Former Wanderers star Joel Jeffrey on his stunning nine-goal game for Gold Coast Suns against Aspley Hornets in VFL: I train on days off
FORMER Wanderers star Joel Jeffrey has revealed the work ethic behind his stunning nine goals for the Suns against Aspley in the VFL. And it involves training on his days off.
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DON’T be fooled into thinking Joel Jeffrey’s freakish skills on the football field come easily to him.
However, no one would laugh at you if you thought that following his stunning nine-goal display in Gold Coast’s 78-point away win over Aspley in round 15 VFL action on Saturday.
It was a performance so good, it could see him make his AFL debut in round 20 action against Melbourne at the Gabba this weekend.
And the former Wanderers star has revealed all the extra work he put in to have that breakout VFL game.
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“The weekend before I kicked five goals and four behinds against Sydney Swans. We were supposed to play the Bulldogs but that didn’t go ahead because of Covid, so we played Sydney but not for any competition points,” Jeffrey said.
“I worked on how I could kick those goals during the week after a training session on Thursday.
“And I felt good the way I was kicking the ball.
“I’ve got some little routines – I like to come in and do extras on my day off.
“And I like to stay calm – I try not to worry about too much.” Jeffrey had a feeling he was in for a big afternoon on the way to the Graham Rd venue at Carseldine in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.
“The focus on the way to the ground was about bringing a lot of pressure to them early, and we did that in the first quarter,” he said.
“My teammates got me a lot of inside-50 ball which helped me a lot.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without my teammates.”
One of those teammates included former star Buffaloes midfielder Mal Rosas, who finished with a very impressive 30 disposals.
“Mally has developed a lot since he arrived here (in late 2019),” Jeffrey said.
“He really takes on the game with his speed and flair.
“At first he was pretty quiet like all of us younger fellas.
“But he’s come out of his shell a lot.”
Jeffrey believes plenty more Territory footballers will join him and Rosas at the Suns in the coming years.
“This club has a real interest in developing Territory talent,” he said.
“The pathway to this club is unreal and it will give great opportunities to Territory boys.
“I’ve got some great coaches here who help me, like Rhyce Shaw and Tim Clarke.”
Jeffrey could now get the call-up to make his AFL debut as early as this weekend against Melbourne at the Gabba.
If he does, he’ll relish the big occasion against the third-placed Demons.
“I’ll just keep trying to tick off the boxes at training and hopefully I’ll get the call-up,” he said.
“If I do I’ll be ready.”
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