We know you hate Jamie Soward ... But you might just be wrong
DRAGONS heartbreak, ridiculed by fans, finding the love in London and the magic of Gus — Jamie Soward knows all about second chances.
Panthers
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JAMIE SOWARD stormed into the sheds and threw his locker open. He snatched boots from a shelf — three pairs in total — and dumped them into a bag, waiting open on the floor.
He snarled as he scooped shorts, jumpers and towels into the bag.
Then a picture of him, all moustache graffiti and texta scribble, fell to the floor. He looked around the room. The teammate who had left it in his locker was staring at him. So was each and every one of the players he had gone into battle with just four days before.
He was now fighting back tears, knowing he would never play with them again.
Locker cleared, he picked up his bag, nodding at the silent posse as he walked out. He was a Dragon no more.
This is the untold story of how Soward — controversial, enigmatic and a player who wears his heart on sleeve — became a Panther.
In his most candid interview, the playmaker reveals the truth behind his falling out with Steve Price, how he lost his love for football and the three-month journey that saw him become the “fattest” and “happiest” he has ever been.
But first, back to that locker ...
“We played the Bulldogs on a Friday night and we lost,’’ Soward said. “I had a kick after the siren to tie it and I missed. On the Monday, I came in and had a chat with the coach (Steve Price).
“He looked at me and said, ‘It is time you moved on’. I was stunned. I was announced as a senior player at the start of the year and I had ambitions of captaining the club. Now he was telling me I wasn’t in the top squad any more.
“I remember asking him if I could still train with the top squad, do weights and things like that. He said, ‘No’. Next thing I know I was cleaning out my locker. I was shitty, angry, and upset. The whole squad saw me cleaning it out. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Then I had to jump in the car and go home and tell my wife.’’
Soward is now the form playmaker in the competition. Chip-kicking, slotting goals from the sideline, and slicing apart defensive lines. He is the man behind the Panthers’ remarkable premiership charge. But just 12 months ago, he was almost broken.
“It was building from 2012,’’ Soward said. “I was trying to get a new deal sorted, to extend and commit, but they (the Dragons) kept on putting it off. It was always, ‘Wait a couple of weeks’. I loved the joint, but eventually I got the feeling I wasn’t wanted.’’
It got worse.
“It became difficult emotionally because weren’t winning,’’ Soward said. “I was shouldering a lot of responsibility. I really felt like I was always defending myself and defending the team. I had the shield up all the time. I wasn’t enjoying it one bit. People starting saying me and Pricey were having a blue, and it exploded.’’
Soward will not bag Price. There was no “big blue”, but they clashed because Soward always told the coach what he thought.
“I got to a stage where I could turn up to training and I knew what was coming,’’ he said.
“It was all the same. My effort was still there, but I was getting the feeling they didn’t want me. I was one of four or five that had been in the GF and I was dying to get a leadership role. Then we had eight guys in the leadership group. That is most of the starting 13. Really my opinion wasn’t worth much.’’
Enter Phil Gould.
“I remember walking out after a game at Kogarah and seeing Gus standing on the other side of the road,’’ Soward said.
“He was looking as if he wanted me to come over and talk to him even though he didn’t say anything. I didn’t cross the road, but sure enough I soon had a call saying Gus wanted me to go and meet him.
“In one meeting, he got me excited about footy again. I hadn’t felt like that for a long time.’’
Locker cleaned, pride bruised, Soward knocked back a chance to join Penrith last year and moved to London.
“I didn’t want to go to Penrith because if we didn’t perform straight away I would have been under pressure for the next four-and-a-half years,’’ Soward said. “The opportunity came up for me to go over to London and just play footy. The coach (Tony Rea) told me there would be no pressure and, to be honest, I just wanted to get away.
“It was just such a fantastic three months. Tony told me to play footy. He told me to chip and chase, kick, step, go to the other side of the field, do whatever I wanted. I loved footy again. And I realised what it was I loved about footy.
“And, oh boy, did I get fat,’’ Soward adds with a laugh.
“I came back and the first thing I had to do was the Kokoda Trail with Ivan (Cleary). I knew this was going to be his first impression and I was bloody fat! I was about 96kg. He said, ‘That’s OK, I’ll get it off you.’’
He also decided he was finally ready to be himself. So ... meet the real Jamie Soward, a person we might just learn to love.
“I am allowed to be myself a little bit more now,’’ Soward said.
“People are getting to know who I actually am. People think I talk about myself in the third person and crap like that, but I don’t. I had been betrayed as bitter and twisted. I admit I have contributed to that, but coming back from London I just thought I would be me and enjoy it. So bring on the curly ones. Ask me whatever you like. I will answer how I want to answer.
“I know people don’t like me and that is fine. I am not out to change that, but it seems people are now giving me a chance. I am being more relaxed and I think people are still, ‘Yeah, I don’t like him but he has a point there’.”
Soward claims his resurgence is thanks to a new licence; an unrestricted one that allows him to chip, kick or run. To be the player, and the person, he wants to be.
“I was so nervous thinking about how the boys and Ivan would perceive me,’’ Soward said. I know I am a bit different. Emotionally I guess you could say and I was hoping they didn’t have the wrong idea of me. But I felt at home from day one.
“I remember Ronnie Palmer (trainer) coming up and saying we are going to get the best out of you. I thought, ‘Shit’. The best out of me? I haven’t heard that for a very long time. It made me feel good.
“Now I am fit and I am strong and I am happy. All I have to do now is play. I am not criticised for trying things. Ivan knows I am out there and I have a feel for the game.
“He doesn’t want to take that away from me.’’
Originally published as We know you hate Jamie Soward ... But you might just be wrong
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