Collingwood star Jeremy Howe joined the AFL Players’ Association’s Instagram account for a live chat, including a question and answer section with fans. Here’s a breakdown of the best parts of the chat with AFLPA regional manager Bobby Quiney.
What Jeremy got up to in isolation
I’ve been able to train in the mornings. Obviously go for a run in a pair and try to mix up who I train with out of the boys. Meet them at a park somewhere or an oval and get a session in and then we’ve all pretty much got our self-maintained gyms made up at home. We all got to take equipment away from the club. Set them up at home and make do with what we’ve got. Not setting any records… I’m not a big lifter anyway but just something to be able to maintain a little bit of strength and for the rest of the time trying to fill in my day like everyone else. My garden’s looking sharp, the inside of the house has been a bit redirected and then trying to fill in the rest of the day with a few trick shots with the golf club.
The process in getting drafted by Melbourne
When I was 18 I was still playing local footy with all my mates down at Dodges Ferry. When I was 18, I missed out because I broke my leg, so I got cut from the team, which was unfortunate, and I tried again to make it as a 19-year-old but they played me at centre half-back which I’d never played before and I was awful so didn’t get picked up then. I then moved to Hobart in the Tasmanian State League and was fortunate enough to get drafted in the back-end of that year. I probably wasn’t your typical [prospect] who did everything possible to get there so there was a bit of luck that was involved.
His diet and preparation before and after a game on the weekend
For a game, I have the same food 48 hours prior to the game. Two nights out I have grilled fish with brown rice and salad and a few sweet potato chips thrown in there as well. The night before is pretty stock standard – it’s just your spaghetti bolognese. Load and have plenty of carbs. And then have a little cheat meal post game, which we all love. If it’s a Saturday night game, I like to watch the footy the night before – watch the whole thing, stay up relatively late until about 11.30 and then I usually sleep in until about 10am the next morning. I used to nap during the day for a night game, but I don’t anymore because I found that I was a little lethargic going to the game. So when it gets to 10.30 I’ll have brekky, go for a walk, have a feed at about 2.30 and then head into the game two and half hours before the game and slowly start to build from there.
Where his impressive vertical jump comes from
Probably when I was about 15 (I started to realise I could jump). I didn’t really start taking contested marks until I was about 15 or 16. In the under-17s, I kind of started playing in the wing, a little bit in the middle and a kick behind the ball. So you getting plenty of looks at reading the ball and not playing on anyone – so not too dissimilar to what I’m doing at the moment (laughs). I just started to try to put the two together… a bit of timing and a bit of footwork. My brother was a good mark so I must have taken a few tips from him no doubt.
Rating his best ever marks
One that doesn’t get much traction, that should (no I’m joking) is the one I took up in Darwin on Stefan Martin and Alipate Carlile. It was the same year as the Sydney one (over Heath Grundy) so out of the three marks that were in the finals, those two were in it, as well as someone else’s.
That one rivalled the best mark I’ve ever taken and the Queen’s Birthday one in 2017. That’s probably one mark that everyone will remember because it didn’t win so that would be up there in the top three. I still want to know what my invite to the Brownlow was for, because I certainly don’t poll votes, I didn’t poll a vote that year, and then I had to sign posters that day. They (the AFL) came to me asking me to sign these (Mark of the Year) posters so that’s where the confidence (that I’d win) came from and then all of a sudden that happened (he was overlooked for the 2017 Mark of the Year).
His dance off with a Michael Jackson impersonator in St Kilda while a Melbourne player
I did have a dance off with a Michael Jackson impersonator. That was a one-off dance-off and if you asked me on the day I’d probably say yes. But looking back on it now, I probably got smashed.
Why he loves playing for Collingwood
They turn out regardless of what’s going on. We play in front of bulk crowds flat out and that’s one of the most appealing things at Collingwood. The fans are loyal faithful… they come out regardless of what’s going on. They’re very vocal and passionate and the biggest fan of all is the prez (president Eddie McGuire).