Jake Waterman

[Applause] Jared SC for's fourth wiim and this is like the scale when you're playing for cl there is nothing bigger and they have risen to the [Applause] occasion oh boy did they certainly rise to the occasion the West Coast Eagles on Friday night they have won a few games over the last few seasons West Coast we we know it's been a tough little period but that was well they had to be up there with one of their absolute best just given the way they performed in the last quarter there a few stages R throughout the game where you thought perhaps SK Coast might slip away wasn't the case and one of the stars of the show one of the stars of the seasons for the West Coast Eagles Jake wman kick four goals and he joins us now on Tuesday drive to discuss the performance Jake thanks for joining us congratulations mate what a night it was on Friday night yeah afternoon fellas yeah it was H it was a SE special night indeed and um yeah it's probably Friday night foot game we haven't had I I don't think we played one this year so under Friday night L to get a win like we did um yeah it was a special one certainly was Jake thanks again for joining us on the program this afternoon it was a it was a big result a big occasion being Friday Night Football and I reckon I reckon that's the loudest especially late in the game that I've heard in Eagles home crowding in quite a little while yeah I reckon it would be as well I think you know I looked up when the the crowd got an out I think that was only 39,000 or something there but it felt like it was at least 50 but I mean you know our fans have have gone through so much over the last few years and um for us to be back in games and um you know being amongst it late in the quarter l in the last quarter it was uh yeah it was it was a fitting ending and um I've only just watched it back uh on the broadcast and every time someone does something good or or keeps a goal everyone's just out of their seats and loving it so um yeah w so thanksful for our fans pretty special performance as I said Jake and as I said those stages throughout that game you thought maybe the goal Co were going to slip away did you always have a sense that no we're on tonight this there's no way at any stage this game's going to get Out Of Reach we're going to go into this last quarter and give it a red hot crack but always got to be a chance um no I always felt pretty confident um in where we sat in the game I think we probably let a few goals slip um at some crucial stages which could have easily been avoided but um yeah I mean they've got some pretty good plays especially um in the middle of the ground and um big wit he's got some got some plays in there he likes been um you know putting it down their throats like R and Anderson you got guys like that out there and um they'll always be a chance but now I felt pretty confident um most of night that we were we were playing some pretty good footy so um I think I coming off a fourth day break or something like that but you know I just feel confident that we had to run in our leagues Jake there seems to be this real Collective buyin at the moment to to playing with this harder Edge we hear Jared scoffield touch on in his postmatch and his press conferences the the contest work and and Dogg us to win 50/50 footy not just at the source but also at either end of the ground it's it's pretty evident it's really lifted hasn't it yeah I think so um it's a bit of a confidence thing as well but um you know when when it's front of mind you know the contest it's the most important part of foood and if you're going to get your one-on ones done more often not you're going to win games of footy and um yeah I felt like there was just so many so many one-on-one contest or or two on tws or whatever throughout the night or maybe even guys when they're fighting one down where we just got it done and some some massive efforts in the back half you know rben jimby was El in the contest hoffy was doing everything he could you know go warmth into the game really well and um I mean our midfielders always stand up in that in that sort of area of the game so they're always pretty good but um yeah there were some big moments throughout the game that's for sure do you reckon that new mindset Jake a slightly adjusted mindset I guess of the the more in yourf face combative approach was that the Catalyst for what we saw sort of particularly later on in that game with the the pressure and ferocity which I guess lifted you to that last quarter performance and got you the win in the end uh yeah I think we just Sni out an opportunity and and sort of saw that you know if the game was going to be won by us and it was sort of up to us to go out there and and you know put it to him and get up in their face and um I think we we saw that that might have been just slipping off a little bit and you know we were lifting to the occasion and the crowd was joining in as well and um I think that last quarter was was pretty much played in our front half so um yeah I mean yeah it was a good it was a good feeling sort of feeling like we were on top of the running on top of the ground and playing good foot in the last quarter and um lucky enough we were able to put a couple nice goals home late and get us over the line he certainly did and Jake being in the rooms post game it had an atmosphere almost of a of a finals win such was the feeling down below and and there were hugs there were players all over skoy pouring power eight all over him they were they were great scenes but for me the takeaway from that in terms of whoever it is that does eventually take over long term despite whichever way it goes you can just tell from the playing group that there's a lot of love for Jared isn't there yeah definitely you know that's what it's all about those sort of moments you know 10 15 minutes after after a win where you're all together um there's a bit of an occasion there with SC getting his first win as a coach his family and friends down there um you know add that to you know we just haven't had as many wins in the last few years it's it's a pretty special feeling and um yeah I mean you would have seen the the love and the and the laugh down in the room afterwards and um yeah I mean that's just that's just why you play 44 and um I think it's good that getting the wins just reminds the boys that you know what's up the grabs really and um you know we've we've lost a few games in the last few years and um when the tide turns and we getting all these wins they're going to they're going to start feeling a hell of a lot sweater hey how about Jack's performance wasn't it good to see him wind back the clock on Friday night I think that's the most disposals he's had in the game in at least five years and I think it's fair to say he's been under M the microscope a bit Jake in recent Seasons so so wasn't a great from a teammate perspective to see him come out produce a performance like he did on Friday night yeah it was um yeah he's he's been heavily scrutinized sort of the last year or so and um yeah I think he's just stripped his game back to sort of base it around defensive pressure and um yeah there's there's no better side out there when you know you you're flying for Mark and the ball hits the ground and you've got a big JD just steaming after the opposition when they get the ball and um when he's up and about and doing the little things like that he's such a presence on the ground and you know I've got no doubt if he if he keeps doing that stuff consistently then he you know the marks and the goals are going to come from that but um yeah for the whole year now he's played such a selfish role to to free me up to free Jack WS up to free Oscar up and um yeah the sort of leadership role he's stepped into um yeah I'm really proud of him and um yeah hopefully he's got a few more JD type games left in him I think just sorry Riley I think that might actually be his great greatest game ever in terms of disposals 22 disposals CH we we speak about the pressure and the marking but yeah to wouldn't wouldn't have seen that coming he was he was absolutely Sensational Ry he certainly was and another player I think we need to I guess give a big pat on the back to from Friday night Jake is is Jack Williams and the media can always be pretty kneejerk in terms of um how they judge players particularly early in their careers but there was a period through that game Jared witz was getting on top of Bailey Williams and scy op to inject Jack around the ball and threw him into the rck Jake and he just competed hard out of his height and weight Division and really played a role in driving the Midfield to get back on top when that momentum did swing back in your favor he looks as though to me now with more footy under his belt he's he's really coming of age in front of our eyes yeah he definitely is um yeah he's he's got the sort of forward Rock role there and it's sort of sort of his spot to to really take and um yeah you did mention his a little bit undersized but he's a he's a heavy heavy boy so you can even tell wi he was sort of struggling to move him around and um I think he's footy smarts in his craft around the ball and also playing up forward will forever hold him in good stad to to be able to play AFL and um yeah he's had a few games he's done a few things especially over the last month where you know you sort of have a look around going yeah I think we I think we've got something in big Jackie here so um yeah I'm really excited to see sort of how we finishes the year and um how he approaches his offseason because um you whack a few more KJS and musle on this boy and um yeah I reckon he could be a pretty a pretty monstrous figure up front for us and he's he's still so young I think he's 21 or 22 so um yeah he's he's uh easing into it really nicely consistency and being able to back up strong performances has been I guess theme of the Season Jake particularly a away but in saying that you've now put a pair of really solid games of footy together and another great I guess winnable opportunity awaits this weekend in tazzy against North Melbourne yeah I mean we want to be consistent and we showed for probably three quarters against the the Dockers what we're capable of and think we showed pretty much a whole game on Friday night what we're capable of so um North I watched their game on Saturday they they played really well against Richmond so um both teams are confident and I'm sort of seeking the same thing I think in terms of consistency in four quarter efforts so um yeah we've got to get over there and start well and um yeah we've got we expect them at their best yeah they did they came over here earlier in the year a game many expected you to win and a few of their young stars on the rise really stood up what did you learn about them on that day or do you feel like you owe them one in in some form Jake uh yeah I I learned that we've got to take our opportunities in front of goal and we get him um I think we we let a few left a few out there early in first quarter and ultimately that's what the difference was in the game but um no they've got some Stars they got some really good young players trist and Sherry's an unreal Ruckman you know Davies sheel and up front they've got some some pretty good players as well so um I'm actually really exited for North as a football club and the young Talent they've got and signed on so um yeah I'm man I actually think they're a really good side and I hold them in high regard so um you know I'm not looking at this game as sort of one that you know we should be winning I'm looking at it as an opportunity to go against a really good young side and we're gonna have to be switched on and playing our best Foy to be able to go with them so um yeah I love to get one over them they got one over us earli in the year so I'm looking forward to the challenge yeah it' be a great game that the rock match Up's going to be intriguing I reckon bayy and Jack will will leave the game on the weekend with a few bruises on their body Tristan's not the most I guess elegant Ruckman at time but doesn't he bash and crash he's a great great play to watch really enjoy it Hey Jake we know your your form's been scintillating this year on the back of that there's been a lot of discussion around your contract and clubs coming for you are you the type of player that finds it easy to block out that outside noise and just focus on what the task at hand is yeah yeah I'm pretty good at that stuff I I did see a bit of stuff being spoken about last week but um yeah it's just so relevant to me mate and um you know I've been pretty uh pretty steadfast and sort of my opinion of where I stand my future plan for West Coast and um all that stuff will play out um in the media and that's just that's where it'll stay for me so um priority is uh playing footy and then probably once the season finishes is sitting down with the club and and trying to figure out how I can tie myself and be a part of the rebuild to to eventually get back and be a part of some success with this great Club Jake we really appreciate you giving us your time on drive just one more before we do let you go has been there's always plenty of talk around a club as high profile as West Coast regarding the list position and the strength of what is also waiting in the wings and developing but from what I've seen in glimpses at Waffle level and speaking to a few of the players who have spent some time with him I get the sense that while one certain read is dominating the headlines and the back pages with what he has been able to do this year there's a there's another read behind the scene to there's a bit of excitement about in young archer yeah um me all you need to do is just stand next to him to realize um what a figure he is I mean he's a smart footballer he he runs really well he's agile he's good at ground level good in the air and I think he's the tallest player on our list so um while someone of that status is um a very promising Prospect you know throughout the AFL there's guys at every club that sort of in that similar mode want to be want to be really patient with Archer and um make sure that when he's ready to play he'll come in and he will he'll keep playing so um yeah I'm I think he's been a close to selection a couple times so still three games to go in the year you never know he might get the nod but um yeah I'm really excited to see how he can go after a pre-season out in the track in the weight room it's scary Prospect Riley about three or four years time that West Coast Eagles for forward line with Jake and Oscar potentially Jack and Archer it's it's exciting and Jake not going to talk about it because you're not one that's going to pump up individual accolades but uh 10 goals off the top in the coma mate we are supporting you behind you hoping for a big last few rounds mate hopefully you can finish it strong good luck against North Melbourne this weekend mate and thanks so much for giving us a bit of time n Chee L thanks for having thanks Jack