INSIDE THE JOEYS CAMP
Addy GFL reporter JOSH CONWAY spent a day alongside Joeys coach Heath Jamieson in last week’s tight loss against St Mary’s to gain an insight into one of local footy’s most successful mentors
LIKE a striking piece of art, the beauty of Heath Jamieson’s messaging to his St Joseph’s troops pre-game is the simplicity of it all.
His St Joseph’s side is about to run out against fierce rival St Mary’s. Jamieson speaks for six minutes.
It is no Manchester City and Pep Guardiola team-talk with intricate structures and game style.
“The Joeys Way”, as they call it, is innate and engraved into the players’ minds. One minute before they run out on to Anthony Costa Oval, instructions are simply a reminder of expectations.
“I don’t have to say too much here,” he says, with 22 sets of eyes staring back.
“We know how they don’t like to play. Make it hard for them and when we get the ball, it’s speed of ball movement. It’s got to be quality, don’t just bang it in.”
The players already know their assignments, notably Callum Mitchell and Zac Morison, who will be minding St Mary’s twin towers Sam Dobson and Aiden Grace.
The instructions to the team barely alter from an under-14s game: Jamieson reiterates talk, defenders having an arm on, kicking to advantage, tackling well and showing energy.
“Don’t allow them to get their game going — we dictate the way the game is played and we win,” he says.
Only 15 minutes in, assistant coach David King knows something is not right. He calls for a change of the on-ball match-ups to generate more pressure.
Fellow assistants Shane Jack and Brett Jackman agree, all standing next to Jamieson, who more oversees proceedings.
Joeys fight back, but still trail by eight points at the main break after conceding six opening-term goals.
Jamieson’s first words to the group back in the rooms are concise. “You’ve just got a great f---ing football lesson,” he says. “But don’t forget the way we want to play and the way they don’t like it, and we’ll be all right, I promise you that.” Despite the rev-up, it does not look like Joeys’ day. Dobson and Grace are causing issues, and the premier’s usually fluid ball movement is stagnant. The margin is 29 points at the final change. “Be a bit more daring off half-back,” Jamieson says. With every moment crucial, he asks runner Kris Hinck to get out to Brenton Rees after a skill error. “Don’t tell him what he did, ask him what he thinks he’s done,” he says. Eight minutes tick by and neither side has kicked a goal. Big man Cam Tudor lines up for goal and Jamieson is not confident. “He’ll kick this off his shin,” he says, believing he could see something in Tudor pre-game that made him know he was “off”. He is right.
Soon though, after three goals, the margin is back to one straight kick in the dying stages, and St Joseph’s has all the momentum.
“Are we still rolling here?” Jamieson says with a grin. He knows they are. That man Tudor marks once more and has a shot to level the scores.
“You backing him in?” team manager Ross Hultgren says to the two-time premiership coach. Jamieson knows his players. Soon after he replies in the negative, Tudor misses wide.
It is the final play of the day, and the margin will stay at five points. It is a loss, but Jamieson knows he will face St Mary’s in a qualifying final.
He reminds his players of this and the need to “ramp up” a few things.
“I don’t walk away too worried about what the opposition is going to show us in a few weeks,” he tells them.
St Joseph’s will come again, you know they will. It is simple.