Author Topic: Jacob Townsend [merged]  (Read 126931 times)

Offline 🏅Dooks

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #330 on: August 29, 2017, 07:28:35 AM »
Happy for him to pull a KB in the finals series.

How do you think KB feels about that?

As long as he makes him a cup of tea afterwards, im sure he'd be fine
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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #331 on: August 29, 2017, 07:41:12 AM »
I reckon it would fall off.

Offline 1965

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #332 on: August 29, 2017, 09:54:02 AM »
Happy for him to pull a KB in the finals series.

How do you think KB feels about that?



I thought about commenting but didn't want to touch it.


 :lol

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #333 on: August 29, 2017, 10:55:41 AM »
Happy for him to pull a KB in the finals series.

How do you think KB feels about that?

Kevin would be fine with both.
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Offline one-eyed

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How Richmond scored Jacob Townsend for nothing (Age)
« Reply #334 on: August 29, 2017, 01:36:32 PM »
How Richmond scored Jacob Townsend for nothing

Sam McClure
The Age
29 August 2017


lmost exactly two years ago – in round 23, 2015 – Jacob Townsend kicked a goal midway through the second quarter to give the Giants a five-point lead over Melbourne.

Two of the 8974 in the crowd at Etihad Stadium were Richmond's head of footy, Dan Richardson, and list manager Blair Hartley. They were there specifically to watch Townsend, who they believed could be the answer to their needs for another inside midfielder.

Hartley wasn't happy. He was worried the career-high 22 disposals Townsend amassed that day would cost them more in a trade.

In the end, they gave up a fourth-round pick that GWS didn't use. They got him for free.

"It's a credit to our recruiting team," Richardson said. "Our scouting suggested he did have the capacity to go forward and find the goals; that game showed us he could play at the level."

It was the fourth goal of his career and he didn't kick another one at AFL level for nearly two years. He's now kicked 11 in two weeks after defensive forward roles on Michael Johnson and Jake Carlisle.

Townsend is now in the box seat to walk out onto the MCG in front of a potential crowd of 90,000 in a qualifying final against Geelong.

He originally came into the team because of Josh Caddy's injury, but it would seem unthinkable to drop Townsend now.

The man who helped find him at Greater Western Sydney, Kevin Sheedy, says he's one of the toughest players he's seen.

Sheedy said he couldn't be happier that Townsend has managed to silence the doubters.

"Everybody has doubts early," Sheedy said. "Unless you have super talent ... they're always ready to doubt you.

"He never had the speed to do it early, but I'll tell you what, there won't be any kid tougher at Richmond. He's the toughest kid I coached at the Giants.

"He was a very good, tough young rugby kid who crossed over to the AFL. I have no doubt Mark Williams would have convinced Richmond to get him."

For all of his Giants career, he was essentially used as a second-string inside ball winner, filling in for the likes of Callan Ward when required.

Townsend grew up in Leeton, a town in NSW's Riverina region, a little more than 500 kilometres west of Sydney.

He would travel huge distances for games, before the Giants eventually relocated him to Blacktown in his final year of high school.

He played in the Giants' TAC Cup team before being selected on their inaugural list for the 2012 season, where he played in the club's first five games.

"He's a beautiful young kid," Sheedy said. "He's honest, dedicated and he's a listener; he takes it all in."

At 187 centimetres and 89 kilograms, Townsend wasn't the player Richmond expected to line up next to Jack Riewoldt as a second marking option.

Richardson admits even they have been a little surprised by the past two weeks, but also said his form in the VFL had been consistently excellent.

"He's actually deceptively tall and deceptively strong," Richardson said.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/afl/how-richmond-scored-jacob-townsend-for-nothing-20170828-gy5seo.html

Offline Owl

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #335 on: August 30, 2017, 10:15:10 PM »
pretty impressed and pretty happy this feller has taken his chance.  He earned a go and proved he was up to it so he should stay in.
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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #336 on: August 30, 2017, 10:45:39 PM »
Lennon could learn something from this kid.
The club that keeps giving.

Offline one-eyed

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #337 on: September 06, 2017, 10:27:41 PM »
Your club's X-factor in the finals

Herald-Sun
6 September 2017


RICHMOND — JACOB TOWNSEND


Perhaps not even Jacob Townsend could have imagined a month ago that he’d be in this position. Having not played a single game all season, Townsend replaced the injured Josh Caddy in a mid-forward role in a Round 22 victory over Fremantle, kicking six goals from 16 disposals. A one-hit wonder, surely? Not quite. He backed it up with five goals from 12 disposals against St Kilda a week later. Now, he’s set to feature in September. Can he prove an unlikely spark for the Tigers throughout this year’s finals series? Richmond fans will be hoping so.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-finals-2017-your-clubs-finals-xfactor/news-story/df5c77a8ade5328c46f2f091890ee6ed

Offline one-eyed

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Jacob Townsend has been battling away under the radar & likes it that way (HSun)
« Reply #338 on: September 07, 2017, 10:32:30 PM »
Jacob Townsend has been battling away under the radar and that's the way he likes it

MARK ROBINSON,
Herald Sun
8 September 2017


JACOB Townsend is a bolt of lightning.

Three weeks ago he was looking to find work as a carpenter next year but, after two stunning games for Richmond, he’s now football’s version of Roy Hobbs, the kid with talent who virtually disappeared and who has returned to be the wildcard match-winner.

“I’ve heard of Roy Hobbs,” Townsend said. “I don’t know who he is because I don’t watch a lot of movies.”

Hobbs was a baseball fantasy story which became a movie. Townsend’s story is inspiring and real and upon us at the MCG.

Unbelievably, it is Townsend’s third game of the season.

The promising junior from Leeton in NSW was preselected by the GWS Giants in 2011. He played eight games in 2012, then eight, eight, one, four and now three games in each season since.

So, who are you and where have you been?

“Just been battling away,” he said.

His story is untold because Townsend has wanted it to be untold. Until now.

Townsend has a stutter. He can’t remember when he didn’t stutter. Regardless of his football talents, he never wanted to be superstar footballer because he knew he’d have to do TV interviews and, well, that wouldn’t be happening.

He kicked six goals in Round 22 against Fremantle and he wasn’t approached by the TV boundary rider on the field after the siren.

He kicked five goals in Round 23 against St Kilda and again wasn’t sought after on the ground for an interview.

If he kicks another bag against Geelong on Friday night, there probably won’t be a post-match interview, either. He says he will wave them away.

“That’s my plan anyway,’’ he said. “I’m not sure if that works or not.”

Townsend likes to talk. He’s sharp, he’s interesting and he’s interested. But always there’s the stutter. It stops him, he says, from joining conversations because he knows he’s going to stutter before he speaks. So, he shuts up.

The internal torment rages. “I know what to say and how to say it, but can’t say it,” he said.

The condition affected his confidence as child.

“Definitely. I didn’t talk much, didn’t want to talk much. Even now, talking to mates, I know when I’m going to stutter before I even do it, so I won’t say what I’m going to say.

“If we’re having a conversation about something and I know some facts to add to the conversation, and if I know I’m going to stutter, I won’t say it and I won’t try to say it. There’s the frustration.

“I could talk to you now and I could do it once or twice, but if I see you tomorrow it might be 10 times worse.

“Sometimes when I’m comfortable and calm, it doesn’t really come as much, but when I’m anxious or put on the spot a bit more, it does.

“I’m good right now, but if you put a camera there (pointing across the table), even if it’s not live, but I know the camera’s there, I’d go to poo.’’

Townsend was a normal kid from Leeton, near Wagga Wagga. He had mates galore, two older sisters in Emily and Sarah, and played as much sport as he could. But there was the speech problem.

He says he was never bullied at school or on the football field as a junior or as an AFL player; “I don’t really talk that much on the ground’’.

“I wish I didn’t have one, but you have to face it,’’ he said. “I know people don’t judge me, well, I don’t think they do — I haven’t been bullied or teased growing up.

“Going through school everyone says what they want to do. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew I couldn’t do anything where I’d have to talk in, you know, I can’t do anything where I have to talk a fair bit because I wouldn’t be able to do it.

“I am self conscious about it ... internally, I wish I don’t do it.’’

Mum Denise and dad Peter took him to speech pathologist in Leeton when was a young boy. “I remember half going to him, but I can’t remember what I did there,” he said.

In Year 7, he started online therapy with a specialist, which lasted until Year 10.

His parents, who separated when Townsend was in Year 2, he said, were constant support, even sitting in on the online therapy sessions. He’d also have one-on-one sessions.

“For some reason I was worse with Dad talking,” he said. “He was never harsh with me, but for some reason it was worse. I always remember him telling me to be calm and to settle down.”

The therapy stopped when he was about 16.

“You can’t beat it, you can’t completely cure it. I know there’s things I could do but I just don’t choose to do them,” he said.

“I don’t know why, it’s weird. If ... I ... talk ... real ... slow ... like ... this ... and I think about what I’m going to say, I could talk like this for hours, but I feel like I’m talking slow and it sounds weird.’’

Townsend was challenged when he made rep teams as an under-15, then at the nationals in the under-16s, for the GWS TAC Cup team in 2010 and then at the AIS Academy when 17. That season he moved to Sydney as a zone selection by the Giants.

Being out of his comfort zone in the Riverina meant meeting new teammates and officials.

“I was sort of scared, not scared, but embarrassed by it at the start of rep footy,” he said.

In his AIS year, in 2011, he thrived as a rugged inside midfielder and when he got to the Giants, coach Kevin Sheedy loved him.

“He’s the toughest kid I coached at the Giants,” Sheedy said.

In the AIS program, which included a trip to Italy, Turkey and London, Townsend had to introduce himself to his peers.

“I remember that speech,” he said. “I remember I had to get up and talk about myself at the start. It was daunting like it always is. The first 10 seconds is not easy, but I get calmer, I don’t know how it works, but I work myself up pretty badly if I know I have to stand up in front of a group.’’

He played 11 games under Sheedy in his first season and just two reserves game because every time he recovered from injury, Sheedy picked him.

His issues though spread wide. He wasn’t an elite runner in speed or endurance, nor did he rack up huge numbers as a midfielder and he was injury prone. His lack of professionalism didn’t aid him, either.

So much so, at the start of his third season, he was given an alcohol ban by football manager Gubby Allan.

From Round 1 to the bye round he was off the beer. A week before the bye was Josh Bruce’s birthday and, after he texted Gubby, he was allowed to break the curfew by a week.

“That’s when I started to take it more professional and knew I wasn’t just going to get games.’’

He didn’t. He played eight games in 2014, one game in 2015, and was at Richmond in 2016.

His career continued to stagnate at the Tigers.

In 2016 he played four games, his last in Round 14 against Brisbane.

Playing as a midfielder in the VFL, the 187cm Townsend was asked to play ruck/key forward when Ben Griffiths was a late out. “I didn’t get anywhere near the ball,” he said.

His 2017 season had him playing mid-forward in the VFL until Josh Caddy ripped a hamstring against Geelong in Round 21.

Then arrived the lightning bolt.

Coach Damian Hardwick called him on the Thursday before the Dockers game while he was shopping at Highpoint and told him he was playing.

His role was to be accountable for Michael Johnson, compete in the air, hit it hard on the ground and anything else would be a bonus.

Mostly always the last man picked and first player booted, he was unsure if he’d get a second game. He did.

The next week it was St Kilda’s Jake Carlisle and the instruction was the same — the 11 goals was the bonus.

Unbelievably, three weeks ago, the 24-year-old was a world away from the MCG and 95,000 fans.

He’d wondered if he was good enough, or if he would get another contract and, in fact, had started planning where he’d clock up the hours next year - he needs 800 - to become a qualified carpenter.

“It was frustrating throughout the year,’’ he said. “But I focused on playing my best footy and being the first cab off the rank if someone goes down. I had to be the first one picked.’’

He was, although he wasn’t anticipating being the second key-forward target alongside Jack Riewoldt.

It’s not known if he’ll be employed to do another pest role, because after kicking 11.1 in those two games, he might be the hunted and not the hunter. Riewoldt will likely get Tom Lonergan, Harry Taylor likely will go forward to Alex Rance, leaving Lachie Henderson for Townsend.

“Two weeks ago, I didn’t think I would be doing this,” he said.

“It is a lightning bolt, but I don’t feel any different. I don’t like or want too much attention. No one knew who I was and I was pretty pleased with that.”

They know him now and another haul of five goals will have all the footy world talking about him. All except one.

The man himself knows actions are more powerful than words.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/jacob-townsend-has-been-battling-away-under-the-radar-and-thats-the-way-he-likes-it/news-story/a6c2fb9dd2740bcb5d1bf04da1f30912

Online The Machine

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #339 on: September 09, 2017, 08:00:48 AM »
Didn't get a heap but 2 goals were important and the way he kept Hendo out of the game was magnificent  :thumbsup

Offline 🏅Dooks

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #340 on: September 09, 2017, 09:30:32 AM »
Didn't get a heap but 2 goals were important and the way he kept Hendo out of the game was magnificent  :thumbsup

The latter was as important as the former. Should play next final especially if it's against GWS. Point to prove!
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Offline Slipper

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #341 on: September 09, 2017, 09:40:45 AM »
Heard a stat last night that he has kicked 12 goals in his last 21 (might have been 23) kicks in the AFL.

Crazy stuff man. Keep it up.

Online The Machine

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #342 on: September 09, 2017, 10:21:22 AM »
Heard a stat last night that he has kicked 12 goals in his last 21 (might have been 23) kicks in the AFL.

Crazy stuff man. Keep it up.


I think its 13 goals :whistle

Online Hard Roar Tiger

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #343 on: September 09, 2017, 10:45:23 AM »
Didn't get a heap but 2 goals were important and the way he kept Hendo out of the game was magnificent  :thumbsup

Lachie Henderson had to change nappies at half time. Played scared.
“I find it nearly impossible to make those judgments, but he is certainly up there with the really important ones, he is certainly up there with the Francis Bourkes and the Royce Harts and the Kevin Bartlett and the Kevin Sheedys, there is no doubt about that,” Balme said.

Offline Slipper

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Re: Jacob Townsend [merged]
« Reply #344 on: September 09, 2017, 10:46:50 AM »
Heard a stat last night that he has kicked 12 goals in his last 21 (might have been 23) kicks in the AFL.

Crazy stuff man. Keep it up.


I think its 13 goals :whistle

Even better