JARMAN LIKES DEMONS' SQUAD INCLUDING MCDOUGALL
By Chris Pike
The return of Justin Sprigg and potential one of Andrew McDougall, and last year's star recruits all looking superb has Perth coach Andrew Jarman excited at what 2010 could hold for the Demons.
Jarman has made a concerted effort this off-season not to go on a recruiting splurge like Perth has for majority of the last decade with no finals to show for.
Instead, he has made sure he has helped get some colts players from last year get ready for league football with former AFL players Matthew Ferguson, Matthew Moody, Steven Armstrong, Ross Young and Troy Cook continuing to lead the way.
He also looks likely to welcome back two former players.
Sprigg played 92 games for Perth between 2002-07 and battled knee injuries, but the 27-year-old looks set to resume his role as an attacking, tough defender. McDougall played 55 games with Perth and kicked 54 goals while on West Coast's list where he played 38 AFL games and kicked 48 goals.
He then was traded to the Western Bulldogs where he added five more games before sitting out the last two seasons of football. The 26-year-old key forward and back-up ruckman remained on Jarman's radar and the coach is hopeful and confident that he will decide to play in 2010.
"He has had a bit of a break of football after being with two AFL clubs and he hasn’t played here since 2006, but we've done a bit of work on him to keep in touch and I was confident of getting him. I made sure I hid that in my back pocket, but he's been training now and hopefully he will play," Jarman said.
"Once I identify the buttons in his head and I know which ones to press, then I reckon I'll get him playing some good footy. People like Andrew McDougall see football differently than most of us and that's exciting for me because it makes me work a bit harder and smarter as his coach.
"He's obviously got some wonderful talent and he's still young, but the pleasing thing is now he can just focus on the Perth Football Club. In the past he has had to concentrate on playing AFL and getting dropped, but now he can focus just on playing for us."
Jarman has already fallen in love with the way Sprigg goes about his football and is delighted to have him back.
"Spriggsy reminds me of a very young and dangerous Don Scott. I'm really enjoying my time with Spriggsy. He's more of a silent assassin and I'd hate to meet him in a dark alley, but he hasn’t put a foot wrong and there's no pressure on him," he said.
"He just fits into the mould and he's excited by that. Spriggsy will add some real hardness and fierceness down back, which will be good for the group. Even though he doesn’t say much, his actions will speak very loudly and I'm delighted with him."
Jarman's first year as Perth coach saw the Demons fall just one game of a finals spot, but he still felt there was areas that needed improving and the biggest one was the spine.
Losing Aaron Zucconi won't help that, but he likes the look of it now with Chris Billings can stand up at full-back, Ash Thornton at centre half-back, Ferguson at centre half-forward and McDougall at full-forward.
"I didn’t believe our spine was strong enough. We'll put Ferguson at centre half-forward, Young on the ball, Billings at full-back and Ash Thornton at centre half-back and all of a sudden it looks stronger," he said.
"(Josh) Krueger will be very important, but he's just had some leg surgery and will be out for six weeks. He'll be ready by about Round 8 and if he does play again he will be totally pain free and fit. He could play full-forward and it's time for Kane Ransted to branch out from the forward-line and learn more across half-back or on the ball."
It is always tough for any player to adjust to life after being in the AFL system, and while Ferguson, Moody and Armstrong had solid years in 2009, Jarman feels they are now looking even better now that they have had that year out of the system.
"They are already better and mentally they are in a better place. It's not easy being cut from an AFL list and it takes you 12 months to get over it. Steven Armstrong fought with it mentally for a long period of time and as a coach you have to work with these boys," Jarman said.
"Matthew Ferguson looks great, Matthew Moody has put on about four or five kilos of muscle, Steven Armstrong is in outstanding condition, Ross Young is at another level, Troy Cook looks fantastic and I have a great core group of ex-AFL players who are now becoming very demanding of the group which I have been looking for."
Zucconi, Jarrod Kayler-Thomson and Brendon Jones are the three main departures for the Demons this season, but Jarman feels he can cover them.
"Brendon Jones you can replace tomorrow as far as I'm concerned and Jarrod Kayler-Thomson is a unique individual and footballer, and we are bloody proud of him, but we saw that coming so we budgeted for that," he said.
"Aaron Zucconi at this stage hurts us as a little bit because he was the general down in defence, but I'm going to back in Chris Billings who wears his heart on his sleeve in terms of a Perth player. I will back guys like him in and give them a real opportunity."
