‘I’ve never been more proud’: Sam Jacobs hails Adelaide’s Bravehearts

ADELAIDE ruckman Sam Jacobs says his side’s win over Richmond on Friday night was one of the best — and bravest — victories he’s ever had the privilege of be a part of.

THAT was one of the best — and bravest — wins I have had the privilege of being involved with.

With key players injured or suspended – before and during the match – and after a week of external talk about the club, for the Adelaide players to come together like we did on a big occasion against Richmond on Thursday night was a testament to our character.

I cannot remember being prouder of the boys.

It was said we were ripe for the picking against the team that beat us in last year’s grand final. But we made a statement that we are not going anywhere in a hurry.

After you lose a grand final everyone is waiting to see how you are going to respond.

We didn’t play as well as we would have liked in the JLT Community Series and we had a tough game against Essendon in round one when we probably only played one quarter (the third) of good footy.

Then there were the injuries and all the external talk about our pre-season camp in the lead-up to the grand final rematch.

So it was really exciting that when we were challenged like we were against a team that beat us in the grand final we were able to play together and get a very even contribution from all players.

It was the perfect response and one that was full of heart.

The Tigers are a terrific team and certainly tested us.

With Matt Crouch (hamstring), Rory Sloane (foot), Daniel Talia (knee) and David Mackay (concussion) going down at different times, the pressure was on.

But as a team we spoke about the great opportunity that guys like Cam Ellis-Yolmen — back after a year out following a knee reconstruction — and Hugh Greenwood were given to stand up in the middle and for Bryce Gibbs to make his mark for his new club.

They grasped their chances with both hands.

FOUR TO THE FORE: Lachlan Murphy (left), Bryce Gibbs, Darcy Fogarty and Tom Doedee celebrate their first win for Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed.

“JJ’’ (Josh Jenkins) and “Tex’’ (Taylor Walker) didn’t have the games they would have liked in the grand final but they came out and took their next big opportunity against the Tigers.

For JJ, who has to deal with a lot of hysteria about the way he plays, to perform so well against Alex Rance, a player widely regarded as the best defender in the competition, was terrific for him and the club. He was sensational.

The list goes on. Young players Tom Doedee, Lachie Murphy and Darcy Fogarty all made strong contributions. The fact that these guys are trusted to play their roles and do it perfectly illustrates the strong culture and care within the team.

Some of Doedee’s one-on-one contests in the last quarter when Richmond was coming hard at us were just amazing for a guy in just his second game.

If anything, all the talk about our supposed controversial pre-season camp only served to galvanise the group. Being an older player I am able to block the external stuff out and concentrate on what I need to do going into a game.

But you can still feel it when a lot is being spoken about your club, whether it’s right or wrong.

There was plenty said during the week.

My take on the camp is this: The club used it as an opportunity to get what we feel can be a competitive edge on other teams, based around mindset.

(Coach) Don Pyke has made no secret of the fact it is an area we want to improve in.

Without giving a full account of what happened behind closed doors, I’m confident everyone who attended the camp got something out of it.

I’m sure most of our players found some parts of the camp they didn’t like but that’s no different to any other pre-season camp that I’ve been involved in during my 12-year AFL career.

I’m already using different triggers thatg I learnt during the camp to help me keep performing on game day.

Our performance against Richmond was an example of how unified the playing and coaching group are and how much we care for each other.

We stood up when we were tested mentally and physically and the love and care for each other is not about to change.

Originally published as ‘I’ve never been more proud’: Sam Jacobs hails Adelaide’s Bravehearts