Nearing the end of the 2014 home and aways, Jaryd Cachia remains ever upbeat about his football future.
“The coach still talks to me, which is good,” the Carlton run-with rookie assures.
“He (Michael Malthouse) tells me I’m pretty close to selection each week and that it’s just a matter of hanging in and making the most of my opportunity when it hopefully comes.”
By way of background, Cachia was taken by Carlton as a first round rookie at selection nine in the 2012 draft - the second time in as many seasons after been named in the corresponding draft of 2010 at 15 overall.
In between, personal and collective successes came his way in South Australia, as an integral member of Norwood’s all-conquering premiership team of 2012 and a top five placegetter in both his club’s and competition’s best and fairest count.
Nineteen rounds in to 2014, in what is his second coming at Visy Park, “Cach” is yet to trouble the scorer in terms of senior appearances.
But if the game has taught this football journeymen anything it’s that patience is truly a virtue.
“My form (for Northern Blues) has been good, which is why I’ve got such a good mindset. I know I’m not getting the AFL gametime I would have liked, but my form has been good,” he said.
“I dislocated my shoulder a few weeks ago which didn’t come at a great time because I was really close to senior selection. That set me back a couple of weeks and then I got back, only to be reported, which set me back another week.”
Despite the obvious frustrations, Cachia has, in his family, a strong support network - and at 23, he’s also been around long enough to know that if he continues to control what he can, he will realise the outcomes he seeks.
“It’s probably why I am the way I am,” Cachia said. “I’ve never had it easy, which is why it’s second nature to me to get to where I want to go. I just have to work really hard, harder than most, because I’m not blessed with any great pace or great skill and perhaps my greatest skill is my work ethic.
“That’s how it is and I enjoy that because there’s nothing better than working really hard to get what you want . . . and if it doesn’t work out at the end of the day at least I can say ‘I gave it everything’.”
