By Tyler Lewis
Judson Clarke was among a group of players that got extremely lost on Richmond’s pre-season camp but, after an exciting start to the VFL season, it’s fair to say the promising forward has found his way back at the top level.
Richmond selected the Dandenong Stingray out of Berwick with pick 30 in the 2021 National Draft and he has since delivered a string of door-knocking performances in the VFL.
Clarke has hit the scoreboard in three of his four matches this year, with a best of four match-defining goals in a 25-point win over Footscray last week.
Although an already agile forward, a pre-season at the top level seems to have the exciting prospect moving even better than previously.
“Extremely,” Clarke said of how helpful his pre-season was.
“I think it has helped me get a bit of toughness and really be able to play out the length of games in the physicality that they are.
“If I didn’t have the pre-season, I don’t think I would be handling the physicality (of VFL) that well.
“I would be pulling up a lot more sore than I am
“I am pulling up sore obviously, but not as much due to the tough pre-season which is good.”
That pre-season included some particularly long days on the bike and some full body wrestling at the end of hot days.
“I found it really fun, pre-season was really awesome, going on a camp up to Bright, that was challenging,” Clarke said.
“There was a lot of riding on the bike. I think our group rode about 100 kilometres on the bike because we got lost which was pretty funny.
“It was really good to bond more with the guys and get to know them better.
“Pre-seasons are tough, I think Monday sessions were probably the worst, they were just really long hard sessions and always at the end of the day we would have some sessions of just wrestling.
“Full body contact and not holding anything back.
“Although it was extremely tough for the boys after a long day of training, I think we really embraced it and we made the most out of it.
“I think that is how we have been able to shape how we have been going so far.”
The small forward role has been the staple of Richmond’s success in recent years, and while it is a tough spot to crack into at senior level, Clarke is relishing in his opportunity to play such an important position.
“I am absolutely loving it,” he said.
“I have got such great role models to look up to like Shane Edwards and Kane Lambert, they’re really helping me with vision and stuff like that.
“They’re helping me getting the best out of myself in terms of reviewing games.
“Kane Lambert has been awesome with just being on the bench for a few of the games, it has been really good to have him out for a half in round three as well.
“In terms of structure around my role, the little tips and tricks I can do to lose my man and get him lost in the contest to get out in the open.
“The first few week’s it was pretty surreal (playing alongside premiership players). Coming into the club I couldn’t believe it, I had done it, I had been drafted and I was there.
“Now it has settled in a lot more and I am able to come in every day and see your teammates and it’s just the best fun.”
With four goals against Footscray, and a pair of goals against Carlton on Sunday, Clarke is starting to make some noise for the Tigers.
Though he is playing well and hearing good feedback, his focus is on developing his own craft.
“It’s been good, it’s still a work in progress,” he said.
“The feedback has been really good, every week we go in and look at the vision to see where we can improve.
“For me ultimately it’s about developing in that role I am playing and my forward craft as well, keep chipping away at that and hopefully good things to come.”
And as for who was to blame for the bike detour in Bright…Clarke played with a straight bat, revealing it was a ‘group effort’.
“It was a group effort on that one,” he joked.
“Our group was so far ahead of the staff organising the ride, we didn’t have a marker to direct us into town.
“We were flying ahead of the other groups
“We were too far in front so we just kept riding towards Yackandandah, which was the complete wrong direction to where we were supposed to be going.”
Richmond take on Melbourne this Sunday, in the annual Anzac Eve clash.
