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Jamie Tape: unassuming achieverwho always looked forward
January 10 2003
Former Richmond and Collingwood player Jamie Tape, who died last week, was farewelled yesterday in South Australia, Emma Quayle reports.
There is tragedy on the football field and there is tragedy far beyond it.
For the many young men who yesterday gathered to farewell former Richmond and Collingwood player Jamie Tape in Yorketown, South Australia, hardship usually ranges from a badly timed hamstring strain to a career-ending injury.
The weekend news that Tape, whose 10-month battle with Hodgkin's disease was considered over to the extent that he could train again, had died, was one of the rare times that serious illness, and death, had dared enter a world defined by fitness and health.
"In what we do, you feel sympathy for people who are injured, have poor form or do a knee, or something like that," said Richmond captain Wayne Campbell. "This is on such a greater scale. It's certainly something we don't have to deal with very often. It means that when this happens, the circumstances will be shocking."
Campbell and a handful of Richmond teammates, including Joel Bowden, Darren Gaspar, Matthew Rogers and Duncan Kellaway, who went running with Tape just last week, were there yesterday as Tape was buried in his home town. The other Kellaway brother, Andrew, who joined Richmond with the draft pick it secured by trading Tape to Collingwood, was also there.
The 28-year-old, out collecting supplies for a barbecue, was found dead in his car last Friday after suffering a suspected brain aneurism.
There, too, yesterday, were other friends he gathered in his six-season, 91-game AFL journey: Stuart Maxfield, Scott Turner, Chris Naish, David Bourke, Gavin Brown and Neil Balme, who coached him in Adelaide.
Glenn Freeborn, former Adelaide player Andrew Payze and ex-Crow and Demon Nick Pesch were part of the group that, in 1993, claimed the SANFL premiership for Woodville-West Torrens, under Balme, before Tape, who had already been drafted, left for Punt Road.
Robert Pyman, one of Dean Laidley's new assistants at the Kangaroos, had joined North Melbourne the season before.
As a footballer, most of them recall Tape, a Rising Star nominee who played for SA in only his second season of senior football, as a quiet, committed defender whose game was built on honesty and effort, and who became a fan favourite because of that. In early 1995, he threw himself across the foot of Hawthorn forward Simon Minton-Connell to stop a shot on goal and save Richmond a game; at the end of that season, two big marks against Essendon helped make sure the second semi-final is as famous at Richmond as it is.
"On and off the field, he epitomised the meaning of mateship. He was the type of person you'd want next to you because he was always positive," Pyman said.
"Even the way Jamie continued to look forward and be positive during his battle with Hodgkin's was just an inspiration to us because at no stage did he look backwards or think of the worst-case scenario, he just looked forward."
Off the ground, Tape endeared himself, too. When they arrived at Punt Road together, Rogers was given the No. 4 guernsey he still wears, and Tape No. 5. They made their debut in the same game, round one, 1995, and they shared the best first-year player at the end of the year.
The last thing they celebrated together was Rogers' engagement, with Tape, his wife Kelly and one-year-old son Thomas making a surprise appearance at the party. He had a full head of hair back and was talking about doing whatever he could to play footy again.
"He was a quiet kind of person who didn't open up about his feelings as much as some people. But you just could tell he was so strong, when he was sick, and that he was handling it all," Rogers said.
"We both received best first-year player together and there were a lot of people who thought Jamie and I were alike because we didn't have a lot to say and all we did was smile.
"Apparently when we were up there receiving our awards, we couldn't think of anything to say; we just stood there and smiled, a couple of 19-year-olds who didn't have much to say," Rogers said.
"That's one thing I remember that will always make me smile when I think of it."
January 10 2003
Former Richmond and Collingwood player Jamie Tape, who died last week, was farewelled yesterday in South Australia, Emma Quayle reports.
There is tragedy on the football field and there is tragedy far beyond it.
For the many young men who yesterday gathered to farewell former Richmond and Collingwood player Jamie Tape in Yorketown, South Australia, hardship usually ranges from a badly timed hamstring strain to a career-ending injury.
The weekend news that Tape, whose 10-month battle with Hodgkin's disease was considered over to the extent that he could train again, had died, was one of the rare times that serious illness, and death, had dared enter a world defined by fitness and health.
"In what we do, you feel sympathy for people who are injured, have poor form or do a knee, or something like that," said Richmond captain Wayne Campbell. "This is on such a greater scale. It's certainly something we don't have to deal with very often. It means that when this happens, the circumstances will be shocking."
Campbell and a handful of Richmond teammates, including Joel Bowden, Darren Gaspar, Matthew Rogers and Duncan Kellaway, who went running with Tape just last week, were there yesterday as Tape was buried in his home town. The other Kellaway brother, Andrew, who joined Richmond with the draft pick it secured by trading Tape to Collingwood, was also there.
The 28-year-old, out collecting supplies for a barbecue, was found dead in his car last Friday after suffering a suspected brain aneurism.
There, too, yesterday, were other friends he gathered in his six-season, 91-game AFL journey: Stuart Maxfield, Scott Turner, Chris Naish, David Bourke, Gavin Brown and Neil Balme, who coached him in Adelaide.
Glenn Freeborn, former Adelaide player Andrew Payze and ex-Crow and Demon Nick Pesch were part of the group that, in 1993, claimed the SANFL premiership for Woodville-West Torrens, under Balme, before Tape, who had already been drafted, left for Punt Road.
Robert Pyman, one of Dean Laidley's new assistants at the Kangaroos, had joined North Melbourne the season before.
As a footballer, most of them recall Tape, a Rising Star nominee who played for SA in only his second season of senior football, as a quiet, committed defender whose game was built on honesty and effort, and who became a fan favourite because of that. In early 1995, he threw himself across the foot of Hawthorn forward Simon Minton-Connell to stop a shot on goal and save Richmond a game; at the end of that season, two big marks against Essendon helped make sure the second semi-final is as famous at Richmond as it is.
"On and off the field, he epitomised the meaning of mateship. He was the type of person you'd want next to you because he was always positive," Pyman said.
"Even the way Jamie continued to look forward and be positive during his battle with Hodgkin's was just an inspiration to us because at no stage did he look backwards or think of the worst-case scenario, he just looked forward."
Off the ground, Tape endeared himself, too. When they arrived at Punt Road together, Rogers was given the No. 4 guernsey he still wears, and Tape No. 5. They made their debut in the same game, round one, 1995, and they shared the best first-year player at the end of the year.
The last thing they celebrated together was Rogers' engagement, with Tape, his wife Kelly and one-year-old son Thomas making a surprise appearance at the party. He had a full head of hair back and was talking about doing whatever he could to play footy again.
"He was a quiet kind of person who didn't open up about his feelings as much as some people. But you just could tell he was so strong, when he was sick, and that he was handling it all," Rogers said.
"We both received best first-year player together and there were a lot of people who thought Jamie and I were alike because we didn't have a lot to say and all we did was smile.
"Apparently when we were up there receiving our awards, we couldn't think of anything to say; we just stood there and smiled, a couple of 19-year-olds who didn't have much to say," Rogers said.
"That's one thing I remember that will always make me smile when I think of it."
