A Bulldog who left the kennel adjusts to life on the Gold Coast Read more: http://ww

[bornadog]

Emma Quayle
June 25, 2011




JARROD Harbrow didn't feel old, wise or experienced when he moved to the Gold Coast late last year. When his new coaches told him to concentrate simply on shutting his opponents down, before bringing his crazy dash back, he needed them to tell him exactly what to do and reinforce that he was doing things properly.

''I'd only played a year-and-a-half down back before I got here. People talk about coming in with experience, but I still had a lot to learn about being a defender and I'm still learning,'' he said. ''I had to really get some good indications from the coaches about all of it. It took me a while to find my feet.''

His habits are starting to change. As a Western Bulldog, Harbrow liked to see space, take off and get the ball through it. At his second side he's had to settle down, and that hasn't been the only adjustment. Wherever he was on the ground, and whatever was happening in a game, the 22-year-old knew exactly where Dale Morris, Brian Lake, Ryan Hargrave and others were, and what they wanted him to be doing.

Before Gold Coast even started playing games, Harbrow began to understand what his old teammates had done for him. He came into pre-season training after shoulder surgery, but knew as soon as he got started that he wasn't working with the intensity he was used to. ''Most of the young guys hadn't done that sort of training before. I noticed it and I don't think I lowered my standards, but I found myself not training as hard as I used to. It was like a little trap,'' he said. ''As soon as we started playing practice matches I was thinking, normally I'd get to that contest, or normally I'd spoil that, or win that one on one. That's when you start thinking, I can't keep going on like this, I have to change. And then you think, well, these young guys don't know how hard you have to work yet. That's where us older guys probably had to set the standard earlier than we did, then try to push past that.''

That challenge has stretched on to the field. As Harbrow was busy learning how to lock players down, the Suns were losing, and having goal after goal kicked on them. Looking around at Seb Tape, Josh Toy, Jack Hutchins, Steven May and the team's other baby-faced backmen, Harbrow started to understand that the experience he did have was something that could help them. ''When things are going badly, that's when I think those players look around and start saying 'what do we do now?''' said Harbrow, who thinks it's only in the past month that the back-line group has started to know instinctively what everyone down there can do. ''We struggled with that, and I definitely struggled early. For about the first month I wasn't right, I just wasn't used to having different players around me. ''

Harbrow has already confronted his old team once, since he rang Rodney Eade at the end of last season and told him he would not be coming back. ''I had to make the call and just tell him, and it was pretty tough, pretty nerve-wracking,'' he said. ''I just said: this was probably always going to be coming, but I'm going to go to the Gold Coast - and he handled it really well. He said his sources had been telling him this and that, and he wished me the best.'' So did his teammates, and Harbrow didn't feel as nervous playing against them in round three as he thought he might. ''Going on there and seeing the jumpers, that was the strange part, but other than it was mostly exciting, knowing them, being such good friends with them and getting to play against them.''

It made him glad he let his manager look after his contract last year - only filling Harbrow in when absolutely necessary - and that he didn't let his big decision affect either his dedication to his team or the people around him. ''I couldn't talk about it with anyone, talk about what I should do with it, and I didn't want to,'' said Harbrow, who added that he only made his mind up once the season was over. ''I think they all knew why I had to go.''

Harbrow lives in Mermaid Beach, five minutes from the water and a long way from a city. He has started working with an indigenous mentoring program in Queensland's far north, has been able to see his family in Cairns more often, and is making good use of the rest of his time off.

''Melbourne was doing my head in, by the end. I've bought a boat up here and I'm always out fishing, using my down time to relax, whereas I couldn't find too much to do in Melbourne,'' he said.

''I'm pretty relaxed and the footy is coming along bit by bit now. It was the right decision for me to come up here, definitely.''

[bornadog]

Personally it stinks that the AFL has allowed players this young to be drafted to the two new teams especially after we picked him, trained him and gave him the opportunity.

Hopefully Ward will stay.

[Remi Moses]

If Melbourne was "Doing my Head In",just wondering why he didn't ask the club to be traded earlier! Come on Jarryd

[LostDoggy]

If Melbourne was "Doing my Head In",just wondering why he didn't ask the club to be traded earlier! Come on Jarryd

Could never go fishing out in the bay?

[chef]

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[LostDoggy]

It's a shame he had to go, he was awesome to watch in full flight.

[Mofra]

It's a shame he had to go, he was awesome to watch in full flight.

Still can't kick though

[AndrewP6]

What a cop-out to say Melbourne was doing his head in. If so, he could've asked for a trade earlier. But no, he waited till the big money came.

[Ghost Dog]

What a cop-out to say Melbourne was doing his head in. If so, he could've asked for a trade earlier. But no, he waited till the big money came.

Melbourne does my head in. Good on him.

[AndrewP6]

Melbourne does my head in. Good on him.

Fair enough, just very odd that he'd stick it out down here until a huge cheque appeared. Anyhoo, I'll move on, he's moved on, he's loaded...er, he's happy with family now.

[chef]

Melbourne does my head in. Good on him.

Me too but the GC wouldn't be any better.

[ledge]

Me too but the GC wouldn't be any better.

I dont know about that, the sun the beaches, have you seen where Campbell Brown lives?
Now GWS is a different kettle of fish though.

[chef]

I dont know about that, the sun the beaches, have you seen where Campbell Brown lives?
Now GWS is a different kettle of fish though.

Fair enough, I'm not a fan of cities.

[Remi Moses]

Would have been nice for a little appreciation for a club that picked him up of the rookie list!

[LostDoggy]

Whatttt, the article indicates he hates Melbourne, hates cities, but Mermaid Beach is less than a five minute drive away from that pure trash heap known as Sufers Paradise. Quality family lifestyle there...pfft.