So now I’m working with a totally different line up, but the talent is just as capable.
We’ve moved co-captain and dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes to centre half forward, and with new recruit Daniel Bradshaw and youngster Jesse White, the new combination is hard for opposition teams to match up on.
Against Adelaide last Sunday, 11 of our 18 goals came from players we recruited at the end of 2009 - with five goals to Ben McGlynn, two to Mark Seaby, two to Bradshaw and two to Josh Kennedy. It is great to get that reward. They’re all still trying to find their way here but to get that result really brings some excitement to the rest of the group.
To get a revamped forward line working well, you need to put in a lot of time and effort during the pre-season.
Our task was made a little more difficult because Bradshaw had an operation and couldn’t train with the group until the week before our round one game. The key forwards actually need to work together on the track to understand where each one is going to go and what sort of space each one works into.
So we had to find other ways to help them get used to each other.
We video all our training during the off season, and so that was where a lot of our work was done, strangely enough - watching the vision. That helped to make sure we were all on the same page, and now it is a matter of having them all together and being able to train it as well.
While Daniel wasn’t able to do pre-season training, we know he’s been a great forward over a long period of time. His strength is his ability to use his body really well and create the spaces in one-on-one contests, which is something a bit different for us. We’re generally a side that has liked to hit up our forwards on the lead all the time, but with a big strong target who knows how to use his body, we now have the option of getting the ball in long to him and allowing him to use his strength and size and contested marking ability.
It is important to put the right mix of players in our forward line, with small guys like Benny McGlynn who bobbed up this week to kick five goals. His ability to apply forward pressure as well as his running ability to get up and down the ground to win the loose ball as well is significant.
So overall, we haven’t changed the way we play but we have had a significant change in personnel, and that makes us look different.
As a group, at the moment I think the forwards are breaking even. I can see some significant room for improvement, and obviously with Daniel gaining fitness week by week, he is only going to get better.
Jesse White hasn’t reached his potential yet as far as form goes in the first two rounds, but we know his potential and what he offers to the side, if he can take his opportunities. And Goodesy has been pretty solid for us. But all three have got room for improvement which we hope will come as they get more used to working with each other over the next few weeks, starting with Richmond this Saturday night at the SCG.
