Jason Torney...the quiet achiever
jason phelan
afc.com.au
10:45:49 AM Tue 1 July, 2003
No one was more surprised than Jason Torney when the Richmond Football Club told him his services were no longer required just three days after the Tigers’ season finished last year. The dependable half-back had just completed arguably his best season at Punt Road – playing all 22 games and finishing seventh in the best and fairest voting – but had still fallen victim to the club’s salary cap squeeze.
However, Torney didn’t remain in limbo for long. Spying a golden opportunity to add a quality defender to its list, the Crows made an approach and the former South Adelaide player jumped at the chance to return to his home state.
Torney slipped quietly into Adelaide as part of the complicated Wayne Carey deal and was unfazed by the lack of fanfare surrounding his arrival at West Lakes.
“I guess I was in the background at Richmond and just did my job week in, week out,” he says. “I’m happy with that. It’s the way I go about playing my footy. It’s not too spectacular – I just try to do my job.”
“There was a bit of pressure on me, probably more within myself, to perform at a new club. There probably wasn’t a lot of expectation from the media so the pressure was coming from within and I needed to prove myself at another club.”
And while he may not have attracted as much interest as Adelaide’s more-heralded recruits initially, his hard-nosed approach and solid work ethic in the early stages of the season quickly caught the attention of Crows fans.
At the completion of round eight, Torney was ranked in the top ten in disposals and led the club in marks taken with 38.
He has slotted into Adelaide’s system with a minimum of fuss and feels rejuvenated by the Crows’ more offensive style.
“It’s very attacking compared to what I’m used to,” he says. “As a defence we look to defend and then run off and work the ball through the midfield and they’re all very attacking and strong-running players – so it’s fast and quick.”
Torney is impressed with the calibre of Adelaide’s midfield brigade and is grateful for the opportunity to play alongside names like McLeod, Goodwin and Ricciuto.
“When they’re up and flying they are among the best midfielders going around,” he says. “So to be playing in that (midfield) and to be trying to get amongst it is a real challenge.”
“They’re a very structured group and they know exactly where and when they have to be. I think that’s something that a new player really has to work on. I’ve just got to get used to running hard and working through the middle to get a touch.”
“Through the pre-season I’ve done a lot of training to be a midfielder whereas I probably hadn’t done that sort of stuff (before) – the running, the ball-handling – so that’s helped me, definitely.”
Torney now looks to have a promising future as a Crow but his early years as a Tiger were anything but smooth.
Taken by Richmond at pick number 29 in the 1994 draft, the 17 year-old made the move across the border before he’d made a senior appearance for the Panthers. He struggled to establish himself in his new environment and managed just 50 games in his first four years at the club. When he followed that up with only three senior games in 1999 and was without a contract for 2000 his AFL career appeared over.
But the appointment of a new senior coach to replace the sacked Jeff Gieschen signalled a change in fortunes for Torney. A frank discussion with new coach Danny Frawley restored his battered confidence and he grasped his lifeline with both hands – becoming a first-team regular and an integral part of the Tiger’s defensive unit over the ensuing three year period.
And while Richmond’s decision to then discard him was a bitter pill to swallow at the time, the likeable 25 year-old has learnt from the experience and holds no grudges against his old side.
“It came out of left wing, with Richmond coming to me and saying they didn’t have enough money for me on the list,” he says. “At the time I didn’t quite know how to take it. It was a bit of a shock for my confidence that the team could easily push you aside like that. I’ve lost a little bit of innocence now.”
“But I’ve moved past that. I’m a person that actually deals with things pretty quickly. When I first got told I dealt with that and I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing at Richmond. When I got traded to Adelaide I really jumped on that and came to the club positive, ready to go and happy to be there - so I’ve moved far past that. I’m happy to be in the blue, red and yellow (of Adelaide), that’s for sure.”
It’s little wonder Torney is happy with the new direction his football life has taken. Like any professional footballer, he craves success and feels the current Adelaide squad is well-placed to be regular finals participants for years to come.
“I’m happy to be at Adelaide with the club having the potential to make the eight and to play regular finals footy,” he says. “At Richmond we struggled to make the finals throughout my career there. We played in only one finals series so to come here and have expectations to be in the top four or the top eight is definitely a positive for me.”
“The mission statement at Richmond was to be a top-four side but probably that belief wasn’t quite there because they hadn’t achieved that (for so long) whereas at Adelaide the boys really know that we are a top four side and that we can be a power in the competition – so there’s probably that little bit more belief about the side.”
New team mates and a new style of play aren’t the only things that Torney has had to adjust to since crossing to Adelaide. The level of media interest in the two-team town was surprising – even unsettling – at first but, like most things, Torney has taken it in his stride.
“It’s just a huge difference. I think the first thing you notice is the media side of things,” he says. “Every second day on the news there’s footage of the Crows at training and on the other days it’s Port Adelaide. The media coverage is intense whereas in Melbourne you had to share it between nine clubs. You weren’t quite scrutinised as much as you are over here but it’s obviously just something that comes with a two-team town and just shows the interest that people have.”
Torney’s story is a stark reminder that the business of modern AFL football can be a ruthless one. The harsh realities of the salary cap mean that players will sometimes be moved on or discarded completely by clubs. Some players resent this reality but others – like Jason Torney - choose to take another view.
“I’ve got a lot of history with the Richmond Football Club and I’m very proud and happy to have started there,” he says. “Obviously in the end it all didn’t work out the way I would have liked but coming to Adelaide is just a dream come true. It’s all worked out really well for me.”
After speaking to Jason Torney you’re left with the impression there aren’t too many hardships that he couldn’t overcome. However, if his early form at Adelaide is any indication, looking for a new AFL club is one problem he’ll never have to tackle again.
jason phelan
afc.com.au
10:45:49 AM Tue 1 July, 2003
No one was more surprised than Jason Torney when the Richmond Football Club told him his services were no longer required just three days after the Tigers’ season finished last year. The dependable half-back had just completed arguably his best season at Punt Road – playing all 22 games and finishing seventh in the best and fairest voting – but had still fallen victim to the club’s salary cap squeeze.
However, Torney didn’t remain in limbo for long. Spying a golden opportunity to add a quality defender to its list, the Crows made an approach and the former South Adelaide player jumped at the chance to return to his home state.
Torney slipped quietly into Adelaide as part of the complicated Wayne Carey deal and was unfazed by the lack of fanfare surrounding his arrival at West Lakes.
“I guess I was in the background at Richmond and just did my job week in, week out,” he says. “I’m happy with that. It’s the way I go about playing my footy. It’s not too spectacular – I just try to do my job.”
“There was a bit of pressure on me, probably more within myself, to perform at a new club. There probably wasn’t a lot of expectation from the media so the pressure was coming from within and I needed to prove myself at another club.”
And while he may not have attracted as much interest as Adelaide’s more-heralded recruits initially, his hard-nosed approach and solid work ethic in the early stages of the season quickly caught the attention of Crows fans.
At the completion of round eight, Torney was ranked in the top ten in disposals and led the club in marks taken with 38.
He has slotted into Adelaide’s system with a minimum of fuss and feels rejuvenated by the Crows’ more offensive style.
“It’s very attacking compared to what I’m used to,” he says. “As a defence we look to defend and then run off and work the ball through the midfield and they’re all very attacking and strong-running players – so it’s fast and quick.”
Torney is impressed with the calibre of Adelaide’s midfield brigade and is grateful for the opportunity to play alongside names like McLeod, Goodwin and Ricciuto.
“When they’re up and flying they are among the best midfielders going around,” he says. “So to be playing in that (midfield) and to be trying to get amongst it is a real challenge.”
“They’re a very structured group and they know exactly where and when they have to be. I think that’s something that a new player really has to work on. I’ve just got to get used to running hard and working through the middle to get a touch.”
“Through the pre-season I’ve done a lot of training to be a midfielder whereas I probably hadn’t done that sort of stuff (before) – the running, the ball-handling – so that’s helped me, definitely.”
Torney now looks to have a promising future as a Crow but his early years as a Tiger were anything but smooth.
Taken by Richmond at pick number 29 in the 1994 draft, the 17 year-old made the move across the border before he’d made a senior appearance for the Panthers. He struggled to establish himself in his new environment and managed just 50 games in his first four years at the club. When he followed that up with only three senior games in 1999 and was without a contract for 2000 his AFL career appeared over.
But the appointment of a new senior coach to replace the sacked Jeff Gieschen signalled a change in fortunes for Torney. A frank discussion with new coach Danny Frawley restored his battered confidence and he grasped his lifeline with both hands – becoming a first-team regular and an integral part of the Tiger’s defensive unit over the ensuing three year period.
And while Richmond’s decision to then discard him was a bitter pill to swallow at the time, the likeable 25 year-old has learnt from the experience and holds no grudges against his old side.
“It came out of left wing, with Richmond coming to me and saying they didn’t have enough money for me on the list,” he says. “At the time I didn’t quite know how to take it. It was a bit of a shock for my confidence that the team could easily push you aside like that. I’ve lost a little bit of innocence now.”
“But I’ve moved past that. I’m a person that actually deals with things pretty quickly. When I first got told I dealt with that and I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing at Richmond. When I got traded to Adelaide I really jumped on that and came to the club positive, ready to go and happy to be there - so I’ve moved far past that. I’m happy to be in the blue, red and yellow (of Adelaide), that’s for sure.”
It’s little wonder Torney is happy with the new direction his football life has taken. Like any professional footballer, he craves success and feels the current Adelaide squad is well-placed to be regular finals participants for years to come.
“I’m happy to be at Adelaide with the club having the potential to make the eight and to play regular finals footy,” he says. “At Richmond we struggled to make the finals throughout my career there. We played in only one finals series so to come here and have expectations to be in the top four or the top eight is definitely a positive for me.”
“The mission statement at Richmond was to be a top-four side but probably that belief wasn’t quite there because they hadn’t achieved that (for so long) whereas at Adelaide the boys really know that we are a top four side and that we can be a power in the competition – so there’s probably that little bit more belief about the side.”
New team mates and a new style of play aren’t the only things that Torney has had to adjust to since crossing to Adelaide. The level of media interest in the two-team town was surprising – even unsettling – at first but, like most things, Torney has taken it in his stride.
“It’s just a huge difference. I think the first thing you notice is the media side of things,” he says. “Every second day on the news there’s footage of the Crows at training and on the other days it’s Port Adelaide. The media coverage is intense whereas in Melbourne you had to share it between nine clubs. You weren’t quite scrutinised as much as you are over here but it’s obviously just something that comes with a two-team town and just shows the interest that people have.”
Torney’s story is a stark reminder that the business of modern AFL football can be a ruthless one. The harsh realities of the salary cap mean that players will sometimes be moved on or discarded completely by clubs. Some players resent this reality but others – like Jason Torney - choose to take another view.
“I’ve got a lot of history with the Richmond Football Club and I’m very proud and happy to have started there,” he says. “Obviously in the end it all didn’t work out the way I would have liked but coming to Adelaide is just a dream come true. It’s all worked out really well for me.”
After speaking to Jason Torney you’re left with the impression there aren’t too many hardships that he couldn’t overcome. However, if his early form at Adelaide is any indication, looking for a new AFL club is one problem he’ll never have to tackle again.
.
