Labrador ruckman Jake Goldsmith is the round 7 QAFL Syd Guildford nominee.
Goldsmith was instrumental in the middle for Labrador in their win over Sandgate on Saturday.
He gave the Tigers’ midfield first use, won a stack of the footy around the ground, and kicked three goals, becoming much more than just a tap ruckman.
“It was alright I guess. I got a fair bit of the footy. Playing a different role, in the ruck this year, means I’ve been finding a bit more of it, as I did on the weekend,” Goldsmith said.
“There was still a few times I turned the ball over; definitely a bit to work on.”
In a game where the tight tussle in the midfield battled wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard, it was Goldsmith who got the ball moving forward.
“They had a pretty decent ruckman. It was pretty tough for us at the centre bounces. We went pretty defensive against their number one ruckman, it was tight and contested in there,” he said.
After an unlucky start to the season, where he couldn’t keep himself on the park for a full game, Goldsmith is ticking off consecutive games.
“Round 1 I got knocked out about a minute after half-time, played well in round 2, and in round 3 against Morningside I rolled my ankle about two minutes into the game. I’ve been able to string a few games together now, so I’m going pretty well I think,” he said.
The 24-year-old spent four years at Labrador growing up, and had a stint at Southport, before a moving to Victoria to play.
But he always had a return to the Tigers in his plans.
“I still had ties with the club; my boss is Danny Newman, the Chairman of the our club and who the best and fairest award is named after. Obviously there was always a job to come back to, and he was keen to get me back to play footy as well,” he said.
“All my family is still up here too.”
While a few of the faces had changed, it was still home.
“The first session was great. Obviously I played at Labrador for four years previously, so coming back was something I always planned on doing. There are a lot of new guys, but still those senior guys that have always been there. Settling in was a not a problem at all,” Goldsmith said.
Whilst he towers over most of his teammates, shouldering the ruck load is a new role for him.
“We are probably short a ruckman to be honest. Andy Hollis is our number one ruckman but has been battling a hamstring injury. Perry was a bit hesitant to start with; he probably thought I didn’t want to do it,” he said.
“He came and asked me, and I said I’m more than happy to do it. Having Josh Baxter and Bryce Retzlaff down there really opens the door for me to get up the ground and play in the ruck, having two blokes of their caliber down there.”
He hopes that the win on the weekend will really turn their season around,
“I definitely hope so. We are still improving the things we addressed. We had a few meetings with the coaches, and the leadership group about what we can improve on. One of them was training, which was have lifted,” Goldsmith said.
“Going down to the Magpies by a point in the last minute wasn’t ideal, but other than that little slip up, things are on track for having a good year.”
Above all else, he is loving his footy.
“I am just enjoying being home; I’m enjoying the blokes I get to play with and train with. I would love to play in a flag at home for Labrador,” he said.
Labrador host Broadbeach at Cooke-Murphy Oval from 2:00pm.
By Andrew Wiles
Follow @andrewjwiles
