WEBVTT - Jaidyn Stephenson - Free from the AFL at 25 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:08.240 I didn't feel like as I was doing it, I 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:11.280 was being sneaky and deceitful. So I of just did 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:12.760 it and didn't really think a whole lot of it, 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:16.640 And it wasn't until weeks later I've stuffed up here. 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:18.599 I'm John Ralph and I'm Glenn MacFarlane. 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:21.880 Welcome to Sacked, a podcast that explores what really happens 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:24.440 when the ax falls in the AFL world. Will take 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:26.160 you behind the scenes with some of the biggest names 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:28.600 in football and find out how they found out their 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:29.880 time was up and who. 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:30.360 Pulled the trigger. 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.040 Thirty eight goals, a Grand Final appearance and the rising 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:36.960 star in Jaden Stephenson's debou year would have had Pies 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:40.600 fans salivating at the prospect of a generational talent, but 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:43.720 just two years later, punctuated by a gambling scandal, he 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:46.360 was out at the Pies and after four middling years 0:00:46.360 --> 0:00:48.600 at the Ruse, he turned his back on the AFL 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:50.160 all together at twenty five. 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:51.920 So how did it all go wrong? 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:54.400 Jaden Stevenson, Welcome to the podcast. Mate. 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:57.960 One hundred and twenty two games, seven seasons, a rising star, 0:00:58.400 --> 0:00:59.080 two clubs. 0:00:59.280 --> 0:01:00.760 When you put your head on the pillar at night. 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:03.160 Do you think of the soaring highs of the MCG 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:06.240 or the fact that your career finished a little bit 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:08.240 quicker than you probably had originally planned. 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:11.920 Yeah, I think it's a good, good mix of both. Yeah, obviously, yea. 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:12.440 It came in. 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:16.160 It was very fortunate to play early and at Collingwood 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:18.920 been the biggest, biggest club in the AFL, and it 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:20.959 was sort of a will win that whole first year. 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:23.760 And then obviously was able to see probably more the 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:27.680 lows of AFL after that, obviously getting traded going to 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.880 a different club where we weren't winning, there wasn't success, 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:34.440 and I was able to see both sides of it, 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:36.039 which you know, like you said, it might have been 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:37.520 a little bit shorter than we hoped, but I got 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:38.920 to see all of it. 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:42.440 I think, what's life like away from AFL football? Like 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:44.040 everyone says, you know, why wouldn't you want to be 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:46.200 an ANFL star? But how much you're enjoying just the 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:48.720 little things, the decisions you can make, the freedom that 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:51.160 you have, the lack of pressure, I'd imagine, and you know, 0:01:51.200 --> 0:01:52.800 from that day to day existence. 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:54.880 Hit the nail on the head just that you know, 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.080 when you're in the AFL system. You're a role model 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:00.320 for younger people. You're in the public eye, you're to 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:03.760 sort of support the club, so you're always looking at 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:04.600 what am I doing? 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:05.320 Is that the right thing? 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:07.560 Am I giving the right image of how I want 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:09.600 to be portrayed, how the club wants to be portrayed. 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:11.920 And the fact now that you can just sort of 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:15.320 I can do and not have to think and yeah, 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:18.200 really just live life freely. It's certainly enjoyable. 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:20.720 That feels like that's almost metally training, you know, all 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.840 that stuff, those micro decisions every single single moment, rather 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:24.680 than living your life. 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:28.919 Yeah, I wouldn't necessarily say training. It was an incredible 0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:31.160 experience and I love being a part of it. But 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:33.760 when you do step outside of it, like I was 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.240 talking to Glen before, you come straight in from high school, 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:39.160 you finish finish high school straight into an AFL, and 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:41.519 it's just in your face now being able to sit 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.080 back and have a look, it's certainly less stressful, a 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:44.840 lot less pressure. 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:45.400 Yeah. 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:47.640 That word free, is that what you feel like you 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:48.520 are now? Free? 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:49.120 Yeah? 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:51.360 Certainly, I think it's one word, one way you can 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:51.640 put it. 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:55.480 Yeah, Yeah, just take us back to the start when 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.040 you were the gun young kid pretty much. I think 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:00.840 you played in four premierships as a junior. You were 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:03.120 starting a couple of bags of ten as well. Tell 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:06.560 us about junior days for you. Yeah, junior days was 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:11.880 were awesome. Everything just seemed to happen. Happened well. Started 0:03:11.880 --> 0:03:13.680 off at Upway to Como. I went to Finsray Galley, 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:15.720 like you touched on. Was able to win some flags, 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:18.160 only one three of them. Actually, I've given you one 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:19.880 the fourth one, I still give you twenty eight. 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:21.960 Start with the fourth one. 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:22.480 No, there's no sob. 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:22.720 Sorry. 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:24.000 I was playing Eastern Rangers. 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:25.920 I've played the whole year there and didn't qualify for 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:28.480 my local team, but they won by seventy points. 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:29.120 You can claim that. 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:32.120 But I think just going up in that environment we 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:34.720 had we had such an amazing team. Yeah, you know, 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:37.200 not the most talented, that's for sure, but every single 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.440 person had each other's back, and you know, there's little 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:42.120 clicks within teams everywhere, but we all got along so 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:44.120 well and it was a big part of our success. 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:45.440 We wanted to play for each other. 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:48.600 And we didn't didn't care about who was the one 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:51.320 kicking the goals, who was the one having thirty forty touches. 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:53.800 As long as we're winning, we were happy. 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:57.200 It's got of innocent times almost, Yeah, exactly, there's nothing 0:03:57.200 --> 0:03:59.040 better Like you go to school, you work hard during 0:03:59.040 --> 0:04:01.720 the week. So your Tuesday Thursday nights training that was 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:03.800 probably the best two nights of the week. And then 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:06.480 you're obviously looking forward to Sunday, which was game time. 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:08.560 We want did you get on the AFL draft radar? 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:10.920 And Kevin Sheen at one stage thought like, this play's 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:12.680 going to go at number one and obviously you're pretty. 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:12.920 Close to that. 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:16.520 When did it turn into Okay, this is a business 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:18.640 for me and I can set myself up with an 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:19.680 AFL career. 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:21.920 Like I touched on. So I just went with the 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:22.520 flow to start with. 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:24.960 Played in the under twelve state team, which you know, as 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:26.880 a twelve year old grade six, I think you're a 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:27.320 big dog. 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:29.640 I had a lot of confidence. So something like that 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:30.520 was an amazing experience. 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:32.520 And there's been, you know, a lot of players in 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:35.000 that side that have gone on to have good careers. 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:40.360 But under sixteens played the Eastern Rangers Under sixteen underage 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:42.720 tournament thing and was very fortunate to get a game 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.120 in the Under eighteens as a sixteen year old and 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:47.640 ended up playing the four finals there as well. In 0:04:47.640 --> 0:04:50.120 a Grand final on Eddie had which was first real 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:52.679 exposure to playing on an AFL based ground. 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:55.120 We saw James Stevens move from playing as a half 0:04:55.120 --> 0:04:57.200 forward into the midfield. It was something that took a 0:04:57.200 --> 0:04:59.280 little bit of time, but the progression finally got there 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:01.840 in the second half of the season where he was outstanding. 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:04.880 He's quick, he takes marks above your seat, he kicks goals, 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:07.680 kicked five goals and had twenty eight possessions from a 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:09.880 wing of Vic Mattrojur in the carnival. So he's an 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:12.640 outstanding prospect. He's the X factor of this year's draft. 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.480 We've been seeing it for three years and he's absolutely quality. 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.279 He's Stevenson again looking for number five. 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:19.560 He's beending that one back. 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:21.960 Probably after that I thought I might be a chance. 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:24.800 You didn't win that game, but you dominated pretty much 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:27.680 that final series. That's probably when you thought I'm right 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:29.360 in the mix year. Yeah, certainly. 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.240 Yeah, we've played against Oakley and I think we're down 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:34.240 by I think the scores might have been even at 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:36.120 three quarter a time. We end up losing by two goals, 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:39.200 but getting opportunity to play on the week before, played 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:42.840 on Jacob Wiedering, who was the clear number one draft 0:05:42.880 --> 0:05:45.000 pick at the time. That was a pretty cool experience, 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:48.760 and Charlie Kurno the week before that, So played against 0:05:48.760 --> 0:05:51.039 these big names as a sixteen year old and the 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:53.520 next year, what I'm there still playing Eastern Rangers and 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:55.920 there here kicking bags of goals or stopping both and 0:05:55.960 --> 0:05:56.760 kicking bags a goal. 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:58.200 So it's a pretty cool experience. 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:02.240 So leading to the half, Samuel Landsberger, late great our colleague, 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:04.880 reported on your heart issue, which was something you had 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:08.000 known about but was a huge drama at the time. 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:10.240 There take us through the lead into that draft and 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:11.799 all of a sudden you know that it's a genetic 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:14.160 condition and you think that it's okay, but you've seen 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:15.800 clubs all of a sudden having doubt about you. 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:18.200 Well, actually they did correlate. 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:19.640 So at the same time they were finding out, I 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:21.839 was finding out It's not something I always knew about. 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:25.880 It was picked up through draft testing. So yeah, it 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:28.560 was a bit of a whirl win for everyone. And yeah, yeah, 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:30.320 especially mum. So like I said, it was genetics, so 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:33.039 mum has it. She's obviously passed it down to my 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:35.560 sister and I. So there's a little bit of a 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:37.719 tough time sort of navigating through all that, starting on 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:40.560 new medication. What effects are these medications is going to 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:44.039 have on aerobic capacity all that sort of stuff. So 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.080 it was a long lead up that month before so 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:49.880 come I think it was November twenty fourth in Sydney. 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:52.240 Once my name was read out, it was nicest to 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:52.880 you know. 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.440 But there were worries from your perspective. The World Club's 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:58.000 not that keen. Were you on a cruise or something 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:00.440 at one stage with your mum and you're like, am 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:01.400 I going to get drafted now? 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:05.159 So we couldn't do schoolies because school he started the 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:07.360 week of the draft, I think, so I wasn't able 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:09.240 to do that with my friends. But a couple of 0:07:09.240 --> 0:07:10.880 mates and I and our partners we went on a 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:13.360 cruise for nine ten days before the draft and it 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:14.840 arrived in Sydney the morning. 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:17.560 Off the draft. It was perfect timing. We're nice little 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:18.239 get away before. 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:21.400 I don't know, I think obviously I've spoken to mum 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:23.480 about it and she was very worried that I wouldn't. 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:24.600 Get drafted because of it. 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:28.760 However, I always had that confidence that I've put in enough, 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:32.680 I've shown enough in the last two years that someone 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:34.480 will surely take a risk on me at pick sixty 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:35.760 or seventy or even in the rookie. 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:37.840 Draft high you were thinking it could push out that high. 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.400 Yeah, well that was like, worst case, I've done enough 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:43.360 to put myself in a position where I should be drafted, 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:46.360 and even if the heart does scale off, surely they 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:48.000 can take a risk with a rookie pick or whatever 0:07:48.040 --> 0:07:49.760 it may be. So I was never really too worried 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:53.360 about not getting drafted. I just sort of was happy 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:54.920 to go anywhere and the improve my worth from there. 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:57.320 So's when did you first get the obviously do the 0:07:57.400 --> 0:08:00.600 draft screening. What was the phone call who told you, look, 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:03.120 you've got this issue and it might jeopardize an aspect 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:03.960 of your career. 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.760 We spoke to. It's actually very good question. 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:08.320 I don't know. 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:11.080 I can't remember a long time ago, the nitty gritty stuff, 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.720 but got sent off to a cardiologist, did lots of tests, 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:16.400 and they always they thought it was a lot worse 0:08:16.520 --> 0:08:19.840 than it was, just because they were general cardiologists, and 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:23.680 then got in touch with the sports psychologist. Sought sports 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:26.680 cardiologist and she was able to, you know, set the 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:29.200 story straight and show that the risk wasn't as bad 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:29.960 as we may have thought. 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:31.920 Can you tell us what exactly what it is? 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.920 It's called long QT syndrome, So it's basically in the 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:37.600 electrics of the heart. And the easiest way to explain 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:40.120 it is, you know, on a graph, out goes up, down, up, 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.240 and then scribbles out for a little bit. Supposed to 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:43.920 go up and come straight back down my and goes 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:46.160 up and takes too long to come down in the 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:47.000 QT interval. 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:48.800 So there's the long QT for you. 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:51.680 And so eventually Colinwood got clearance and then obviously clearance 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.680 from their board going into that draft. Had they suggested 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:57.280 to you, had they given you any reassurances at that stage, 0:08:57.320 --> 0:08:58.760 Like you didn't know you're going to go to Collingwood. 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:00.520 I didn't have any reasure is from them. 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:02.520 I'd spoken to them the most, so I caught up 0:09:02.520 --> 0:09:05.320 with them three or four times, and it was something 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:07.320 that there was a club that I didn't really think 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.400 I was going to go to. I was just sort 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:10.959 of in that like pick six are in a funny 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:13.400 little spot. I thought maybe I'd go higher, or maybe 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:16.200 I'd go well lower. Yeah, So I hadn't really paid 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:17.480 a whole lot of attention to where I thought I 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:19.880 was going to go. But my whole Mum side of 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:22.400 the family have been mad Collingwood the whole life. 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:22.760 My nan. 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.920 Actually, she's snuck it snuck in the Bucks's wedding. So 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:29.520 she's got a photo with Bucks on his wedding days. 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:30.720 A pretty cool story. 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:32.760 Yeah, she had to get in. I don't know. 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:35.760 I don't know the full details, but she's got the photo. Yeah, 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:37.120 I used to have the photo in her lund room. 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:40.760 So and does she like Wedding Crashes is her favorite movie? 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:42.600 He thinks it might have come she would have pass 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:46.000 away unfortunately, but yeah. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:47.920 I'll have to get that photo on that night there, 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:48.800 so they pick you. 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:50.920 I think we did an interview straight afterwards in the 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:52.600 relief in your face which is palpable. 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.280 Yeah, like I said, it had been along probably month 0:09:55.360 --> 0:10:00.800 two months before, of doubts, questions, adjusting to life, you know, 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:04.520 taking this medication and not really having done high intensity 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:07.440 training at AFL level I suppose with the medication, So 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:09.880 it was all a bit of a up in the air, 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:11.880 a little bit of a question mark. So to finally 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:13.480 get my name read out and thought, okay, now I've 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:15.240 just got to go out there and show what I 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:15.520 can do. 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:17.240 It was a great relief. 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.319 How did the medication affect you and how did it 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:21.880 affect you, if at all through your career? 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:23.120 Yeah, it hasn't, hasn't at all. 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:26.760 Early days it was three times a day, and that 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:30.240 was pretty tough to keep up with morning, lunch, dinner, 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:33.640 and I certainly did miss a few, just no on purpose. 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:36.480 It's hard to keep track of. But was able to 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:40.840 get in touch with an American, an American type of 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:44.920 the same medication that is only once a day, So 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:46.840 that's made life a whole lot easier. I don't think 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.160 it's had any real effect on my day to day life, 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:51.120 which is a great result. 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.760 Someone once said Ralphie that walking into Colin was like 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:55.480 walking into Hollywood in a lot of ways. 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:57.440 Was that the way it was? You were a hot 0:10:57.440 --> 0:10:59.960 seat me and are hot seat fan? You grow it up. 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:03.000 You're walking and you meet Eddie straight away, and Bucks 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:05.320 is there and these amazing players that are there. 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:07.239 What was it like joining Commingwood? 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:09.040 Yeah, certainly, I think Eddie was one of the first 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:11.920 people I met on the way in and like you said, 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:13.960 hot seat fans touched back to my name. We used 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:15.679 to sit there I was four or five years old. 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:19.559 Always been a bit of a sponge for education and 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:22.080 learning stuff like the general knowledge I've got in my 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:23.200 head that's just useless is. 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:25.480 Well and truly there. 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:27.439 But we used to Eddie McGuire questions, Nan, can you 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:31.400 give me ediemcguy? So to meet him first up was amazing. 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:33.160 And then you know, you walk in the doors, you 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.439 meet Bucks, I mean Nick Maxwell was there, who was 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:38.480 obviously captain. Then you look up to players, players you've 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:40.520 been looking up to, Scott Penderby, still side Bottom, these 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:43.080 kinds of guys, and there they're shaking their hand, getting 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:43.719 to know your name. 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:46.160 It's amazing. 0:11:46.320 --> 0:11:48.400 Well, how do you describe that to people? 0:11:48.440 --> 0:11:50.719 Like it's just it's a life changing moment and you're 0:11:50.760 --> 0:11:52.920 like almost can't believe it. 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:55.640 Yeah, it's where where your idols become your friends. 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:58.360 Not necessarily day one, but you can tell it's the 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:00.960 start of a relationship, and you know, just being able 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:02.360 to see what these people are like because from the 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:04.080 outside and I don't know if it's like it as 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:06.160 an adult, I haven't experienced it, but as a kid 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:07.600 you look up to him you think, oh, it's amazing 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:08.120 up here on. 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:11.120 A pedestal, and then you get there and it's just just. 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.040 Like the normal bloke from hanging out to a local 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:15.320 footy club or something like that. 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:17.760 Yeah, so you may get in round one in the 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:20.120 number thirty five jumper, what's that summer like? 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:21.920 Because as it turns out, it's a pretty special year. 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:27.679 You know, obviously impressed in those pre season contests and 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:29.160 you know, all of a sudden you're slot straight in 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:29.600 round one. 0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:33.320 It looks comfortable already at the level Jadan Stevenson, high 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:33.760 and long. 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:36.480 Yeah, it's funny when you come he as an eighteen 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:38.680 year old. You've got all this confidence and no real 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:41.880 cares not the word, but you've got no pressure on 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:43.960 you at all, really, no Scar tishue, no Scar tish 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:46.439 ee Exactly. You come in and they don't really try 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:48.200 and change you straight away. They just they just go 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:49.240 right show us what you've got. 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:50.840 So I was able to just do that. 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:53.320 And I think as AFL goes on, the more it 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:55.719 becomes about structure and this, and I think maybe young 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:58.559 kids can can lose their confidence and their spark a 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:02.320 little bit depending on how the team going, So that's 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:05.400 one thing to navigate. But yeah, like I said, came 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:08.240 in just played on confidence, and as the weeks went 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:11.000 through Round one, round two, round three, like didn't matter 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:12.520 whether we won or lost. I knew they were never 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:14.840 looking at me and going Jesus the fourth game it's 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:15.640 his fault that we lost. 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.240 So it's a pretty easy easy way. 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:20.800 To live because after your SAE, I think you said 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.199 somewhere after three games you thought you might have got dropped. 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:23.880 You weren't sure. 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:26.400 Then you come out, you go to Adelaide, you kick 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:28.959 five goals. It's a life changing moment really in a 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:30.040 sense from you, isn't it. 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:30.560 Yeah? 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:33.000 Yeah, I think that round three was against Carlton. I 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:35.640 think I had six touches and didn't do much else. 0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:37.640 And you know, I'd come in as a four that's 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.360 always kicked goals throughout my junior life, and I hadn't 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:41.640 kicked one of the first three games. 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:43.280 I thought, geez, maybe it is a little bit harder 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:44.480 than I first thought. 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:49.040 But from yeah, from conversations had with people after that, 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:52.480 I think most of the coaches and that wanted to 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.679 give me a rest or drop me that week. But Bucks, 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:57.679 from what I've heard, was the one that said that 0:13:57.720 --> 0:13:58.559 will give him one more game. 0:13:58.600 --> 0:13:59.440 I reckon he can do it. 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:03.280 And yeah, lucky for that because Adelaide was probably the 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:04.480 breakout game that I needed. 0:14:04.800 --> 0:14:08.240 Stevenson gets another kick and he steps a great goal. 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:14.640 The kids kick five breakout performance from Jade and Stevenson in. 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:15.440 His fourth game. 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:18.880 Did your life change after that? Like you, it became 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:22.440 so big. You know you, you know your rising star 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:25.040 nominee that week, you kick five goals, you help and 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:26.160 win an amazing game. 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:27.480 Yeah, certainly it was. 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:29.440 I think Adelaide played in the Granny the year before 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:33.080 and we'd finished thirteenth, so that's why they had picked six. 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:35.600 Finished thirteth the year before, hadn't played finals for three 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:38.240 or four years, so to get that win over there 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:42.000 against a hot favorite of the league that year certainly 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:44.280 just built built the confidence in the whole team and 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:46.880 sort of set our year up, both personally and as 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:49.000 a team. So from there on out, we as a 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.280 team knew that we can compete and we are as 0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:53.720 good as anyone on our day And for me personally, 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:55.440 I sort of that was that moment where I thought, 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:58.160 I do belong here and I can make a living 0:14:58.160 --> 0:14:58.400 of this. 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:01.080 What's a lot playing Anzac Day in front of ninety 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:02.680 one thousand in your fifth game? 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:04.280 Yeah, unbelievable. 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:08.520 I've always been a massive supporter of Anzac Day, have 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:10.600 gotten up since I was since I remember. 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:13.479 I've always gone to the Dawn Service and really loved. 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:17.200 The patriotic side of it, and always obviously been interested 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.600 in the game itself. But to go out there and 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.320 play it was like nothing else. People have spoken about 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:23.840 the Grand Final saying how good was it playing in 0:15:23.880 --> 0:15:26.120 Grand Final? I said, yeah, that was great, But playing 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:27.040 on Anzac. 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:29.680 Day that as much because of the occasion. 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.560 Not only the occasion, but that probably just the atmosphere too. 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:34.880 Like you think at a Grand Final you've got you know, 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:37.120 maybe thirty thousand of each supporters and then forty thousand 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:38.720