When Western Jets key-position player Emerson Jeka felt he needed to spark some life into an up-and-down 2019 season, he went to his head coach Ryan O’Keefe and asked for a change.
The 18-year-old had previously played the majority of his NAB League football in the forward line, where his strong marking, skills on both feet and speed and agility for his 197cm frame saw him rated highly among AFL recruiters.
Jeka had booted 12 goals in 17 games for Western across 2018-19 – including three in a Wildcard Round victory last year as a bottom-ager – before suffering a knee injury while representing an Australian under-18 team against the VFL’s Casey Demons at the MCG in April.
He sat on the sidelines for almost two months, eventually returning for one match with Western and then being called straight into Vic Metro’s line-up for its final two games of the 2019 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
After representing Metro while still “a little bit unfit”, the Altona Juniors (Western Region FL) product was keen to remind clubs of his capabilities ahead of the NAB AFL Draft on November 27-28.
“I’d just played forward in the Championships and as I came back (to the Jets) I wanted to show clubs my versatility by playing down back,” Jeka said at the recent NAB AFL Draft Combine.
“I think I’d shown everything I could up forward and the knee injury put some things into perspective, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to change it up.
“Ryan (O’Keefe) wanted me to stay forward, but I had a chat to him and the other coaches and after the first game I played down back, he was really happy with my efforts and we stuck with it. He was convinced, I guess.
“You don’t have to demand the football in defence – it just comes to you. I find that I read the ball quite well, so playing back did come naturally in some ways.”
Jeka averaged 12 disposals and five marks per game stationed in defence during a four-match block late in the home-and-away season but then returned to the forward line for Western’s two finals, kicking two majors in an elimination-final triumph over the Northern Knights.
* Visit the 'Highlights' section of the NAB League app to watch Emerson Jeka's 2019 season highlights.
Having initially thought he’d sustained a season-ending injury that day in April, Jeka’s mid-year switch allowed him to salvage something from a top-age campaign that turned out “a bit shaky”.
“I thought it was the worst-case scenario (in the Australian under-18 match),” Jeka said.
“I was just going up for a mark and my leg buckled underneath me and hyperextended. It was just a freak accident. In the first moment, I thought I’d done my ACL – there was some short pain and then it went away.
“I was very relieved it wasn’t an ACL injury, but knowing I’d miss six weeks and the first two games of the Under-18 Championships was a bit shattering.
“I enjoyed the game a lot more after the injury. I’d really missed it and I was just determined to play well for the rest of the season. It was a blessing in disguise, I think.”
NAB LEAGUE ‘FAST FIVE’ QUESTIONS
Most influential person on your football at Western:
“The whole coaching staff, but especially (head coach) Ryan O’Keefe. He’s played a big part in my football and he’s always there if I need. Having played 200-plus AFL games, you can learn a bit from him.”
Most valuable lesson learned in the NAB League:
“Just don’t take things for granted. My knee injury this year helped me put things into perspective.”
Teammate you’ve most enjoyed sharing the NAB League journey with:
“Josh Honey is a funny character and we go to school together. He’s a very good player and I think he should be picked up in the draft.”
Most difficult NAB League opponent:
“There were a couple of Eastern Ranges defenders who just got me on a couple of occasions this year and I was like: ‘Far out!’”
Most memorable NAB League moment:
“I think it would be the elimination final against the Northern Knights this year. They kicked six unanswered goals in the first quarter, but we came back with six goals in the second and it ended up a really close match. We were full of emotion when we won.”
