TROY CHAPLIN is finally playing pain-free, having reached a positive point in the management of his troublesome knee.
The 27-year-old Richmond defender had surgery on his knee after round 20 last season while he was still at Port Adelaide.
It was the operation and the predicted long-term view of how his knee would recover that saw the Power opt not to match the Tigers' four-year contract offer, which allowed Chaplin to move to Punt Road as a restricted free agent.
After a frustrating pre-season when his recovery kept him from training fully well into the New Year, Chaplin believes he's turned a corner after the operation to relieve bone-on-bone soreness.
"It's actually progressed really well," Chaplin said.
"Through February and March I was a little bit concerned because the group is training and you're only doing little bits here and there.
"The medical staff and fitness staff have been fantastic and seen real improvements.
"I'm pain-free from about round four or five now, so it's been fantastic but it's something I'm just going to have to monitor for the rest of my career.
"They're aware of that and they've told me that even if it is feeling good, early in the week I'm not training, they've just said we'll pull you back even though you feel really good."
Chaplin has played every game for the Tigers this season bar the round five clash with Fremantle, which he missed with calf soreness.
He admitted it was hard to cope with being told to back off training, especially when he felt his body was strong.
"That's probably something that frustrates me a little bit but something I'm just going to have to deal with," he said.
"This is my 10th year in the AFL, I don't need to overtrain now – I'm becoming one of the older boys so I'm not complaining too much."
Chaplin also said he was enjoying a slightly different role to the one he played at the Power.
"I'm playing a bit more of a team role and playing on guys now. At Port Adelaide, I played more of a loose man in defence [role]," he said.
"I'm relishing the jobs now and no doubt I'll get another one this week.
"It's been a long road but to start to get a little bit of form in the last few weeks has been good."
The Tigers will face a big forward structure this week when they play West Coast at Patersons Stadium, with Chaplin admitting the selection committee could look at bringing in another tall.
He said negating the forward line of Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling, with ruck duo Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui resting in attack, would be a tough ask.
He said the key would be consistency when playing against them, with the types of lapses the Tigers have been prone to this season dangerous against such a strong line up.
"They're just so fit, they can rotate and play high for periods of time and then play deep … it just depends on who they get," he said.
"It's going to be a huge challenge for the backline, and a huge challenge in the ruck for 'Ivy' [Ivan Maric] as well … coming up against two All Australian ruckmen is a huge challenge.
"When Nic goes forward, and Dean as well, it's either going to be myself or 'Rancy' who no doubt takes him.
"These sorts of guys you've got to be switched on [against] the whole game – you can't have lapses against them because they'll otherwise kill you like they did the other week to the Kangaroos."
Jennifer Phelan is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenPhelan.
