Jacob Townsend [merged]

[one-eyed]

Townsend lets stellar season speak for itself

afl.com.au
17 September 2017

SOMETHING remarkable happened to Jacob Townsend on Monday night.

The shy kid from rugby-obsessed Leeton in New South Wales' Riverina region had only days earlier bravely discussed, in a News Corp article, his ever-present stutter.

It wasn't new for anyone who knows him, because it isn't something he can hide despite no lack of trying. He sometimes chooses listening over engaging in conversations to avoid speaking in front of others.

Then came the VFL's night of nights at the Crown Palladium this week. The J.J. Liston Trophy count was reaching a crescendo, and player-manager and MC Nigel Carmody announced, with a round to go, Townsend could not be beaten.

The 24-year-old Tiger knew what that meant: he would have to get up on stage and speak in front of hundreds of people.

"I was actually pretty calm and collected as soon as I found out I was going to win it, when I couldn't get overtaken," Townsend said.

"I wasn't sure how I spoke or anything, because I wasn't really paying attention to myself, but I was actually calm and maybe me talking about (my speech impediment) … might have helped me a bit when I had to go up there."

Townsend's life is unrecognisable from a month ago, when he was coming to terms with the possibility he might, for the first time in his six-year AFL career, fail to play a senior game. It could have ended there.

But Josh Caddy's hamstring injury in round 21 proved the stroke of fortune Townsend needed, finally giving him the chance he craved so badly.

His response is now part of the Richmond fairytale, with 13 goals in three matches, including two in the 51-point qualifying final thumping of Geelong in front of a 95,000-strong MCG crowd.

"It's obviously been good and (an experience) I'm going to cherish for a lifetime, coming from a small town and now playing in front of 95,000," Townsend said.

"We came out first and that was loud, then when the Cats came out, you couldn't hear their team song, because of all the boos. The Tiger Army, as they call it, is obviously big and a very passionate bunch of fans."

Jacob Townsend with his J.J. Liston Trophy. Picture: AFL Photos

The writing was on the wall for Townsend late last year, with established midfielders Dion Prestia and Caddy arriving at Punt Rd from the Gold Coast and Geelong respectively.

Townsend, purely an inside midfielder then, had already struggled to earn just four AFL games in his first season with Richmond after crossing from Greater Western Sydney. An honest discussion with the Tigers' coaching staff hammered the point home.

"If I was going to be playing a game in the ones, it would be more forward than coming into the middle," he said.

Townsend, never one to duck a challenge, set about thriving in his new role as a de facto key forward at just 187cm, while still spending time in the midfield.

Richmond's VFL and forwards coach Craig McRae and development coach Xavier Clarke, as well as Townsend's "crew" – teammates Anthony Miles, Sam Lloyd and Taylor Hunt – became his greatest assets.

McRae is rapt for Townsend and raves about his marking ability, which was on show late in last week's final when he outmarked the similarly sized Jed Bews on the goal line.

Less hailed but just as valuable as his scoreboard impact was his nullifying jobs on relative giants Michael Johnson, Jake Carlisle and Lachie Henderson.

McRae's sole complaint, with tongue firmly in cheek, was he wouldn't have Townsend at his disposal as the VFL Tigers also strive to win the premiership.

"He's pretty shy; the spotlight doesn't shine on him like others that like it," McRae said.

"He goes about his business really well and he's a hard trainer and uncompromising in his attack on the ball.

"I was going to ask 'Dimma' (Damien Hardwick) if he can play (in the VFL preliminary final) – he wants to play – but I think he's well entrenched in the AFL at the moment, so that's a high priority for him and the team."

Townsend is suddenly a man in demand, and the spotlight is suiting him just fine.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-09-17/townsend-lets-stellar-season-speak-for-itself

[1885]

Sell high...

 

[¾ T!geɹ]

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

That's a figgin awesomely impressive stat. If he keeps this up, Jacks gonna have to move to a pocket  (Sorry Jack still love ya work rate mate  )

[one-eyed]

The first foundation GWS Giant to reach the AFL grand final

Andrew Wu
The Age
29 September

Like every player, Jacob Townsend dreams of winning a premiership. Having done the hard yards with Greater Western Sydney, he could not have been at a better club to achieve that goal, or so you'd think. By the end of 2015, he had read the writing on the wall. He had to leave. Few could have imagined that by leaving the Giants for Richmond he would beat his former teammates to the biggest day of all.

Townsend looks at it differently. He did not leave because he felt the Tigers were better placed for success but because he believed he would be better placed to be part of their success.

"Where I saw myself playing my best footy I had to leave," Townsend told Fairfax Media this week. "I didn't leave on bad terms, I knew the team would be going OK but I didn't see myself in that team because of all the first-round draft picks, there were so many good players."

As an inside midfielder, he was competing for a spot against captain Callan Ward, high-end draft picks Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly. With young bulls Matt Kennedy and Jacob Hopper to come from the academy, opportunities would be scarce. Kevin Sheedy's departure hurt him as well. He had been one of the master coach's favourites.

It was not easy for Townsend to knock back the two-year contract on offer, but he knew leaving was the right thing to do. A foundation Giant, he had been part of a young team that knew their time would come. He remains close to several former teammates. He catches up with Jeremy Cameron, Devon Smith, Ward, Aidan Corr, Sam Reid and Tim Mohr whenever they are in Melbourne. He's also received well wishes from the Giants' coaching staff.

Townsend's ambition to play in a flag was not a consideration in moving. His career was on the line. It still is. He does not have a contract for next year. The grand final could be his last game.

"I was focused on trying to show them my best footy and play as many games as I possibly could," Townsend said. "I knew the Tigers were a big football club, they'd been in three finals series and been done. I knew they had a pretty good list but it didn't come too much into calculations when I was changing club."

Upon arriving at Punt Road, he was confronted with a familiar problem. He could not crack a regular start in Richmond's midfield. After four games last year, he did not get another look in until round 22 despite excelling in the VFL where he won the competition's best and fairest award.

Townsend had asked coach Damien Hardwick for the change in role to give him the best chance to break into the side. With their tall forward stocks down, Townsend, at 187 centimetres, wanted to play as the down the line target whose job was to bring the ball to ground.

"He said that's a short-term fix because I'm not a key forward," Townsend recalled. "Fortunately for me, [Josh] Caddy went down with a hamstring in round 21. I came in round 22 and played that forward role."

He excelled with bags of six and five to seal his place for the finals.

"I'm not one to get a big head, I didn't think it was normal, it's not going to happen every week," Townsend said. "The following week I just kicked two, which I was still pretty happy with. I had a focus to do my best job in the side which was to stop their key backs taking their marks. I was on the end of a few goals which has been good."

Townsend has made a mark on Hardwick as one of the players who has become "the sum of the parts for our side".

"One thing about Jacob Townsend, he will give you a contest every day of the week – he's incredible," Hardwick said. "I've got to take him out of our training drills half the time because I'm worried he'll smash half of our players. It's a great story of perseverance. It probably sums up our side a little bit: the resilient nature of a lot of our players and the stories that come through. He's a great one."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/richmond-tigers/jacob-townsend-the-first-foundation-gws-giant-to-reach-the-afl-grand-final-20170929-gyrgxo.html

[one-eyed]

In other Richmond news, Jacob Townsend’s re-signing remains a case of when and not if.

Source: Foxsports

[Owl]

Good!  Talk about blooming in spring!  What a stuffing legend!

[wayne]

Dead eye!

[Yeahright]

Do we let him rot in the two's next year for most of next year and then bring him in as a surprise packet again?

[Andyy]

Maybe he would mind doing a Brad ottens every year haha

[one-eyed]

Leeton helps Tiger Townsend soak up AFL success

Peter Doherty
Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga)
3 November 2017

A trip home to Leeton is helping Jacob Townsend get to grips with his place in history as part of Richmond’s premiership-winning team.

Townsend said the magnitude of the achievement – for him personally, and for a club hungry for success – is only just beginning to hit home, more than a month after their grand final victory against Adelaide Crows.

“To come back home and see the family and everyone, they're keen to have a chat about it so it’s probably only started to sink in now that I’m a premiership player and, yeah, it’s a good feeling,” Townsend said.

”I walk up the street and there’s always someone that wants to have a chat about the game, and say congratulations. I think the whole town was behind me and the support has been good… so it’s good coming back here.”

Among the celebrations, Townsend has fond memories of the playing group gathering in the middle of an empty MCG to sing the song late on the Saturday night.

He hasn’t got around to watching the game back yet and said the excitement of the occasion has rendered the match itself a bit of a blur.

But his two goals and that tackle will go down in history.

“I can’t remember too much of the game which is weird for me because I normally can remember games,” he said.

“I suppose everyone brings up the tackle on the boundary there on Matt Crouch. And it’s obviously always good kicking goals. I can’t even remember when I kicked them!”

Townsend said the message at quarter-time was to back their game plan, and their trademark pressure. He also overcame the disappointment of kicking into the man on the mark with a shot after the siren.

“I didn’t even know I had the free kick at first,” he said. “And then I wasn’t sure whether to drop punt or barrel. I was a bit far out and it didn’t come off.”

It was the way he responded to that minor setback that mattered, as Richmond upped the pressure, took control and didn’t let up.

It summarised his season too – the Townsend tale of being called up late in the home-and-away season, making the ‘pressure forward’ role his own, and ensuring he couldn’t be dropped.

As well as an AFL premiership, it’s also earned him at least another season at Punt Road.

“I’ll be there for another season, at least,” he said. “I haven’t signed as of yet – we’re talking through it now – but I’ll definitely be there next year.”

Townsend isn’t required back at Richmond until early December. But he said there’s a commitment among the players to make sure 2017 was no flash-in-the-pan.

“You don’t win a premiership too often so I’ve enjoyed myself the last three or four weeks… but we spoke about it within the playing group to enjoy the win but make sure when we come back for the pre-season, we’re in pretty good nick,” he said.

“We don’t want to fall behind and take four or six weeks to find our feet in the season. If you don’t start well, it’s tough to come back from there.”

Townsend said they want to learn from, not repeat, some of the history lessons of others.

“I read an article the other day about (former Hawthorn captain) Luke Hodge and the 2008 premiership – they were pretty young like us and, they didn’t take it for granted but they partied hard and they found out the next year that you can't just turn up and expect to play well or to be there again the following year.”

Townsend has also caught up with some Leeton-Whitton players, where he could trade tales of drought-breaking premierships, after his junior club claimed its first Riverina League flag with victory against Collingullie-Glenfield Park.

“I had a bit of a chat to them and obviously it was a good year for the Crows as well,” Townsend said.


Jacob Townsend with his AFL premiership medal at the home of Leeton-Whitton Crows.

http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/5030596/leeton-helps-tiger-townsend-soak-up-afl-success/?src=rss

[georgies31]

Talk about rubbing salt with that photo lool.

[Owl]

the irony

[mightytiges]

Towners must be made of concrete. Even in a marking contest he leaves opponents crumpled on the ground .

VIDEO: https://twitter.com/AFL/status/971312247938142208

[Slipper]

Towners must be made of concrete. Even in a marking contest he leaves opponents crumpled on the ground .

VIDEO: https://twitter.com/AFL/status/971312247938142208

The Crows should sign him up to show Tex Walker how to hit a pack for a contested mark.

[Willy]

Such a good set shot and competes well in the air.

Love Towner.