Jamar played just five senior games for the Demons in 2009 as he fought foot and quad injuries but has emerged as one of the competition’s best ruckmen this season.
He says he used the time off to study how best to go about his craft.
“I went interstate to Adelaide to watch a couple of games, I went to Geelong, went to the ‘G. I probably went to five or six games while I was injured plus pre-season games as well. I travelled to Bendigo to watch a game too,” Jamar told melbournefc.com.au.
Jamar said there was more to be gained from travelling to the games than watching them on TV.
“There’s a lot of stuff that you pick up when you watch footy live that you can’t see on the TV screen. You’ve got to go to games and go above ground level so you can see how it all unfolds,” he said.
“Watching other ruckmen is only part of the education. You’ve got to watch the way the ball moves, the way you can position yourself, you watch how other forwards move so that when you play forward you get ideas on how to lead and get free and use your body.”
Jamar also said coach Dean Bailey’s persistence with him was a key reason behind him having a career-best season after nine years in the system.
“When he first got to the club he made it pretty clear what was expected and it probably took me two years to get him to gain confidence in me,” Jamar said.
“I had to prove I could do a job for him and I guess I’ve been doing that this year. If it wasn’t for Dean Bailey and the opportunity he’s given me, and the faith he’s put in me, I wouldn’t be playing how I am nowadays.”
Jamar has been working closely with young ruckman Max Gawn who recently played his first VFL game for Casey after recovering from a knee reconstruction.
The Melbourne doctors have been monitoring Gawn closely and in a recent interview on Melbourne’s website, the 18-year-old revealed doctors told him he had pulled up extraordinarily well from his first game back.
Jamar said he was thrilled to see Gawn take his first steps in the world of senior football.
“He was up against Josh Fraser and Cameron Wood,” Jamar said.
“I think he liked playing against them and he picked my brain on the Saturday after training and he came back to me after the game to let me know how he went.”
Click here to read the full article on Mark Jamar at melbournefc.com.au.
