‘You’ve just got to move on pretty quickly’: Tiger reflects on flag near missDaniel Cherny
The Age
March 19, 2021 Richmond forward Jake Aarts says he moved on quickly from the initial disappointment of missing the Tigers’ 2020 premiership despite being a mainstay of the team for much of the season.
Having made his AFL debut at 25 after years toiling at local level and then in the VFL, Aarts played 14 straight games last year but was dropped after the qualifying final loss to Brisbane, meaning he was on the outer when the Tigers went back-to-back by beating Geelong at the Gabba.
Aarts kicked two goals in Richmond’s 25-point win over Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night. It was his second AFL game at the venue but the first time his family and friends had been able to see him play at the top level in person.
“When we played last time there was no one there, then obviously in the hub I couldn’t get any family and friends there. When I found out I was playing we got some tickets together and got some family and good mates there,” a hoarse Aarts said.
“It didn’t feel like 50,000, it felt like a lot more.″
While he said missing last year’s decider was a bit of a motivating factor, Aarts was largely philosophical about being edged out in October.
“I didn’t play last year in the granny and I was a bit flat about that but you’ve just got to move on pretty quickly. There’s no point in me [stewing] on that, so I just got to work this pre-season, had a good pre-season and set myself up for this year. That’s what I think I’ve done,” Aarts said.
He said coach Damien Hardwick had let him down gently.
“We had a few players coming back from injury. The spots were always going to be tight, it was always going to be tight to play in the team, right from the start of the year, and even still now. He said I’d had a great year, and I was really proud of what I was able to do as well. It wasn’t ‘you’re out of form, this is why we’re dropping you’, it was more a ‘this is what’s happening and it’s unfortunate but just the way we’ve got to go’. I took it pretty well. I’m not one to sit and dwell on things,” Aarts said, noting that he continues to focus on mindfulness and having balance in his life.
“There’s always a little bit of go a bit harder or play a bit harder just because you’ve missed out, but I haven’t done a lot different to what I’ve done the last couple of pre-seasons. I’ve been able to train all pre-season. Last year I was a bit injured.”
Picked up as a rookie less than a month before his 24th birthday, Aarts is a qualified carpenter – still trying to upskill during his playing days – and said he came close to abandoning his AFL dream after being bypassed in so many drafts.
“There was definitely times when I didn’t think it was going to happen,” he said. “I haven’t really sat back and reflected on what I’ve done, I’ve just tried to keep going.”
Honing in on Thursday night, Aarts said the new interchange cap and a return to 20-minute quarters had left him exhausted by the end of the match.
“It was challenging, it was tough. I’m a reasonably fit person but I was absolutely gassed,” he said.
Aarts marvelled at the brilliance of three-time Norm Smith Medallist Dustin Martin, who was best afield again on Thursday night.
“Just when you think he can’t get better, he does something else,” he said.
https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/afl/you-ve-just-got-to-move-on-pretty-quickly-tiger-reflects-on-flag-near-miss-20210318-p57c3z.html
