In this week's Game Plan, Swans football development manager Stuart Maxfield talks about this week's battle of the youngster against Freo...
It was great to return to the winner's list against the Gold Coast last weekend. We had lost three on the trot and I think the boys really needed a win to regain their confidence.
One of the positives to come out of the win was no doubt the form of Luke Parker. Because he prepared himself so professionally, even though he thought he would be playing reserves that weekend, he was able to seize his opportunity. When we were going through and critiquing the draft last year, Luke was one who we always knew would find a way to be successful at AFL level. He is a super competitor and his consistency of effort hardly varies across training and playing. In a positive way, the difference between his best and his worst is not much at all, because his effort is always outstanding. Very few players would be able to do what he did last weekend. To come into a team that needed a win, off such a limited preparation and have the impact he did with his physical style of play and his two goals, is just so impressive.
As a runner, I’m out in the thick of the action during the game. One of the most impressive things about Luke Parker, and Alex Johnson too for that matter, is their voice out on the field. Even if you’re not physically involved in a passage of play, you can still get involved with your voice. Players are always looking for direction out on the field, particularly from behind the ball because you can see the whole field of play. Guys like Luke and Alex are standouts in that area, both on the training track and during games. It is great to have two young players able to come into a team and have that impact.
At this point of the season, every game is important. This Sunday’s match against Fremantle is another opportunity to re-establish ourselves a real home ground advantage here at the SCG. We want opposition teams to fear coming to play us on the SCG, and Fremantle will come here full of confidence after beating us in round nine last year.
Both teams seem to match up really well. We are ranked first overall in the competition for tackling and Fremantle are third. There is a good mix of inside players and outside runners in both teams, so it shapes as a really good match. Players like Stephen Hill, Nathan Fyfe and Greg Broughton aren’t as recognised as the stars like Pavlich, but they are all really good players having a big impact this year.
A lot of teams are playing similar styles of footy at the moment, but often games can be defined by the basics of contested ball and tackling, and they are the areas that will once again be important to us come Sunday.
Above all else, it will be our consistency of effort and that is something I have written about many times. One of the things we try and teach our younger players in the reserves, is that every contest counts. When you go up and play seniors, every contest can change the momentum of a game. Every contest has the potential to be the most important of the match. Everyone needs to go in to Sunday’s match with that attitude. Whether you are an inside player that is at 50 contests, or an outside player who only gets to 15 contests, your effort and intensity needs to be spot on at every contest.
