After a poor 2017 grand final effort, Adelaide Crows forward Josh Jenkins has improved in 2018
TWO-TIME Adelaide Crows premiership captain Mark Bickley says Josh Jenkins has bounced back in 2018 well after a poor performance in the 2017 AFL grand final loss to Richmond.
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ADELAIDE’S 2017 Grand Final was a train wreck. Very few escaped unscathed.
Josh Jenkins, who has polarised many during his 133 game career, copped it as much as anyone in the aftermath. Seven possessions, goalless, without having any real impact on the afternoon. It was well below his and most people’s expectations.
There was another player who going into the Grand Final who averaged 22 possessions playing in the midfield throughout the year, yet managed only eight on the big day, who also had little impact on the overall result. However, this player’s performance was never questioned.
Who was it?
Mark Bickley, Saturday 27th of September 1997.
Remarkable how the result of the match absolves all sins for those in the winning team. Darren Jarman in his first Premiership at Hawthorn had just five disposals and a young Cam Mooney playing for the Kangaroos in 1999 failed to have a possession.
It pays to be on the winning side in history.
We all know both Jarman and Mooney went on to have great success on Grand Final day. Jars starred in 97 with a bag of six goals and lit up the MCG again in 98 with another five.
In his next two appearances Moons kicked five in the Cats drought breaking 2007 win and two more in the Cats 2009 success.
The intense spotlight of playing in a losing Grand Final is far less forgiving.
The pressure has been on most of the Adelaide players since round one, with only a few being able to recapture the form that carried them to the Minor Premiership the year before.
Josh Jenkins has been an interesting case.
Unlike 2017 the Crows forward six have rarely turned out all together in the same game. Walker, Betts and Lynch have all missed a minimum of four games, McGovern has missed nine. Josh Jenkins has been the one constant.
His goalkicking is down slightly on last year, but considering Adelaide are averaging four goals less per game than last year that is not surprising.
There has however been improvement in the less spectacular areas of his game.
Champion Data shows he has had more tackles, particularly inside forward 50 where he is amongst the top 20 in the league.
They also measure the one percenters (chases, smothers, spoils, shepherds) which have doubled this year compared to last, and most importantly his ability to compete in the air. Whilst his contested marking numbers have mirrored last year it’s been Josh’s ability to get the ball to ground, particularly when outnumbered that has seen him become a more consistent player.
The other area of improvement has been his performances in some of the bigger games this year. His five goals against Alex Rance in the round two victory over Richmond was an important step forward. Followed up a few weeks later with another really strong performance, this time away from home against Sydney, where he competed against two players for most of the night and also contributed with three important goals.
Then again on the weekend, the most dominant key forward on the ground against Port Adelaide kicking three straight, including the matchwinner.
The other area that has become more noticeable this year in light of Adelaide’s injury woes is how durable the big man has been in recent times. Jenkins has missed just five games to injury in the last four years and is one of only three Crows this year to have played every match. An under-rated quality in today’s game.
Most coaches would say the hardest players to coach are those that have the biggest gap between their best and worst games. You just never know what you will get, and they are hard to rely on. Josh Jenkins for much of his career could have been put in this category.
Something tells me the introspection after last year’s Grand Final loss combined with the less than ideal scenarios that Jenkins has faced this year has seen him improve dramatically in this area.
There will still be frustration from some fans who expect more marks and goals out of Josh Jenkins, due to the physical gifts that he has at his disposal.
But the consistency of effort that has been evident this year could prove to be more valuable to Adelaide in the coming weeks or most likely next year as they look to reload and rescale the mountain.
Speaking from experience, if he gets another opportunity late in September he will be better prepared the second time around.