How Jarman Impey’s coaches shaped him after family loss

Jarman Impey bounces into the conversation as though rebounding across half-back.

Before a question is posed, he’s asking how my day has been.

Soon enough he knows how many children I have, how old they are and how long I have written about football. It’s not your typical start to an interview with a player.

No wonder Sam Mitchell once described the car-loving, family-oriented Impey as an energy-giver at Hawthorn.

It’s a description Impey doesn’t dispute as he heads into the Easter Monday clash against Geelong for his 150th match at the club he joined for family reasons way back in 2018 after 75 matches in four years at Port Adelaide.

“I just have this positive outlook and I just connect with people and put smiles on faces and it probably comes from my upbringing and going through adversity in my life,” Impey said.

“We have got a pretty good job right? We train outside, we get to play in front of a great fan base, football clubs breed amazing people and you are getting fit, you work hard in the gym and all the time [you’re] trying to build something special.”

His father Glenn, who raised Impey and his younger sister Paigan in Shepparton, died at the end of 2016 after battling cancer. Impey was in his third season at Port Adelaide and after one more year at the club, decided with Port’s support to return to Victoria.

His gratitude to those surrounding him at that time and beyond is clear.

“Life throws these things at you and I was very close to my old man,” Impey said. “There were a lot of sacrifices in the early days we don’t need to go into [which helped] pave this pathway.”

That pathway led to the arrival of his and his wife Annabelle’s son Zion in May last year. Impey missed two games to be certain he was on hand when the baby arrived and then available after Zion spent a few extra days in hospital as he settled into the world.

Impey’s joy was evident when he cupped his arms to rock an imaginary baby after he kicked a rare goal just a couple of weeks after becoming a father. He said his connection with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, already strong, grew even more during that period of adjustment.

“We leant on him a whole lot, and he was very supportive,” Impey said. “He is super special with that stuff.”

Impey is full of praise for all three coaches he has had during his career, which began way back in 2014 under Ken Hinkley. He spent four years with Alastair Clarkson as coach before Mitchell took over in 2022.

Hinkley coached Impey hard, but the player won’t forget how welcome Hinkley made his father feel at Port Adelaide. Afterwards, the family club lived up to its reputation where both Clarkson and Mitchell were concerned.

“Ken was more of an old school coach. He was strict and he was hard and you could win his respect by training really hard, being predictable and having high standards. The feedback he gave you was open and honest and I really liked that in a coach. At the right times, he would have a laugh and he cared about you and your culture,” Impey said.

“‘Clarko’ was a family man and invited me into his family. I have not had too many experiences of that as a coach, the way he was able to open up his home for myself and my wife. It shone a light on the personality that he is.

“Sam is a very intelligent, smart coach. He had not been out of the game that long as a player and you could really understand him and he resonates with the current players on the list and [he’s] a family man.”

Impey emerged under Hinkley, suffered a serious knee and ankle injury as the Hawks traversed a rocky transition period under Clarkson and has flourished since Mitchell took the reins at the start of 2022.

Such has been his progress, he has been top 10 in the club’s past three best and fairest counts, captained the club in two Sir Doug Nicholls Round matches in 2024 and was recently offered a two-year deal as a restricted free agent who will turn 31 midway through this season.

Rarely missing through injury in the past three seasons, Impey has formed a lethal defensive rebound combination with Karl Amon. He has been diligent about keeping his body as sharp as the cars he tinkers with in his spare time.

“[I have] always done the work, which has given me the confidence [to use] repeat speed, or to play aggressive, or play the game to my strengths,” Impey said. “Some things I went through in life created resilience and I like to stay resilient and on top of things.”

His energy helps too, as he will hit up friends or teammates to do extra work, his positivity ensuring he finds a willing partner to run with or for boxing sessions. His competitions at training with Nick Watson, Jack Ginnivan or Blake Hardwick keep him giggling like a toddler while sharpening his competitive edge.

Just because he has found a way to enjoy his football life has not made him less desperate for success.

“There have been some things I have been able to tick off at Hawthorn but the one thing that really wakes me up every morning and keeps me dedicated and puts the pep in my step is to hold that cup up one day,” Impey said.

The next step on that climb up the mountain comes on Easter Monday in the “Dare to Hope” game against Geelong, the Hawks’ nemesis. The Cats have beaten the Hawks in their past five matches.

Always big, the occasion has grown from the Hawks’ perspective since the day has been devoted to raising money and awareness for pancreatic cancer, the disease that claimed the father of Impey’s teammate Calsher Dear, Hawthorn premiership player and Norm Smith medallist, Paul.

Impey doesn’t say it, but there is no doubting his empathy towards Dear.

“The boys are looking forward to this one. [Calsher] is a lovely kid who works really hard and is a favourite of a lot of people at the club,” Impey said.

Impey, who famously copped a Sherrin in the back of the head courtesy of Cats star Bailey Smith last Easter, will be bouncing into the rooms, determined to end the day with a win over an opposition he respects enormously.