RudeBoy

Liam was happy with his game and that the team won. However, he was shitty about the umpire robbing him of that mark in front of goal in the last quarter, and he was angry at himself for not bringing down that one handed screamer and for hitting the post in the second quarter. He reckons he should have finished with about 6 or 7 goals today, but he was happy overall. He must be close to a senior call up now. I thought Jetta was terrific today, so it would be great to have them both get promoted.

I just think players need to earn their spots. He's played 2 really good games in a row after coming back from injury, so now he has to keep performing and his chance will come.

As far as he's concerned he was ready to play for the Dees the first day he arrived in Melbourne. Fortunately, it aint up to him, so he'll have to wait til the coaches reckon he's due. Nevertheless, the past couple of weeks he has commented on feeling physically fit and strong, so hopefully he'll get a crack some time soon.

His teammates call him LJ, and he seems happy with that. Back home he is called (this is how it sounds anyway) Jookaday, or sometimes just Jooka. Just for the record, I would like Liam to kick the winning goal against the Pies next year.

You've got it in one there Deeoldfart. Jungarrayi (Liam's Warlpiri skin name) is part of our family now, and we are absolutely thrilled with what he has already achieved. It probably sounds like a cliche, but believe me we have gained so much from our relationship with this fine young man and all the mob from Yuendumu. As a fourth generation Collingwood (or is it 'filth') supporter, I never dreamed I'd take out a Demons members ticket and scream out "Go Dees" at the footy, but that's what LJ has done to me and my whole family. This is nothing short of a fu#%in miracle. I appreciate the support he's getting from Dees supporters, but just want to remind you all that in terms of football squad development, coaching and training etc, he's more like a 16 yr old player, rather than a 20 yr old. Whatever he does this year will be a pure bonus, but once he has a full pre-season under his belt and understands his role and the team's game plan etc, I expect him to set the football world alight in 2010. Go LJ and go Dees!

No worries mate. There's lots of smoke and mirrors at footy clubs, so it's not always easy to ascertain the facts, even when you have the ear of those who should know. Anyway, none of the past matters now. The important thing is that there is a great future for Liam with the Dees if he keeps on progressing as he is currently.

He was only flown down for one training session and I took him there. He was early, not late.

I guess it's all semantics mate, but believe me Collingwood lost interest in him because they did not think he would be able to commit to living in Melbourne. That's why he was not even registered for the national draft. Even after he returned home, Collingwood would have ensured he was properly registered if they still wanted him. At the end of the day, with all their money and resources, collingwood found the whole thing too hard to cope with, so they gave up on him. It was only the intervention of a few close friends who persuaded the AFL, with letters faxes and phone calls, to allow Liam's name to go into the PSD, despite him not having been in the national draft. On the friday before the PSD, North flew LJ down for a training session at Arden street. In attendance, at the far end of the ground, were the Richmond recruiters watching and filming his every move. The next day he flew back to the NT and kicked another 5 goals for Nightcliff in Darwin. At that game was the Dees recruiter, Bary Prentergast, plus Gary Buckenara from the Hawks. Come the day of the PSD there were at least 5 clubs circling to pick LJ. The Dees ended the matter by picking him with the first pick. The rest is history. He hasn't made it yet, by a long shot, but boy oh boy he's come along way in a short space of time. He must be getting very close to his first game. Contrary to some other opinions, I predict LJ will play better at AFL rather than VFL level. Only time will tell.

A good analysis. One thing is clear and that is that Collingwood were seemingly worried about his 'inability' to adjust to living in Melbourne. They therefore gave up on this prodigious talent, whereas Melbourne considered his talent too good to over look. I also know for a fact that the only reason Ben Cousins is at the Tigers is because the Dees pounced on Jurrah with the first pick in the PSD. Once Jurrah was taken, the Tigers then picked Cousins. Liam has a long way to go, but so far so good, and i reckon he's ready to rumble on the big stage. one thing you will never have to worry about with Liam, and that's stage fright. I call him 'cool hand Luke' because he never gets fazed by anything. Some might call it arrogance, but when he's on the ground, he feels like the king of his own domain. He could get picked for his first game in a grand final and simply say "OK let's do it". He also does not like watching Melbourne getting beaten, and wants to help them win games. I reckon it's about time to unleash the Warlpiri Warrior.

I'm biased I know, but given Liam Jurrah has kicked 7 goals in 2 weeks as Casey's 3rd forward option, I'm not sure what more is expected of him to push for senior selection. I'd certainly pick him ahead of half a dozen blokes I witnessed playing on monday.

Time to unleash the Warlpiri warrior, Liam Jurrah. What the forward line lacked today was class and speed. LJ has both and is raring to go. I'd also stop using flash off the HB line. He needs to be used in the middle going forward, where he can actually be damaging with is quality disposals.

Watching the game today I couldn't help but think how the forward line was bereft of something special. Time to unleash Liam Jurrah. This might have been Jack Watts day, but I reckon by season's end there will be a lot of talk about the no 1 pick in the PSD. Believe me folks, he's primed.

Hi there, Japaljarri, glad the mob up there finally got a chance to see their favourite son in action. As you say, it can only get better from here. Cheers mate.

Remember Liam has not even had a full pre-season. Wait until next year, after a solid pre-season, with 5 or so more kilos of muscle and more fitness, he'll be anything. When he eventually gets his chance at AFL level, he'll be even better, as the quality of delivery from players like Flash will make his job easier. One thing he's having to learn is how to be the second or third forward option. Today, especially in the second half, it was clear that Brad miller was the prime forward target, with Liam playing a support role. Back home, he has always been the number one forward, so he's got a lot to learn about playing a different role. He's still on a steep learning curve, and will have his good and bad days, but overall I reckon the Dees coaches would be rapt with how fast he has come on. At the start of the season, the talk was that he probably would have to wait until next year to play senior footy. I reckon right now that judgment might need to be reconsidered. Although the Dees got Liam with the first pick in the PSD, it's worth remembering that he was not even registered for the national draft. A recruiter from another club recently told me that Liam would have potentially been a top 20 draft pick, had he come through the traditional u 18 squads. Time will tell, but I reckon the Dees have pulled off one of the greatest steals in AFL history. Then again, I'm a one-eyed LJ fan.

I guess I'm loathe to say much about Liam in a public forum as he's a close friend, but I will say that he's settled in wonderfully at the Dees, and importantly, in terms of living in Melbourne. He had a bit of an injury set back for 2-3 weeks, but is now fighting fit, is putting on weight/muscle and is gaining fitness. Unlike all other draftees, he's never been through traditional development squads, and hasn't even had a full pre-season yet. What you see is raw talent. For that reason, I see the potential improvement in Liam as a footballer as being huge. This kid could be anything. Once he bulks up a bit and learns to play to the Dees game plan, the sky is the limit. The Melbourne football department are to be congratulated for the terrific job they've done, helping him settle in and providing a very supportive environment. Obviously he gets homesick, but he was able to see all his old Yuendumu teammates in the last few days, as they were in Melbourne playing in Sunday's curtain raiser game at the MCG. I guess I'd love him to kick the winning goal against the Pies on Monday, but that would be a fairy tale. Realistically, I'm hoping he gets to play a couple of senior games this year, and uses that experience as a springboard for a year of senior football in 2010. As for the cold weather - right now I'm trying to organise someone to fix his central heating!

I'm obviously biased because of my connection with Liam, but having seen him play football for several years I can honestly say that he plays better, the higher is the standard of the game. With his speed and aerial skills, I reckon he'd find himself on the end of a few passes from Flash. I guess I'm just predicting that he'll prove to be a much better AFL player than a VFL player.

I was talking to a Collingwood defender on the weekend and he said to me that he hoped he never had to play on Liam, as he's never seen anyone who can get up as high as him for a mark. It would certainly be a fairytale come true for Liam to debut against the Pies, but if not, he's settling in well with the Dees and will no doubt get an opportunity soon. He has spent most of this year building up his physique and improving his fitness, and the results are starting to pay dividends. I'm probably more impatient than anyone in wanting to see him play for the Dees, but I guess a little patience is required. His time will come.

Guilty as charged your honour. It was Liam. I was pretty happy with his game, it being his first hit out since arriving at the Dees in early January. Back home he's generally the full forward and is used to everyone looking for him. It will no doubt take him some time to get used to being the 3rd target. The upside to LJ is enormous, but a bit of patience will be required.

He will be making his debut this saturday for Casey. This will be the first time any of his coaches have seen him play a game. Expect something special.

Thanks to you and all the Dees' supporters for welcoming Liam amongst your ranks. BTW, he will make his debut for Casey this saturday afternoon at 2pm out at Casey. This will in fact be the first time any of the Dees' coaching staff have seen him play a game - any game! I'll be the bloke there with the biggest smile on my face.

Now that you mention it....

Boots.

Liam is very thankful for the experience he had last year with Collingwood's VFL squad, but you are right, in that being a VFL player is a totally different experience to being on an AFL list. It would be like him being a non-Melbourne player on Casey's squad list. Nevertheless, I think it has been to Melbourne's benefit that he had that experience last year, not just in terms of football preparation, but more importantly, in coming to terms with living in a big city so far from home, family and friends. The very fact that he chose to put his hand up for the PSD, knowing what life would be like living in Melbourne, is testament to his commitment. As a non-demon person, let me just say that the entire football department at Melbourne have been incredibly supportive and encouraging of Liam, and I reckon it will pay off big time for the Dees. Forget about his stint with the VFL Magpies, he's a Demon to the core now. In fact I often joke with him that I expect him to kick 10 goals against the Pies at his first opportunity...in return he just gives me a knowing smile. As for ska music, it's actually a Jamaican form of rhythm n blues, which pre-dates reggae. It had a resurgence in the UK in the late 70s and 80s with bands like Madness and The Specials. In Australia, my band Strange Tenants (www.strangetenants.com), was the main ska outfit in the country.

Liam expects to play for Casey in round one, but ultimately it's up to the coaching staff to make that call. I guess if it was up to Liam he'd be playing full forward for the Dees in round one! One thing he doesn't lack and that is confidence in his football ability. Let me tell you, having seen him play in Central Australia, his confidence is well founded. Anyway, before I get carried away raving about his prodigious talents, it's simply worth knowing that the coaching staff at Melbourne seem really happy with his training so far, but just want to make sure he's physically prepared before they throw him in to the thick of it. So far, so good. As for my username RudeBoy, back in the 1980s I was a musician in a ska band. Followers of ska were called rudeboys or rudies.

Actually Liam and his partner currently live with my family. The club is now looking for their own place, rather than with a host family. BTW, he's settling in really well at Melbourne, he has bonded with a number of the players - not just the indigenous ones - and is fit and raring to go. The coaching staff, especially Ian Flack, have been terrific. I reckon Dees supporters will get very excited when they finally get the opportunity to see him play.