Josh Jenkins on his mateship with Patrick Dangerfield and his expectations for move to Geelong
Patrick Dangerfield knew his mate Josh Jenkins was struggling and out-of-favour in Adelaide. So he did what any good friend would do — pumped up the benefits of a change of scenery to the Cattery, Scott Gullan writes.
Geelong
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Josh Jenkins doesn’t really know why he’s best friends with Patrick Dangerfield.
“We’re pretty different people. I love horse racing, he despises it. He likes fishing while I don’t mind it,” he explained.
“We are very different but for some reason we connect. I think I resonate with him and somehow he does with me.
“He lost his phone in the ocean yesterday so he’s not happy with the world at the moment but us two and Tom Lynch, the three of us were inseparable (in Adelaide).
“I suppose we were a similar age and we just connected.”
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That connection saw Jenkins thrown a lifeline in the final hours of trade week, with the Cats acquiring the Crows forward and a future third round pick in exchange for selection No.37.
All year Dangerfield has been in Jenkins’ ear about what a great place Geelong is.
He knew his good mate was struggling at the Crows and was out of favour, spending an extended time in the SANFL so he kept pumping up the benefits of a change of scenery to the Cattery.
An informal chat with the Cats hierarchy before the start of the trade period put the wheels in motion and Jenkins then caught up for lunch with Geelong coach Chris Scott while on holiday in New York.
He doesn’t know what specific role he’ll play and understands there might not be one initially given the Cats successfully went with just two tall forwards – Tom Hawkins and Esava Ratugolea – this year.
“There is a reality that I don’t fit,” Jenkins said. “With Esava Ratugolea and Tom Hawkins it might be too tall and the reality is I will have to take my turn.
“I am not coming in with any expectations or demands. I am just happy to come in and feel invigorated within a football club and if I play in Round 1 through to Round 23 and play some finals that is great.
“If I play some VFL football or a lot of VFL football that is OK as well. I know that there will be an opportunity at some stage whether its at the start, middle or at the end it doesn’t matter, as long as I am ready for it.”
Jenkins, 30, admits when he was thinking about coming to the Cats he kept a keen eye on Gary Ablett’s movements and is excited to get the chance to play with the two-time Brownlow Medallist next year.
He was also looking forward to running out with Harry Taylor who pulled one of the more bizarre stunts on Jenkins two years ago when he put a piece of ham in his opponents hand as the shook at the end of the game.
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The Crows forward almost missed the game because of a bout of gastro which was suspected to have been picked up when he attended a funeral and ate some dodgy ham.
“I am sure it will come up in front of the whole group,” Jenkins said. “There’s not much explaining for me to do, it’s more for Harry to explain himself there.
“I know he wasn’t too thrilled it became public but I’m not too sure how he thought something like that wouldn’t come out.”
Jenkins, who started his career on Essendon’s rookie list, admits he lost his love for football this season but is confident he can get back to the heights of 2016 when he kicked 62 goals.
“I was hopeful it wouldn’t (be over) because I would feel I have left some good football out on the table,” he said.
He knows he may have rubbed some people up the wrong way in Adelaide given he was vocal about the club’s problems and was pleasantly surprised his new club didn’t ask any questions about that.
“It’s well known I was one of the guys who was very vocal and talking about some of the issues that we had and perhaps that strained some relationships,” Jenkins said.
“I expected to have to explain myself but people within the industry know what goes on and I think for the most part I am able to hold my head up high and say everything I tried to do was for the right reasons.
“It was to help us get back on track but yeah I thought I would have had to explain myself and tell them why I was in this situation I was in but surprisingly I didn’t have to.”