Adelaide Crows ruckman Sam Jacobs’ journey from unwanted to football’s ruck ironman
ADELAIDE Crow Sam Jacobs has revealed how four frustrating years at Carlton have helped turn him into football’s ruck ironman.
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SAM Jacobs has revealed how four frustrating years at Carlton have helped turn him into football’s ruck ironman.
While eternally grateful to the Blues for throwing him an AFL lifeline as a rookie when all 18 clubs overlooked him at the 2006 national draft, Jacobs said his failure to cement a spot at Carlton taught him some invaluable lessons.
“It’s a good base for me to look back on and in many ways made me as a footballer,’’ Adelaide’s workhorse lead ruckman said.
“I don’t think I would be in the position I am today without what I learned at the Blues.’’
The man no AFL club wanted at the national draft 12 years ago will tomorrow night against Essendon continue his remarkable run of resilience and durability.
After failing to cement an AFL spot in four years at the Blues from 2007-10, Jacobs has played 157 of the Crows’ past 161 games.
Of all AFL ruckmen, none has played as many home-and-away games as Jacobs in the past five seasons.
The 29-year-old’s 107 matches from 2013-17 are three more than the next-ranked ruckman, North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein, and 15 more than third-placed Ben McEvoy from Hawthorn.
Illustrating just how good and durable Jacobs has been is that he has attended more ruck contests in the five-year span than any other player.
His 8060 are 93 more than Goldstein and a whopping 1444 greater than the next-ranked player, just-retired GWS giant Shane Mumford.
It is a remarkable achievement when one considers the physical battering ruckmen cop every week from their man mountain opponents, who usually measure over 200cm and weigh in at well over 100kg.
“They are some nice stats to be leading and something I’m proud of because it shows that I’ve been able to stand up and play at a consistent level for a long time, which is very important to me,’’ said Jacobs.
RAISED at Ardrossan on the Yorke Peninsula, Jacobs traces his rise from unwanted to modern-day ironman and arguably Adelaide’s most important player to his four-year fight to prove his worth at Carlton.
Selected at pick one at the 2007 rookie draft from SANFL club Woodville-West Torrens, 200cm Jacobs played just 17 games in four years with the Blues despite strong VFL form.
Eventually his frustration boiled over and he requested — and was granted — a trade to the Crows.
Adelaide handed over national draft selections 34 (Patrick McCarthy) and 67 (Andrew McInnes) — neither is still in the AFL — for Jacobs in what turned out to be a game-changing deal.
“Nothing came easy for me in my early days,’’ said Jacobs, who has held the position as No. 1 big man since 2012.
“I was playing good footy in the VFL but wasn’t given a chance to develop at AFL level because Carlton kept recruiting ruckmen.
“Shaun Hampson got picked up in the same year I did, they drafted Matty Kreuzer (at No. 1 overall) the following year and then they traded for Robbie Warnock (from Fremantle). “So all these other guys kept coming in and because I was picked as a rookie I was the one that would always be pushed to the back of the pack, no matter how good my VFL form was.
“It took me three years to debut and I pretty much sat behind Kreuzer, Warnock and Hampson.
“I never got a real good crack at it and in the end the lack of opportunities led me back to Adelaide.
“But, looking back on it, that entire experience was great for me and taught me all about resilience, hard work and the need to never waste opportunities or take anything for granted.’’
JACOBS said his tough beginnings fuelled his desire to be the best he could be.
“I served a four-year apprenticeship at Carlton and came across to Adelaide because I felt I was ready to play week-in, week-out,’’ he said.
“Not playing many games at Carlton and having to fight so hard to earn a spot set me up really well to have success at the Crows.
“I know the value of hard work and understand the responsibility of shouldering the load in the ruck. It is something I thrive on.’’
Jacobs knows the injury gods have smiled on him during his time at West Lakes.
He has missed only four games because of injury since debuting for Adelaide against his former side Carlton in round five, 2011.
Jacobs believes his work ethic and attention to detail have helped keep him on the field and at the top of his game.
“For me it all starts in the pre-season,’’ he said.
“I always aim to do as much as I can, basically everything, I’m not a bloke who wants to have a session off here or there because I feel hard work is what sets me up for a season.’’
WHILE dual Crows premiership captain Mark Bickley often calls for Jacobs to be rested late in a season when Adelaide has a finals spot sewn up to freshen him up for September, Jacobs keeps on keeping on.
“I hate missing games,’’ he said.
“Part of that is because I missed so many at Carlton when I wasn’t picked but the other is that I am a massive one for repetition.
“This year I’ve played both of our internal trials and the two JLT Community games because I like to keep building that continuity and resilience every week.
“Playing in the ruck obviously is very physically demanding so you need to be spot on with your preparation to put yourself into a position where you can continue to rock up and compete at every ruck contest.
“As far as I am concerned the more work I get the better.’’
Last season Jacobs played all 29 matches Adelaide was involved in — an intraclub, three pre-season, 22 home-and-away and three finals games.
He rose from the canvas to play in the Crows’ first final against the Giants just days after his older brother Aaron died from illness.
While he turns 30 next month, Jacobs — an All-Australian nominee in 2012, 2014 and 2017 and very unlucky not to have made at least one All-Australian team — believes his best football is still in front of him.
Improving his marking, particularly his contested marking, is at the top of his agenda.
Jacobs’ average contested marks jumped from an average of 0.8 a game from 2012-16 to 1.4 last year.
“That’s something I have been trying to improve since I was drafted because as a big man you need to be able to mark the ball, especially under pressure,’’ he said.
“When you’re young and not in the AFL system you’re taking marks because you're taller than everyone else.
“But once you get into the AFL and there’s a lot of tall players you can’t rely on your height and have to improve your marking technique.
“I’ve improved in that area but want to continue to get better because your teammates get a big lift when big fellas clunk some contested marks.’’
Jacobs is still seeking an elusive first AFL day premiership — he was a member of the Crows’ pre-season premiership team in 2012 — but also has a “little side goal’’ that he wants to tick off before he hangs up his boots.
“Clearly winning a flag with Adelaide is the No. 1 thing I want to achieve,’’ he said.
“But I would love to play for the Crows for 10 years because that would show that I have been able to play at a consistent level for one club for a long time.’’
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