Humm in tune with Tigers
11:40:28 AM Wed 1 March, 2006
Jason Phelan
Exclusive to richmondfc.com.au
Footballers are often forced to take a long and winding road as they chase their AFL dream, but you would be hard-pressed to find a more convoluted path than the one traveled by new Tiger rookie Jeremy Humm.
The former Geelong local, who played his junior footy in Ballarat, was delisted by the Eagles after five years in Perth and had signed to play with South Adelaide in the SANFL before a quirk of fate saw him land at Punt Road.
With all his worldly possessions packed up and ready to be shipped to Adelaide, Humm was alerted to the fact that he was able to be drafted onto a rookie list - a possibility that had not even crossed his mind after he parted ways with West Coast.
"I didn't even know I was eligible myself until well into the off-season and someone pointed it out to me - it was Chris Judd actually - and once he pointed that out I spoke to my manager about it, he put the feelers out and we went from there," Humm says.
"About a week earlier I had signed for South Adelaide and it was all systems go."
Humm was eager to showcase his talents in what he considers the best football league outside the AFL, but jumped at the offer to train with Richmond who showed an interest after it became known that he beat the rookie deadline by just five days.
"It wasn't much of a decision to be honest," he says.
"That was always my first port of call. Getting delisted just makes you a bit hungrier. Once you're out you could be out forever and never get an opportunity again, while it was there I would've been stupid not to take it."
Held in high regard by the Eagles, they gave the talented defender-cum-onballer a lot of time to develop, but ultimately his stay out west was ruined by recurring lower leg injuries that required five operations.
The 23-year-old wasn't surprised when he was given his marching orders at the end of last season, but far from being resentful, he is grateful for the opportunity and believes he is a better footballer because of it.
"I took it all with a grain of salt really, once I was injured during the year and I only had a one-year contract, I knew my time was up there," he says.
"It's just part of the system these days, there's going to be changes every year, so I knew what was going on.
"I think of it as more of an apprenticeship, I've learnt different things and a different style of game.
"I reckon playing with a club that made the grand final and learning from a couple of Brownlow Medalists has to help."
Humm had been working to keep up his fitness before joining the Tigers and showed he could prove to be an astute pick-up in his first game for the club - gathering 11 possessions and taking six marks in a half of football.
"I was just happy to get a run firstly and to get a couple of touches as well makes it a bit easier to get involved in the game," he says.
"I'm just getting used to the new team plan, the structure and even the players themselves - getting used to where they run and that sort of stuff and they're getting used to me as well.
"It's not like we know a great deal about each other after one game - I think the club is still just looking at me, to be honest."
Humm isn't making any grand plans ahead of the season, but is confident he will be able to fill a role if called upon.
"It's obvious that I can't play AFL from the rookie list barring injury, but I'm not banking on an injury even though I need that to play," he says.
"The goal for me is just staying fit and preparing myself like I am going to play AFL and have a good year in the VFL. All the other stuff will work itself out - it's not really for me to worry about.
"At this point in time I just want to go about my football as professionally as I can. As we get further into the season and start playing more games we'll know more about just exactly what my role might be."
Entering his sixth year in the AFL system and with just 22 games to his name, Humm knows he's running out of chances to prove himself, but is confident his injury woes are behind him and is done worrying about the future.
"To be honest with you, it's been a big year for me for the last three years," he says.
"I'm not putting any more pressure on myself - I've had pressure on me for that long now - I've just got to get out there and actually do it. Talk is cheap - I've just got to go out and play and try to enjoy myself. If I can do that, hopefully the results will come."
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