If we had to guess who our first rising star nominee for 2009 was going to be, I think most would have had their money on Dayne Beams. It would have been a logical bet too, if not for a stand out performance on debut from Ricky’s Boy, Jaxson Barham.
Barham came into the side after a relatively impressive showing at VFL level, where his tenacity and work rate was a feature. Despite Friday night’s game against Brisbane being a critical one, the selectors backed Barham in and had their faith rewarded when Jaxson put in a performance that went a long way to getting us over the line.
In slippery conditions, Barham amassed 28 disposals, 6 marks, 6 inside 50’s and an outstanding 9 tackles — all whilst providing us with some of his well-noted dash. In a game where desperation was pivotal, Barham set the standard from start to finish, getting in and under and making himself prominent at stoppages.
It wasn’t a performance without shortcomings, as Barham’s disposal could have been better on multiple occasions. Barham’s disposal has been well documented as being an aspect of his game that requires work, but I think we can reserve our judgement when taking into account the conditions and pressure of Friday night’s encounter.
Whilst his kicking will undoubtedly be flagged as an area requiring improvement, nobody can question Barham’s work ethic and after just one game we have already reaped rewards from his more positive attributes. Whilst Barham will take away a rising star nomination from his very first outing, what he will cherish as even more valuable will be the experience of playing a run-with role on Brisbane star Luke Power.
Whilst Barham didn’t silence Power, he went a long way to nullifying his influence on the contest by breaking even statistically — something that nobody would have expected heading in. With Essendon next up, Barham’s pace and defensive work will be extremely valuable.
Jaxson has carried the tag of Ricky’s Boy even before being drafted to the club, and whilst we are likely to still affectionately refer to him as such, if he keeps chalking up performances like Friday night then he’ll undoubtedly forge a piece of Collingwood history entirely his own.
Congratulations Jaxson Barham, Rising Star for Round 4, 2009.
