CYMS' grand final veteran Luke Jenkins to help lead young team to victory
CYMS' grand final veteran Luke Jenkins to help lead young team to victory By Nick Guthrie Daily Liberal September 1, 2015SOME players go their whole life without playing in a grand final but Luke Jenkins is definitely not one of those people.
The CYMS veteran will line up in the green and white on the biggest day of the season again on Sunday and admitted he could not even be sure how many grand finals he had appeared in.
"It might be 13 or 14, I think," he said.
"They're in the past though and the only one that matters is this weekend.
"CYMS have been lucky and have had a lot of good blokes around and I was playing with mates in the early 2000s and that was really the start of the success."
Jenkins entered first grade in 2001 and was around a winning culture developed by the likes of Justin Yeo and Bernard Wilson.
He said the desire to win was still as strong as ever now, even if the team was completely different.
Jenkins has become one of the old heads in the current CYMS team, surrounded by the likes of young guns Kieran Shipp, Jyie Chapman, Jarryn Powyer and Sing brothers Marshall and Billy.
"The preparation is the same but this is a very young side, they're all fit and keen and that's a bit different to the early days," he said.
"There's the same feeling of confidence but it's a different generation, they're all happy and a bit lairy but it's fun to be a part of.
"A lot of them are in their early 20s and don't take things too seriously but they love playing footy and it's a good balance."
Jenkins, who has spent nearly his entire career at hooker, has spent a fair bit of time at lock this season, with his role changing with his age.
While his role has changed his influence on the match has not and Jenkins will again be a key figure against Parkes on Sunday.
One thing which will be different is how the former representative player feels before the decider, confessing nerves have been part of the grand final build-up in recent years.
"When you get older you don't know if it might be your last or not so I've been more nervous in the last couple of years than at the start," he said, before admitting the idea of retirement is something he's thought about.
"I'm not quite sure, I'm still playing at the level and my body is fine but there are some times when you think you'd rather be somewhere else away with your kids.
"We'll just have to wait and see how Sunday goes."
The CYMS-Parkes decider is one many predicted and Jenkins said it came as no shock to him when the Spacemen defeated Wellington on Sunday.
The Fishies had a training run on Sunday afternoon and coach Tim Ryan is expected to change little for his side as they prepare for their fifth-straight Group 11 grand final.
"We had a good session and everything points to a good week but not much will change," Jenkins said.
"You can't learn much now so we're just watching the clock and waiting for Sunday."