My Story: Jack Newnes on how his famous goal almost didn’t happen and when he knew his time at St Kilda was up
Jack Newnes had no intention of kicking his after-the-siren miracle goal that turned him into a new hero to Blues fans. He reveals what - or more precisely, who - made him change his mind, and why he panicked after he won the game.
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The goal almost didn’t happen.
I was lurking around the area when the ball sailed out of bounds on the full in our forward pocket deep into the final term at Perth Stadium.
Naturally you always want the kick when it’s gone out on the full, but I wasn’t demanding it.
I just wanted to make sure the kick went to someone in a Carlton jumper because I’d heard players yelling “down field”, so I walked over to say it was our kick.
The next thing I know the umpire looks at me and says “it’s your kick”, which I was more than happy to take.
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As I was walked back to take it, teammate Jacob Weitering came off and told me “there’s 10 seconds left”, so I replied I would centre it up so get ready.
I was about to do just that when ‘Weits’ stopped me dead in my tracks.
“No mate! You need to take the shot,” he said.
OK then.
As I was starting to line up I heard the siren sound, which was when I asked the photographer who was sitting there on the fence line to move.
At first he just sort of stared at me blankly and wouldn’t budge, and then the umpire came across to tell me to get on my line.
I couldn’t because of the photographer, so then the umpire got him to move.
Then I encountered TV cables, which I didn’t want to trip on, and there was even a security guard in the area as well, which meant I had to get his plastic chair out of the way.
It was all a bit chaotic and crazy, but in hindsight it all probably helped me take my mind off the kick and knowing I had to try and win the game off my boot.
As I lined up I was copping some flak from the Fremantle crowd, but all I was thinking about what was the kick.
My mind took me back to two years earlier when I was playing for St Kilda.
It was eerie because that day I had a kick from the exact same spot in the same pocket while also playing against Fremantle at Perth Stadium.
That time I missed just to the right, so I felt like this time I could strike it better and that gave me some confidence I could nail it.
It was a wet ball and I was a bit worried it might slip off the side of the boot, so I was super conscious about making sure I middled it.
As you saw I didn’t waste any time and I was able to hit it sweetly.
As soon as it left my boot I knew it was home.
Eddie Betts was the first to tackle me and the next thing I knew everyone was on top of me.
It reminded me of playing stacks on at school.
I’m actually quite claustrophobic, so at first I panicked a little bit and couldn’t breathe for a few seconds.
Thankfully I was soon able to get up, and then the feeling was just pure exhilaration.
It took me back to when I was a kid, when my brother and I would go down to Breavington Park in Fairfield right behind where we lived.
There’s a little water fountain in the middle and at the back of the park there are some swings, which were our makeshift goal posts.
We would always carry on and say things like: “the siren’s gone, we’re four points down, have a shot.”
We’d have a kick at the swings and we did that about three times a week for my whole childhood.
It’s funny how things turned out getting the opportunity to do it in an AFL game.
There had been no massive moments in my AFL career to date until then, so the reaction afterwards was incredible and I’d never seen anything like that.
I received so many messages and I really appreciated the support from my family, my friends and the fans.
It was a great moment and something I’ll probably never forget.
SAINTS DAYS
When I became a Saint at the end of 2011, the club was coachless.
It was not long after Ross Lyon had shocked all by leaving to go to Fremantle, so there was no head coach at the time.
I guess that is a little bit odd for a fresh draftee walking in the doors for the first time.
We eventually picked up Scotty Watters.
I was thrilled to go to the Saints as I was obsessed with St Kilda for a few years before being drafted, even though I grew up a North Melbourne fan after my dad.
One of my brother’s friends went to school with Tim Montagna, who is the brother of Leigh.
So there was a small connection there when I first arrived, and I was grateful to have that.
I was taken at pick No.37 in the 2011 national draft, and I had no idea heading in where I might end up.
The feeling was I could have gone anywhere from pick No.20 to 100.
I was sitting at home in my family’s house in Fairfield with a few family members when my name got read out.
Walking into Seaford, where they just relocated to, they had just come off the 2009 and 2010 grand finals and I was pretty starstruck.
It was unbelievable to arrive at a club that had the likes of Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes, Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne.
To be rubbing shoulders with them was just unreal.
It went to another level when I made my debut in Round 2, 2012 against Gold Coast.
The team had played Port Adelaide in Round 1 and there was a lot of talk the Power would struggle that season.
They beat us that day when we had a pretty experienced side in.
Scotty then I think decided it was time to get a few young boys in, which was good for me.
In my first year we just missed the finals and it was kind of like that for a few seasons, then we really dropped off and the rebuild really kicked in.
It didn’t really bother me though as I was young and just happy to be playing AFL football at the time.
That’s all I ever wanted to do.
I know the results weren’t going our way but I was just trying to build a career.
Alan Richardson was my second coach and I played a lot of footy under him.
Obviously things didn’t go to plan over those years, but Richo was a good coach and did his best to get the most out of us.
LEAVING ST KILDA
I probably had an inkling my time at St Kilda was coming to an end towards the back end of 2019.
That was confirmed when a contract was offered to my manager that probably was not what we were after.
I was told towards the end of the season that the option was there to have a look around, so I read the play.
It didn’t really come as a surprise as my form had probably been going downhill for a few years.
My better years at the Saints were probably 2015 to 2017, and then I started to get thrown around the field a bit.
I was still getting games but I wasn’t ideally where I wanted to be on the ground and the team wasn’t winning, so it was a tough few years.
I had been there a long time and I thought the best thing for me was to move on.
During the trade period I met with Carlton coach David Teague and a few others from the Blues.
I already knew Teaguey as he was at the Saints in my first and second year.
I got on with him really well then and nothing had changed when we caught up in my manager’s office.
Teaguey said they were really excited to try and get me there, and that they were after someone that could play a halfback/wing role.
I really liked the sound of that and thankfully it happened.
I’m so thankful I got to Carlton.
Even though it’s been a bit of a tumultuous year and a bit different, I’ve loved every minute of it.
I think I needed a mental freshen up.
I was probably getting a little bit stale at St Kilda, and it’s just a completely different environment at Carlton.
MY FINALS DREAM
I’ve played 169 AFL games, but I’m still yet to play a final.
It’s probably my No.1 motivating factor at this point.
The last four years it’s been all I’ve wanted to do.
I’ve been close to playing one but missed out a couple of times on percentage, but it’s something I have to tick off before my career’s done and dusted.
I don’t think I could handle not playing a final.
I still love to watch them but I get cranky at the same time.
Especially when there are teams playing you’ve beaten during the year or you feel you should have beaten.
It hurts because that’s what you play for, but I’m hoping I’ll still get the chance.
To run out in a final, in a Carlton jumper, in front of our massive supporter base — that is a huge motivation, not just for me but our entire group.