Player Column – Jarrod Parry Round 5

IT HAS a been a positive start to the 2015 season for us winning three out of our first four games and the feeling around the playing group is fantastic; being in this position within our first month is something we haven’t had for years.

In saying that, it is only Round 5 coming up this Saturday against Subiaco and we still have a lot to improve on with much of the season left to go. 

Since the start of our pre-season in November we have completed a mass of running and skill drills but Todd has placed an emphasis on the squad being one collective unit. Throughout off-field sessions we have focused on being honest with what we want to achieve and how we will go about it. Everyone wants to achieve the ultimate success of holding the premiership cup on grand final day but there are many steps in getting to that stage. The group constantly reflects on our core values both on and off the field, which we know if done correctly, will hold us in good stead throughout the season. 

One key to the performance from the league side this year is the way the reserves are playing each week. There are terrific players in the reserves side who are thirsty for an opportunity at senior level. There are players like Toby Bairstow, Adam Carter, Paul Mugambwa, John Sgherza, Mitch Carter, Alistair Gillespie, Lewis Harvey and many more who have all played many games at league level.

Then the likes of our younger players Ben Sokol, Jacob Dragovich, Bailey Matera and Tim Stewart all keep putting their hands up week in week out to be promoted to the league squad. This puts pressure on the league players to play well, which is a healthy position for the club to be in. This shows the depth of our squad and that at any time there are players to fill the void. It is a credit to the players and our coach Tony Walters for the reserves to be sitting on top of the ladder.

Personally, I felt like I had a solid pre-season and was excited leading into the practice games which everyone was looking forward to after months of training. I copped a head knock in our first pre-season game against Subiaco, missing our practice games and then the Round 1 win over West Perth. That’s a fair bit of football from a bump to the head, which the boys definitely let me know about! 

I played my first game in the reserves against Perth in Round 2, where the reserves had a fantastic win by 93 points; the league also had a solid win. I was fortunate enough to get the call up to the league side for Round 3 against Claremont on Good Friday. We played well again putting together three wins in a row, with contributors across the board. Being my first league game back I could feel the increase in game tempo the next morning.

Last week we took on Swan Districts, which we knew would be a good challenge. They had been playing well and have quality players in their side. Unfortunately, we went down by 21 points but found out a lot about the way we want to play every game, no matter the opposition. I now have a couple of solid hit outs under my belt that has given me match fitness. I am looking forward to being a bigger contributor to the team, especially our midfield group throughout the year.

The feeling at the club is really positive and the boys are really enjoying their footy. This week we take on the reigning premiers in Subiaco who have also had three wins to start their season. It’s a great opportunity to bounce back from last week and put in a good performance in front of a good crowd on Saturday afternoon.