Jackson happy to draw the short straw
10 June 2007 Sunday Herald Sun
Ken Piesse
WHEN you chase after a Brownlow medallist all night, it is exhilarating and exhausting.
In the first draw for this season, Daniel Jackson was pivotal in Richmond's late charge to snatch two points against the Brisbane Lions last weekend.
Having to subdue polished midfielder Simon Black was as challenging a role as the 21-year-old Jackson has had.
He broke even in one of the best matches of his career.
"(Coach) Terry (Wallace) said if I could get this done, it would be a great step forward for me," Jackson said.
"But I've never been more exhausted after a match before. He never stopped running."
Before his close-down role on Black, one of the supremos of the competition, Jackson has run with the highly rated Eagle Michael Braun and Adelaide's game-breaker Andrew McLeod.
Today at Subiaco he is likely to have another key role, which may see him against in-form Fremantle midfielder Paul Hasleby.
Rather than being ultra-defensive like some run-with specialists, Jackson is also being encouraged to win his share of the ball and use his exceptional kicking skills.
Even in this age of versatility, few are as proficient on their non-preferred side, a trait Jackson attributes to his soccer background and his long-running 2006 battle with hamstring breakdowns, which forced him to kick almost exclusively on his left side.
"Last year I played five of the first seven games before I suffered the first of three hamstring injuries, which led to surgery at the end of the year," he said.
"This year I am a lot more confident where I'm at. I had a good (uninterrupted) pre-season, which is helping."
While the Tigers are yet to win a match this year, Jackson said once they broke through it could lead to a chain of victories.
"We are such a young group and so very united. We've been working so hard without getting the results," he said.
The injuries to some of the club's most experienced such as Nathan Brown has made it tougher for the team to play consistently.
Jackson said Fremantle also had its problems this year, but remained as talented as almost any team in the competition and shaped as a formidable opponent especially at Subiaco.
"We need to keep doing what we have been doing and keep playing our natural game," he said.
"We've had our chances, but we have tended to go back into our shells. We need to keep taking it up to the opposition.
"This is where having more of the experienced players around would really help."
Originally employed across half-back under his initial coach Danny Frawley, Jackson has played forward line roles of late before being enlisted into the midfield to free up captain Kane Johnson.
Jackson said in retrospect he was probably thrown around too much in his early in his career without being able to truly settle and it hindered his game.
But now he has a genuine role within the team and is thriving on the responsibility.
"This is my fourth year so I'm really trying to make an impression and cement my spot," he said.
"We want to start winning not only for ourselves, but for our supporters. They never stop backing us."
Wallace likes Jackson's commitment and his goalkicking power, and is always encouraging him to make himself an extra target up forward. One early goal against Brisbane from deep on a half-forward flank helped create some early momentum for the Tigers.
"Andrew Krakouer and I have been practising our goalkicking," he said.
"I would have previously been inclined to pass it off, but I thought why not go for it."
Originally a notable soccer player and rower, Jackson would love to be a long-termer at Richmond and be central in the team's rise.
He said the feeling of team unity at Tigerland was immense and up to 25 of the squad would have dinner together every week or so.
He said it was exciting to be playing league football, but realises the team must produce results or the list would change dramatically.
He is level headed enough to start developing his skills outside the game and is studying commerce part-time and planning more travel experience too in the off-season.
"I went to Cambodia last year. It was a fascinating place and the people were so friendly," he said.
"I'd like to go to a place like Vietnam this time around if it was possible. They are different places and that's what I like about them.
"There will be plenty of time later to stay in the big hotels and sit on the (most popular) beaches.
"Places like Africa also have a real fascination for me."
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21876970%255E19742,00.html
