You couldn’t help but laugh as Jarrad Waite took a fantastic mark on the goal-line before deciding to play on and spraying his snap at goal so badly that the end result was a Collingwood free kick for out on the full around 15 metres from goal.
Never has a moment on the field proven to be such a perfect microcosm of a player’s career. In a matter of ten seconds on Sunday afternoon, we saw Waite’s career flash before our eyes: the tantalising athleticism to get rid of his opponent and take a great mark in a dangerous position followed by a brain fade, completely undoing all his good work.
It was a fitting moment in a career full of similar mishaps – just think, how many times have we seen Waite start a game in good form before fading out of the game, so much so that by the end, all we remember is the fact he was reported?
That wasn’t the case on Sunday, but it’s safe to assume that Waite’s blunder will overshadow his blistering first quarter in which he looked like he could beat the Pies on his own and his ingenius fly kick goal that brought the Roos to within two points early in the last quarter.
Now aged 32 after being drafted with the 46th pick in the storied 2001 draft, Waite is what he is. That is, the imperfections that have dogged his game for over a decade are going nowhere.
Arriving at Carlton as the son of the legendary Vin, Jarrad Waite was always going to have a tough time living up to expectations.
He struggled to fit in during the early parts of his career, playing as a key defender and even as a wingman (long before the tall midfielder was in vogue) before eventually finding his niche as a key forward in Carlton’s post Brendan Fevola forward line.
The skill and athleticism were undeniable, but injuries and suspensions were all too common for Waite, preventing him from reaching his potential.
Waite is quite possibly the first ever footballer to be seen as someone who could improve as he moved into his thirties. As recently as a couple of years ago, Blues supporters and commentators alike were convinced that Waite would eventually have his breakout season and hush the doubters. Let that sink in – people were seriously thinking that a 30-year-old would have a breakout season.
This was in 2013, when Waite, having missed the first five games of the season due to injury, made his return and promptly headbutted an opponent with an umpire only a few metres away, leading to a one-week suspension.
So irate were Carlton players and officials, Waite was fined $5000 by the club. Such is life with Jarrad Waite.
Capable of kicking seven goals in a game one week while managing only ten disposals and five marks as a full forward in a shootout the next (Rounds 2 and 3 this season) Waite is the biggest enigma the AFL has seen this century.
Perhaps most frustrating for coaches and fans is that he’s talented enough to get a game every week and persist with, but unreliable enough that there is absolutely no expectation as to how he will help your team win a game of footy, despite the fact he’s been in the league for 13 and a half years.
Think of your favourite player aged over 30. You know what you’re going to get from him each week because he’s been doing it for over a decade.
Think of Jarrad Waite. You have no idea what you’re going to get from contest to contest, and that’s what makes him so great, frustrating and everything in between.
There is no way of knowing how Waite is going to perform this week against the Eagles, let alone how the rest of his career will play out.
One thing’s for certain though – there will be plenty more Jarrad Waite moments to come and maybe, just maybe, he’ll live up to his potential.
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