Jansen called up early
Geelong's new draftee, Jarrad Jansen, makes his first appearance in the blue and white hoops on Friday night.
Young Cat, Jarrad Jansen, from Western Australia was called upon earlier than expected on Friday night after the skipper, Joel Selwood, was withdrawn from the game.
Despite never playing a competitive AFL game ever before, Jansen felt completely at home on the field amongst his new teammates.
“Yeah it was really good to get out there and have a run out on the field. I was caught out in transition a couple of times but other than that I felt really comfortable with all the boys around me,” Jansen told Cats TV.
Jansen, who was Geelong’s 36 pick in the 2013 draft, admitted the game flew at a thunderous pace and I few times this caught him unawares.
“The skill level and just the pace of the game, as I said the transitions got me a couple of times, but that’s something I’ve got to get use to when I improve my running base.”
Since arriving at the club the18-year-old midfielder, who is already built like a professional athlete, has been busy shadowing three big names, including James Kelly, Joel Selwood and Stevie Johnson.
“I’ve been training with them for three months so I’ve been learning everything I can off them. It’s just been a great experience and it’s great to be one of their teammates.”
This week Jansen will assess his performance with the coaches before gearing himself up for the upcoming season.
“I’ll review the game with the coaches and see where I am. I’ve got so much more development with my game to do and I’m just looking forward to the season.”
Catch the full interview with Jarrad Jansen on Cats TV, just click on the video above.