Western Bulldogs, 23), Nathan Bock (Adelaide, 25), Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle, 33), Ben Rutten (Adelaide, 40) and Martin Mattner (Adelaide, 51).
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Carrazzo and Podsiadly would both overcome setbacks to end up thriving at other clubs.









Jamar might have taken time, too, but after close to a decade of hard work he is finally reaping the spoils.

"I guess timing is everything. I just had to do my time as a youngster, but I would rather be playing well now than back then," he tells the Herald Sun in the first extensive interview of his career.
"I started on the rookie list and back then Whitey (Jeff White) took most of the game time.

"I didn't get a chance to develop because I played off the bench or in the twos and had a few injuries along the way. But now I have that responsibility, and I love it.
"Every week I come up against the biggest, strongest opposition and I look forward to it as a big challenge. It's my job to go up against them."
In truth, Jamar turned the corner with seven improved games last year, but 2010 is in every way a breakout year.

He is averaging career-high disposals, contested possessions, assists, hitouts, hitouts to advantage and clearances.
Champion Data has his hitouts to advantage at 26.3 per cent - second only to Sandilands - and the Jamar-Brent Moloney combination the best ruck/rover combination in the league.

If Jamar's list of scalps is a long one, two exceptional games this year stand out.
Against Port Adelaide in Darwin, his herculean last quarter in the sapping heat dragged his team to the line before he cleared a stoppage for Jack Trengove to punch through the winning point.

When boundary rider Leigh Colbert made a beeline for him, comical scenes ensued.

"I think if there was one more contest I couldn't have got there," he said. "I was just sitting down (after the siren) and Leigh Colbert said, 'Stay there, mate' as he interviewed me, and after the game I actually went into the toilets and spewed straight away. I was spent.

"It was a good feeling to contribute in a big way, and that was probably one of the best feelings I have ever had."

In his last outing he took his game to a new level.
If anyone failed to notice his career-high 25 disposals against Collingwood, they couldn't ignore his last-gasp mark and goal that almost turned the game for Melbourne.

Fraser decided to give up the chase, but total exhaustion didn't stop Jamar pushing forward to mark.
"Look, there are a lot of things going on in a game of footy, and sometimes it just works out," Jamar said diplomatically. "It was a stoppage and I linked up through the ground, and then took a mark at half-forward, and then I saw a bit of space to work myself into.

"I think everyone was a bit harsh on Josh. You can point out that scenario many times in a game, and just because it was a critical stage of the game, that's why he was criticised."
Jamar knows the All-Australian buzz continues to grow, but is happier to deflect the kudos.

"I don't really watch that stuff. I turn the volume down. It's nice to get a pat on the back every now and then, but what matters to me is what my teammates and coaches say," he said.
None of this answers why Jamar has gone from battler to elite so quickly. The 26-year-old says there is no simple answer, instead putting it down to a combination of circumstances.

The injuries have abated, finally, and coach Dean Bailey has declared his faith in him. So, his performances have lifted accordingly. In short, he says he feels as if he belongs.
"I reckon I got a lot of belief out of last year," he said. "I played only seven games, but I had a reasonable impact and I bobbed up and kicked five (goals) once, and that sort of thing.

"In my first few years my hitouts were OK, but it was just following the footy around the ground that I struggled with. I have addressed that and I get a bit more involved and link up well. I played a bit of basketball (as a junior) and wasn't a real student of the game, and I made the decision to really nut things out and get the best out of myself."

Jamar raves about Bailey's influence, and with good reason.
The coach often has backed Jamar one-out, and consequently he averages 96 minutes a game - at the high end of the scale for a ruckman.
"For whatever reason, I have been given a lot of game time, and it's helped me learn the game better. You get more experience because you are out there longer and you get more practice, and that's what makes you better," Jamar said.

Two recent influences also have proved pivotal.
Girlfriend Dulce is a recent calming influence, while ruck coach David Loats has helped Jamar take his game to a new level.
Dulce helps take his mind off football, while Loats ensures the time he spends analysing the ruckwork craft is put to good use.

"Dulce is great. She's very intelligent, and she helps me a lot," he said.
He has just started a personal training business and, along with half a dozen teammates, is working through a building and construction course on Monday nights.
He said he was in a good place.

 

[melbournemartin]

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Loving this story, and the graphic from MM there too- beautiful