Senior Jarrod Berry (2016-)

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A good article on Jarrod in the Horsham Wimmera Mail Times......if someone is able to put it here please, I'm a dumb bunny when it come to clever stuff like that.

..thought it great that the local paper in Horsham is keeping a eye out for their boys (Close and Berry) and report how they are going.

It always has been a good paper tho, often find out news from our small town through that paper, rather than our own local paper.
 
MacMum said:
A good article on Jarrod in the Horsham Wimmera Mail Times......if someone is able to put it here please, I'm a dumb bunny when it come to clever stuff like that.

..thought it great that the local paper in Horsham is keeping a eye out for their boys (Close and Berry) and report how they are going.

It always has been a good paper tho, often find out news from our small town through that paper, rather than our own local paper.
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Here it is

http://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/4786819/berry-continuing-to-impress-at-brisbane/?cs=226
 

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The family man feeling at home in Brisbane: The Lions have found a keeper in Jarrod Berry
JARROD Berry speaks with a maturity that belies his 19 years.

And it’s not just because he refers to his teammates — many of whom are his contemporaries or seniors — as “kids”.

Instead, Berry’s lexicon is formed by his experiences: the tragic loss of his mother to cancer in 2014, and his subsequent drafting to Brisbane, a club which is almost a full day’s drive from his home town of Horsham.

“I’ve got a great relationship with my dad and two brothers. Probably to the point where they’re three of my best mates,” Berry tells foxfooty.com.au. “With the tragedy of mum passing away, we were pretty young. I was 15 and the boys were 17 and 13 so we were all quite young. It brought all four of us together.”

To Berry, family is clearly everything. And that’s an inherited trait when you consider how his father, Troy, spends most of his weekends.

“Dad has only missed one game that I’ve played this year,” says the 15-gamer, Berry. “I think that shows the love and care he has for us all. “On the weekend he goes and watches Thomas who’s usually playing in Melbourne, then he gets on the next flight to Brisbane to come and watch me and then he gets home at one or two o’clock on a Sunday night and goes to work on Monday. “He’s a pretty awesome man and someone I aspire to be like.”

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Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry. Photo: Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Brisbane has recruited someone with leadership potential written all over him. The trick — as it has been with the Lions of late — will be keeping him long enough to anoint him. Although with Berry’s best mate Hugh McCluggage also at the club, they’re halfway there. McCluggage was taken with the Lions’ first draft pick (No. 3) in 2016, with Berry selected at the next opportunity with pick No. 17. The schoolmates are now housemates in a balmy city that’s a far cry from country Victoria.

“We pretty much do everything together,” Berry says. “We fight like brothers. He’s a brother from another mother. We live pretty much out of each other’s pockets.”

And like all brothers, Berry doesn’t hold back when it comes to assessing McCluggage as a housemate. “He always wakes up and blows his nose and always wakes me up by doing that,” Berry laughs. “Other than that, he’s a very stubborn kid. He’ll just argue a point to argue a point. He gets under my skin. “I’m not the greatest arguer so he always annoys me in that way ... so it usually turns physical. When it turns physical he knows he’s won.”

Berry signed a contact extension to anchor him at the Lions until at least the end of 2019. But McCluggage is yet to pen an extension of his own.

“I’ve been in his ear about that,” Berry says. “Hopefully he’s enjoying it. He’s playing good footy up here and getting plenty of opportunity. “I don’t know why you’d want to live in the cold of Melbourne when it’s 23 degrees and sunny up here.”

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Brisbane Lions Draftees Jarrod Berry, Hugh McCluggage, Cedric Cox and Alex Witherden. Photo: Jono Searle.Source: News Corp Australia
If the weather isn’t enough to encourage McCluggage, Berry says the development of Brisbane’s squad — the youngest on average in the competition — should do the trick. And if that’s not enough, coach Chris Fagan may get him over the line.

“He’s someone you really want to play for because he’s so passionate and you see that in meetings,” Berry says of his coach. “He shows faith in us young kids by playing us and although we may have a bad game here and there, he shows the faith. You want to go out there and get success for him. “He’s huge on relationships and I think the bond between him and every player on the list is strong and that’s important when building a great culture.”

Fagan has tasked Berry — who has played mainly as a midfielder in 2017 — with some of the most formidable jobs this season, going head-to-head with the likes of Geelong skipper Joel Selwood and Richmond star Dustin Martin.

While Berry said he was initially “shocked” to play on his boyhood idols, it gave him great belief in his own ability. “I’ve learned a few little tricks off them,” Berry said. “To get the opportunity to play on the stars is something you can’t really imagine because as a young kid you grow up watching and idolising them.”
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A lot of love for Jarrod.
 

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Lions’ young talent overtakes Suns
BRISBANE legend Simon Black believes the Lions have overtaken the Suns as the Queensland club with the best young talent and brightest future.

However, Black’s favourite is Berry. “For mine Berry has been the standout first-year player for the Lions,’’ he said. “To play as an inside midfielder at that age is a tough ask and to perform as manfully as the kid has is a wonderful effort.’’
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Recovery Report: Skinner to require surgery
Alex Witherden was strong in his return from a hamstring injury, but Jarrod Berry could be an omission, as his foot continues to trouble him. “We’re not over the line with Jarrod. We’re still trying to get him up. But it’s unclear where he’s up to yet.”
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Such a shame for Jarrod to miss this week and be ineligible for a Rising Star Nomination, which IMO, he deserved on numerous occasions for a particular game only to be usurped by another player for their supposed "body of work" up until their nomination. The flaw with that is a guy like Jarrod misses out on a nomination when he had a better season than 75% of the players nominated, particularly when you factor in the role he played for a first season player against seasoned opponents and not be disgraced.
 
Player Reviews
#13. Jarrod Berry

Many considered Jarrod Berry unlucky not to receive a Rising Star nomination in 2017.

The Lions #17 draft pick adapted quickly to Senior level and turned in consistent performances every week.

After one match in the NEAFL to start the year, Berry made his Senior debut in Round 3 against the Saints.

Berry’s best performance of the year came in Round 16 when Chris Fagan gave the young midfielder the tough role of tagging Geelong Cats skipper Joel Selwood. Berry kept Selwood to 24 disposals while picking up 18 touches himself, with the experience no doubt helping his football education.

Over 16 Senior matches, Berry averaged 13.7 disposals, four tackles and two inside 50s per game.

Unfortunately, a minor foot injury brought Berry’s season to an end a few weeks early but he will be right to go for the start of 2018 pre-season.

Senior matches: 16, NEAFL matches: 1
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Jarrod Berry says Luke Hodge's experience is invaluable
Emerging Brisbane Lions midfielder Jarrod Berry says veteran recruit Luke Hodge provides a vital link between the coaches and the playing group as the young team attempts to become a consistent AFL force.

The 33-year-old dual Norm Smith medallist came under fire for his performance against Richmond despite being in good form in the opening three rounds, after the Lions failed to kick a goal in the first half and were eventually beaten by 93 points.

However the 20-year-old Berry, who played just his 20th game on Saturday, said Hodge's presence in the team was invaluable. "You are always hearing a voice from behind you organising and [he is] always speaking up in meetings," Berry told Fairfax Media. "I guess he is that link between the playing group and the coaches and he really makes it clear and simple for everyone coming through."

Berry, recruited with pick 19 in the 2016 national draft, has been playing as an inside midfielder despite his inexperience. He said it was vital to have older players surrounding the younger group as they develop, with Berry striking up a strong relationship with Lions' captain Dayne Beams. "He has taken me under [his] wing. I can't speak more highly of him," Berry said. "He is one of those blokes you can trust with anything [and is a] real family man. I always go to him for advice, we watch tape together and being able to play with each other in the same part of the ground is awesome as well."

Berry, who grew up in Horsham before boarding at Clarendon College in Ballarat, has been part of just three wins in his 20 games with the Lions but he says the bond being formed between teammates will see them get through the tough times.

"That inner circle bond is really tight. It goes from youngest player on the list to the oldest player so there is a really good culture building up here," Berry said. He thinks the "go-home factor" that plagued the Lions in the years before he arrived will become a thing of the past. "We have got such a good crew that we just stick together and stay tight," Berry said.

The Lions, who had the same games experience as Geelong's team in round four, will attempt to bounce back against Gold Coast on Sunday.
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Senior Jarrod Berry (2016-)

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