Sam Jacobs: The 22 players, characters and personalities who have most shaped my career
As Crows ruckman Sam Jacobs lines up for his 200th game on Saturday, he names the 22 ‘special’ players he has played alongside at Adelaide and Carlton.
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For a young boy growing up in the small Yorke Peninsula country town of Ardrossan, all I ever wanted to do was to play football at the highest level.
To be able to reach 200 AFL games against Collingwood at Adelaide Oval on Saturday is beyond my wildest dreams — mind blowing to be honest.
A lot of people have played a key role in helping me get to this point, including teammates.
As I reflected on my journey at two AFL clubs, Carlton and the Crows, I started thinking about the great players, characters and personalities I have had the good fortune to have played alongside and shared the locker room with during my 11-year journey.
Here is my “special’’ team of 22, with apologies to Brodie Smith, Rory Atkins, Brad Fisher, Rory Laird, Jared Petrenko, Kade Simpson, Jack Gunston, Charlie Cameron, Daniel Talia and Adam Hartlett.
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FORWARDS
EDDIE BETTS (Adel/Carl)
His on-field achievements are well documented but off-field Eddie is one of my best mates. I’m fortunate to have played with him at both Carlton and Adelaide and he’s not only a great player but a great human who is very popular with his teammates. He’s fun but quite introverted and loves nothing more than spending time with his family. A terrific leader for indigenous players and is a testament to how far you can go with a lot of hard work, which is something I don’t think he gets enough credit for. People look at his amazing goals and think he’s just born with that talent but he kicks them because of how hard he practices.
BRENDAN FEVOLA (Carlton)
A colourful figure who gets a bad rap occasionally but he was a really caring guy and teammate. From the moment I arrived at Carlton he looked after me and Shaun Hampson, who I was really close with. I used to love The Footy Show and ‘Fev’ took me along as an 18-year-old, introduced me to all the crew before the show and got me great seats to enjoy it. He was popular among the boys and at football clinics would always be the last one there signing autographs for the kids. A wonderful talent, he had a lot of challenges throughout his football career, which he has spoken about, but I loved his personality and caring nature.
JOSH JENKINS (Adelaide)
My longest-serving ruck partner, I’m really good friends with ‘JJ’ off-field, as are our partners and children. I don’t think he gets enough credit for the amount of goals he’s kicked in his career, booting 40 or more five seasons in a row from 2014-18. At his best he is a real presence up forward and has made a great contribution to our success in recent years. As honest as they come, he really cares about the boys and is not afraid to challenge them to be the best they can be. I love the fact that he thinks outside the square. Has a real passion for US sport and horse racing.
HALF-FORWARDS
TOM LYNCH (Adelaide)
One of the hardest-working players I’ve played with and has transformed from not being a regular at St Kilda to being the best half-forward flanker in the AFL at the Crows. Has become a real leader at the club. Like ‘JJ,’ he’s a bit of an extrovert and a really popular team member. Loves his cricket — his dad Andrew is chairman of selectors at Cricket Victoria — and is a very proud Victorian who lets the boys know about it. Is one of those blokes who will do anything for you — on and off the field.
TAYLOR WALKER (Adelaide)
Not too dissimilar to ‘Fev' in his care for his teammates. Is a strong personality who is all about the boys and makes sure everyone is looked after, from the best player to the latest rookie. A social butterfly and a typically good country boy. When “Tex'’ is around you know it’s going to be fun because he likes keeping the boys up and about. He’s a really diligent player who leaves no stone unturned to get the best out of himself. He generally rises to the occasion in big games, finals.
RICHARD DOUGLAS (Adelaide)
‘Dougy’ is the ultimate team man, which is illustrated by him winning so many best team man awards at the Crows — an award voted on by the players, emphasising his popularity. He’s been underrated for much of his career and when he was able to get a lot of midfield time he won a best and fairest award. A classy goalkicking midfielder, he has a dry sense of humour and is a fun character in the clubhouse. Has been extremely loyal to the footy club and all the players look up to him.
CENTRES
MARC MURPHY (Carlton)
A super player who was one of the people who helped look after me when I first arrived at the Blues, along with cricketer Aaron Finch, who I struck up a good relationship with, and former Carlton media man Steve Wilson. ‘Murph’ is a really hardworking player who leads by actions. He had to deal with a lot of tags during some tough times at the Blues but never complained and just got on with the job, earning All-Australian honours, which showed how good he was.
RORY SLOANE (Adelaide)
Who doesn't love ‘Sloaney’? A bubbly, energetic personality — almost like a big kid — off the field and as hard-as-nails on it. Started his AFL career as a wingman and has become a genuine centre square player who loves a scrap. As a ruckman, you just love having him alongside you in the trenches. Trains as hard as anyone and is always at the front of the group in running sessions, even when he’s in recovery mode.
SHAUN GRIGG (Carlton)
I lived with him and Michael Jamison at Aberfeldie when I started at Carlton and our house was pretty much the drop-in centre for new players. ‘Grigga’ is the life of the party and loves being with the boys. Is such a great fella to be around and will take the mickey out of anyone. Will play any role to help his team win and unfortunately for me, this midfielder finished up being a premiership ruckman at Richmond and he continually lets me know about it.
HALF-BACKS
BERNIE VINCE (Adelaide)
Another good country boy who was one of the most skilful players I’ve played with. Was a bit of a lad, like ‘Tex’. His strengths could sometimes be a weakness in that he was so popular and would give everyone his time, resulting in extra socialising and meaning he sometimes could get distracted. But he could be tough. His toughness on the field went under the radar to a large degree because of his off-field personality.
MARK AUSTIN (Carlton)
One of my best mates had a shocking run with injuries which ruined his career. He has just done another knee playing local football in Melbourne. He was an extremely popular team member who worked as hard as anyone but unfortunately he continually got taken down by injuries. Had plenty of ability but never got to show his full potential because of misfortune.
But he never let that get him down and was a terrific teammate.
BRYCE GIBBS (Carl/Adel)
Lived with him and Austin in Ascot Vale in my last year at the Blues. It was ‘Gibbsy’s’ house and he looked after us in Melbourne. He’s a quiet guy who likes to keep to himself but he did a lot for me early on. An incredibly skilful player, so balanced and classy who appears to have time on his side with ball in hand. And he's an underrated tackler. You can’t break his tackles at training and he averages more than four a game in his 263 matches.
BACKS
JORDAN RUSSELL (Carlton)
Liked being the life of the party and was a really funny guy. The West Adelaide product was pretty raw when he was drafted and took time to come on as an AFL player. But he became a top-shelf half-back flanker and was a really popular teammate. Some hip injuries held him back and he spent a lot of time in rehab with Austin. Is a development coach with the Western Bulldogs now.
BEN RUTTEN (Adelaide)
I owe a lot to “Truck’’. He's probably taught me more than anyone in terms of being a good AFL footballer, what I should prioritise to become the best I could be. He had a real hard edge about him as a player and I loved playing with him because he was so demanding, a real man’s man. He would go against the opposition's best key forward every week and get the job done most times. He has great game sense and I can easily see him becoming a senior coach.
MICHAEL JAMISON (Carlton)
A former housemate and another one of those Carlton players to cop more than his fair share of injuries. He was a very underrated full back and a terrific leader, being in the Blues’ leadership group at a young age because the boys valued his opinion so highly. A hard-nutted defender who played through the pain barrier and was rarely beaten. He liked to sell candy and got a thrill out of doing it.
RUCK
SHAUN HAMPSON (Carlton)
Me and ‘Hampo’ were joined at the hip at the start. We got drafted together — him from Queensland and me from Adelaide — and were both ruckmen, so we spent a lot of time together. He had some back and knee problems which slowed him down at times and meant we probably didn’t see the best of him but he was one of the purest athletes you will see — really quick and athletic. The partner of supermodel Megan Gale and in the current series of Survivor, I still speak to him at least once a week.
CHRIS JUDD (Carlton)
A player I consider myself very lucky to have played with. Was able to play in his Brownlow Medal winning year at Carlton in 2010 so I got a close up look at how good he was. Was a leader by actions and was meticulous with his preparation, so it was no surprise why he was so good. A really intelligent guy who commanded the respect of his teammates. Also possessed a quick-witted sense of humour.
PATRICK DANGERFIELD (Adelaide)
Along with ‘Juddy’, ‘Danger's’ the best player I have played with. The life of the party. In terms of footy stuff, he’s hard at it, explosive and you get jealous as to how much power he has as an athlete. Is lightning-quick, can take a strong mark and kick a long goal, so he's a genuine matchwinner. Is a confident, really infectious, caring guy who is a real family man, so from that point of view it’s probably quite fitting that he’s back home with his family in Geelong.
INTERCHANGE
BRAD CROUCH (Adelaide)
MATT CROUCH (Adelaide)
I’m going to group the Crouch brothers together because they are so similar. We've got a lot in common as country boys, with them being from Ballarat. Brad is hard and tough and has had it hard in terms of his body but he’s a really good fella and has never got too down on himself. They are both ball magnets, in particular Matt who seems to have the ball on a string. They love cricket, a punt, a beer and being around the boys. The main difference between them is that Matt is more measured, a deeper thinker, whereas Brad is more instinctive.
SCOTT THOMPSON (Adelaide)
Like Rutten, is a guy at the Crows who I owe a lot to. A football ironman who was as tough as nails and knew exactly what he needed to do to get himself up to play every week. Was very demanding on me but I really respected him as a person and for being a hard, tough midfielder. A great person who showed a lot of care for his teammates. Love the fact that he’s always got a smile on his face.
DARCY FOGARTY (Adelaide)
I love “The Fog’. Another country boy, from Lucindale, I’d like to think I've been able to help him settle into life as an AFL player. We’ve spent a lot of time together and I know he’s excited to be able to share my 200th with me. He’s worked hard this year and it was great to see him rewarded with five goals against West Coast last week. He's a very popular player and a real character, the life of a party. He was quiet when he first arrived at the club but has come out of his shell this year and is such a great locker room guy.