JORDAN CLARK COLUMN
I THOUGHT I knew my Cats teammates pretty well. Then, we all moved in together.
Life in our Perth hub has given me a whole new insight into their habits, good and bad, and taught me about the importance of:
PROFESSIONALISM
SINCE injuring my shoulder last week against Collingwood, I’ve been in the rehab group with Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan.
To see how they go about their injury recovery has been eye-opening.
They are both true professionals.
They don’t take days off, and they don’t cut corners.
They’re always asking how much more work they can do, and seeking extra treatment from our physios.
Everything they do and every choice they make is aimed at getting their bodies right and getting themselves back on the park as soon as possible.
I am still learning how to be the best league footballer and professional athlete I can be, so seeing, up close, the principles these two apply to their rehab has been great for me.
COMPOSURE
I WORKED hard to get my chance back in the senior team last week, and it was bloody frustrating to pop my shoulder.
But I’m trying not to let that frustration show itself or affect my mood, especially when I’m with the boys.
This is where I’m learning from Tom Stewart.
Since he injured his collarbone against Melbourne in Round 4 Stewy has been a picture of composure. Just like he is on the field.
He can be grumpy occasionally, but that’s just him.
The thing I’ve noticed about him since he got injured is that he hasn’t let it change who he is, and he’s stayed positive and focused on getting his recovery right.
Like him, I plan to treat my injury as a chance to learn and make myself a better footballer.
Injuries are part of our profession, so you have to learn how to deal with them without feeling sorry for yourself.
DIET
WE’RE being very well looked after here at Crown in Perth, and the mood among the squad is upbeat.
But there is a trap to hotel life. The food here is great, and we’re eating all our meals at the hotel, so it’s important I’m careful with my diet.
As footballers, we are well educated on the importance of what we eat, and the older, more experienced members of our squad are certainly very careful at meal time.
For me, the challenge is not so much overeating as making sure I make the right choices.
If I'm looking for a snack I need to resist the temptation to smash down some toast and loading up on carbs. The better options for me are berry smoothies, lean yoghurts, almonds and other nuts.
Especially while injured, I need to load up on proteins and supplements to help my muscles repair.
FUN
WHEN we’re not training the mood around our squad has been upbeat, and the lads seem to be enjoying spending ending so much time together.
Wednesday was a day off training, but we still l had plenty of fun with some ome impromptu soccer er matches, and watch- ing the staff complete a 100 x 100m running challenge.
The table tennis table has been a source of much attention, with the grudge matches be- tween Charlie Connstable and Gary Ablett tt a highlight.
They are the top dogs of the table, and had epic ic matches every day before Gazza zza had to go home to his family.
Chook (Constable) is a very handy player, and quite fiery too, whereas it won’t surprise
‘The thing I’ve noticed about him (Stewart) since he got injured is that he hasn’t let it change who he is, and he’s stayed positive and focused on getting his recovery right.’
many people to hear that Gazza is cool, calm and collected. Although he is also highly competitive, so they were always interesting matches to watch. As for games, FIFA 20 is always popular on the P PS4, and Jed Bews is the und undisputed Games Master.
Jed br brought cards, dice and all sorts of board games with him. Werewolf, Codenames and Uno are all getting a regular run.
The other guy who’s always up for some fun is Luke Dahlhaus.
There’s never a dull moment when Dahl is around.
He does get bored easily, like a couple of days ago when he ended up padding around the hotel pool on his surfboard, but he’s such an upbeat guy — fun and easygoing, and so important to our group.