A Week In The Life Of Young Roo Jamie Macmillan | Thebigtip

A week in the life of a North Melbourne footballer is much more than a good performance on game day.

On a windswept, freezing pre-winter day I stand at the Arden Street Oval with my good friend Kit Harvey, new North Melbourne Football Club media coordinator Chelsea Collins and North Melbourne youngster Jamie Macmillan. It is a pleasure to interview this young player and to share his story with fellow North and West Melburnians.


Jamie Macmillan has played a few games since being picked up by North Melbourne in the 2009 draft, but where did it all begin?

Jamie always had a football in his hands as a youngster.

“My whole family played footy and my dad gave me a footy when I was young,” he says. Football was not the only sport he excelled at as a kid; he was also known as a very talented cricketer.

His AFL dream was nearly crushed during his adolescence, however, when he sustained numerous injuries at school, including a serious stress fracture in his back: “This made me really wonder if I had any future as an elite sportsman.”

Fortunately by Year 12, Jamie's body seemed to repair itself. “I got a few lucky breaks during my final year and my desire came back,” he adds. “I was pretty stoked to hear I’d got drafted [in 2009]. It was on a Thursday night and I was not really expecting it but to learn that I had been picked by North Melbourne was great. I was an Essendon supporter but the Bombers hierarchy did not seem to want to talk to me.”

As footy followers will know, 2009 produced a quality draft. That was the year Melbourne picked up Tom Scully and Jack Trengrove, who are currently starring, and Richmond picked up 'Mr Don't Argue' Dustin Martin. Jamie served a good but brief apprenticeship, toiling away in the reserves until Round 17 when he debuted against the team he barracked for as a kid, Essendon.

“Everyone found out I was playing before I did because our coach, Brad Scott, mentioned it in a press conference whilst I was training. It was on a Saturday night game and I was pretty nervous all day and as soon as I ran through the banner my nerves increased. I was lucky enough that the ball ended up in my hands for my first touch and after that my confidence slowly improved.”

Jamie has a very grounded and mature approach to his football; it’s not all about running through banners at the MCG.

“For me it’s my job. I come to the club every day and it is pretty flat-out. Some people think that AFL footballers train once or twice and have a kick on the weekend and earn the big bucks. It is nothing like that at all; it’s seven days a week and 24 hours a day.”

We all know AFL can have us on the edge of our seats come game day but most of us do not know much about the life of an elite footballer apart from on match days. An AFL footballer's week is filled with so many things, and the days when footballers were able to hold second jobs seem to be over. Jamie shares his routine with us.

The day after the game, the team has recovery for the whole day — massage, physiotherapy, runs, bikes, team reviews and individual reviews. The following day, the team does not have to do anything, leaving time for further recovery. This is followed on the third day by skills work, using weights, cardio work and further discussion with individual coaches.

Wednesday is the main training day. The North Melbourne footballers train for a couple of hours, do further weights and spend time watching tapes of opposition players in preparation for the next game. More training takes place the day before the game, accompanied by meetings to discuss game plans. According to Jamie, the life of an AFL footballer is full-on with very little free time.

Given these demands, real dedication is required. I asked Jamie why he is so dedicated and what the blue anda white means to him.

“Obviously the history of the club is very rich,” he replies, “and even though the media presents North as poor and struggling, the club has a lot of heart and pride. Pulling on the blue and white guernsey is therefore a real honour.”

Dedication and honour appear to be two key values for Jamie and other AFL footballers. This is in stark contrast to the way the media sometimes portrays AFL footballers who choose to go out clubbing and partying, summarised in the sentiment ‘All these fools can do is kick a football'.

This is obviously not Jamie Macmillan's full story. Jamie is a professional young man who has just begun a commerce degree at Melbourne University. He hopes for a long career at North Melbourne and plans to keep working hard to be part of a club that he believes is heading in the right direction with a premiership around the corner.

If you’re a North Melbourne supporter reading this, be excited. With the likes of Jamie Macmillan playing for this great club, we can only go upwards on the ladder. Go Roos!


Thanks to:
- Chelsea Collins (North Melbourne FC media coordinator)
- Kit Harvey (for photography and recording skills)
- Janet Graham (North and West Melbourne News editor)

This was first published in the North and West Melbourne News 'June Edition 2011'.