And no more than last year when the Melbourne ruckman could only manage five senior matches as he battled quad and foot injuries while Paul Johnson cemented himself as the Demons’ No.1 big man.
But Jamar, who was in his eighth AFL season and had played just 73 games, used that time off to develop his own football education which has seen him not only reclaim his spot as Melbourne’s starting ruck but become one of the best in the business.
Jamar, known affectionately as the ‘Russian’, has not put a foot wrong this season and has been widely regarded as one of the AFL’s most improved players.
He says there are many reasons for his sudden improvement at 26 years old, not least of all the effort he went to last year to watch as much live football as possible.
“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.
It may have been easier to sit on the couch and casually watch whichever game happened to be on TV but Jamar said there was more to be gained from travelling to the games.
“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.”
That is just a snapshot to the professionalism and diligence that separates Jamar from his peers and has resulted in his name being floated as a potential All-Australian selection.
While Jamar is reluctant to buy into that speculation, he admits it’s hard to finger exactly why he has come on so strongly in his ninth season.
“It’s probably the combination of a few things all coming together. Obviously the opportunity was there with Paul Johnson being injured early in the season. I had to take the No.1 spot and do my job for the team,” he said.
“That helped me get time on the ground and build the confidence plus the weights program and my fitness work really helped me as well as the education side of things. Also a well-balanced life outside of football helps.
“I’m probably at that age for a ruckman where traditionally they come into their prime.”
Jamar is less than two weeks away from his 27th birthday which makes him one of the elder statesmen in the young Melbourne team.
He says he is relishing his role as a senior member of the side and is making a conscious effort to impart some wisdom, particularly to fellow ruckman Max Gawn who has just recently started playing VFL for Casey after recovering from a knee reconstruction.
“I sat down with Gawny and had a chat about things to see where he’s at with his footy and he can pick my brain a bit. He was up against Josh Fraser and Cameron Wood,” he 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.”
Jamar says he enjoys the chance to mentor some of the young players and says there is a fresh energy around football’s oldest club.
“This whole year has been a buzz. We’ve seen early on that we’ve had a lot of talent and we’ve moved into the new facilities halfway through the year. Now we’ve had a few wins and it is definitely exciting.”
