Grieving Jacobs tells of his pain

CROWS ruckman Sam Jacobs has revealed his pain and devastation at his brother’s shock death and the inspiration behind his herculean qualifying final performance against Greater Western Sydney.

Jacobs said when he received the phone call on Wednesday, August 30, that his older brother Aaron, 31, had died, he was “rocked’’ and returned home to Ardrossan immediately to be with family and friends.

“Pykey [Adelaide coach Don Pyke] was terrific with me and made it very clear that I could take as much time as I wanted to return to the club and I will always be grateful to him for the faith and empathy he showed,” Jacobs said

“Aaron had long battled some physical health issues but nothing that was supposed to result in this tragedy. He was not just my big brother but a great mate who shared my love of football, sport, family and the country lifestyle.

“No one ever prepares you for such a tragedy and the Adelaide Football Club has been through its share in recent years. If Adelaide’s qualifying final against GWS had been that week I’m not sure I would have been in the right frame of mind to play.

“But knowing there was still eight days to go before our meeting with the Giants my mindset was that I was always playing.’’

The popular Crows big man said that, while his brother Aaron’s death floored him, he played against GWS as a tribute to his sibling and out of pride for his family, club and teammates.

“Because that’s what Aaron would have wanted,’’ the courageous Jacobs said.

“He was a Crows fan and he would not have wanted me to miss such an important game for our club.’’

All-Australian nominee Jacobs played a significant role in the six-goal win that propelled the Crows to their first home preliminary final, which will be staged at Adelaide Oval next Friday night, since 2006.

The 29-year-old beat powerhouse opponent Shane Mumford, who had just three disposals, and emotionally left the field in the final minute to a standing ovation.