Harbrow’s mighty milestone reflects his determination for success at top
Arguably the greatest ever AFL footballer to come out of Cairns reaches a special milestone this weekend. A few of his former coaches have reflected on his journey from FNQ to respected leader in the AFL.
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A skinny, quiet kid from the top of Queensland turned up at Whitten Oval before the start of the 2007 AFL season and Rodney Eade immediately knew he had something to work with in Jarrod Harbrow.
The AFL Cairns product, who played his junior football at South Cairns and Manunda, was originally recruited to the Western Bulldogs as a small forward, but has created a stellar career of more than a decade stopping goals.
As of today, Harbrow is the greatest footballer to come out of FNQ, although maybe Charlie Dixon, Jack Bowes or Alex Davies will run him down over the next decade or so.
But, it is going to be a difficult task to catch “Harbs”, as many AFL players have found over the journey.
This weekend, the respected leader in the indigenous community plays his 250th game at the elite level.
Eade, who coached the FNQ export at two different clubs, says while Harbrow was only slight and did not have heaps to say, he had a “steely resolve” in the way he trained and played and was determined to “make it”.
Eade recalled Harbrow explaining his journey to the Bulldogs coaching staff, moving away from Cairns to chase his dreams, with no academy system in those days, at the Murray Bushrangers.
“I remember at the time, Scott Clayton our recruiting manager liked him, and he did not get drafted, we considered drafting him, but we ended up getting him as a rookie,” Eade recalled.
“He was quiet, but you could see that steely determination in him, he was such a respectful young lad, but focused and determined.
“He wanted to get the maximum out of his football and I really enjoyed coaching him.”
Quiet when he first entered the system, as Harbrow got older Eade says he found his voice and was the type of leader that he never said too much, but when he did, the players and coaches listened and took it all on board.
Kevin Roach, who coached the dashing defender in his earliest days at the Manunda Hawks, says Harbrow was always going to take his career to places where others only dreamt about.
“He was a little terrier, there was never any slowing him down,” Roach said.
“He never had any fear, he always made the ball his number one object, he was a really great kid to coach.
“You could always see it in him, he was going to make it, it took a little while for him to get there but he was determined and got there on the big scene.
“One thing that stood out to me was that he was always at the front of the group listening to the address before games and during quarter breaks.”
Eade, one of the most experienced coaches in Australia – leading three AFL clubs, is not surprised how long a career Harbrow has created for himself as he quickly became a father figure at the Suns.
“He has a cheeky sense of humour as well, which I and others liked,” Eade said.
Set to turn 32 later this month, but with plenty of footy still left in him, Harbrow has plenty to offer post-AFL, as well, according to Eade. “I think he has a mentality where he wants to help people,” Eade said.
“You do not have to be loud to be a coach, but he could coach, maybe that could be as an assistant type coaching, or mentoring as a development coach or that type of thing.
“He cares about people and wants to see others improve, he can get his message across.”
Jarrod’s brother Marc celebrates his birthday this Saturday, when the Suns face Melbourne, making it an even more special day for the family.
AFL CAIRNS PRODUCT
JARROD HARBROW
– Plays his 250th AFL game this weekend. The dashing defender is just the 14th indigenous footballer to reach the special milestone.
– Harbrow has played his career across the Gold Coast Suns and Western Bulldogs, winning a best and fairest trophy with the Suns.
– He is the Suns’ games record-holder and has been awarded life membership, while his career is still going, the first player for that to happen with Gold Coast.
– He has been a model of consistency, only once finishing outside the top-10 in the Suns’ club champion award, in a year where he suffered a long-term elbow injury.
– The respected footballer has been a father figure to the club’s indigenous players and has also enjoyed great success with his own off-campus leadership programs, Harbrow Mentoring Australia.
Originally published as Harbrow’s mighty milestone reflects his determination for success at top