Article courtesy of the Gold Coast Bulletin

By Alan Kennedy 

JARROD HARBROW was at Kele Park yesterday 'selling' the Australian rules game to excited groups of young children.

The Gold Coast SUNS defender looked at home kicking the football, using a few handballs and giving a few tips to the children to help improve their game.

It should be of little surprise he was comfortable as Harbrow was from a similar North Queensland community before making the move to Victoria as he pursued a professional career in the sport.

Having represented Queensland as an under-16 player he moved to Victoria to play in the TAC Cup under-18 competition and gained selection in Country Victoria.

In 2007 the dream came true as he was picked up by the Western Bulldogs in the draft; the same year that Rockhampton's Paul O'Shea was snapped up by the Bulldogs.

After 70 appearances for the Dogs he returned to Queensland under contract with the SUNS.

"I was pretty happy to come back to Queensland as I'm closer to home and my family," he said.

"I can get up to Cairns a bit and they can come and watch me play."

Harbrow is aware SUNS players look towards him for his experience but he is not worried about having that role within the team,

"It is more about the experience I gained with the Bulldogs and helping the young guys, especially the defenders," he said.

Harbrow does not fit the AFL stereotype and if the youngsters he was coaching were looking for a towering Adonis then they would have been disappointed.

"I'm not even six foot," he said.

"I rely on my quickness and being nimble."

The Suns star said an AFL playing group is made up of all sizes and not just the big men.

"It depends on your position," he added.

Something that does come through strongly is his competitive spirit and therefore he is not happy with the way things are going at the SUNS this year.

"Last year we did pretty well and got three wins," he said.

"This year we have not been good enough as a footy club."

He said if team members put in the effort and are strong then they will be competitive. Not all of the actions on the park require high skill levels, such as tackling, but are still important and must be done by the players.

"We've only been playing in patches," Harbrow said.

"In the AFL you can't be off the boil for 5% of the time as teams will go through you."

The SUNS defender expressed the importance of maintaining a high intensity through all four quarters of a football match.

This season, lapses in concentration have cost the Suns dearly and Harbrow said five of the losses suffered could well have seen competition points going the Suns way.

It was a long day for Harbrow, having flown from the Gold Coast early yesterday morning and then returning to Brisbane at 9pm before driving to his Gold Coast home.

Nevertheless, he enjoyed working with the kids on his day off from footy.

"I hope they enjoyed today and picked up some basic skills," he said.

"However, it has not changed one view he has of the future once his playing days are over.

"I don't think I'll be a coach," he said.

Central Queensland development officer Scott Smithwick said the visit of Harbrow, while nursing an elbow injury, was an initiative of the Brothers club through an Active Inclusive grant.

"It is an opportunity to encourage young kids to have a kick of a footy," he said.

Also getting a player of Harbrow's profile was a bonus for the Suns.

"It will get a lot more people on the SUNS' bandwagon," he said.