I can’t remember in my time here having won too many close games – we used to blow teams away in the dying minutes or fall on the wrong side of the ledger with the really close ones.
That is incredible to think when you consider Port Adelaide won four or five games by under a goal last season.
So that was a really good thing in itself for our team.
It was a great kick under pressure by Jed to put us in front and I was pretty happy, that’s for sure, because I should have put us up with a shot a couple of minutes earlier.
It could be another tough grind on Saturday with the Swans coming to town.
It’s always usually a battle when we play them, but we’re not sure what to expect this time around.
They played a really expansive game against Port last weekend and kicked lots of goals by swinging the ball around.
We’ve got a fair bit of belief in our midfield being able to match them if they do go back to the game plan that they have used so successfully against us in the past.
I know it was only a practice match, but we take a fair bit of confidence out of beating them in the last one before the premiership season.
We’ve got a few more weapons up forward now than we’ve had in the last couple of years too.
The biggest disappointment of last season for me was losing my forward line ‘wing-man’ Daniel Bradshaw.
When Braddy’s knee collapsed in a reserves practice match before the premiership season had even started, my heart sank with it.
I was obviously gutted for the bloke because you wouldn’t wish having to undergo a knee reconstruction on your worst enemy, but I had been really excited about the prospect of teaming up together in our forward line.
So you can imagine how rapt I’ve been that Braddy got himself back for Round 1 and has been running around keeping the opposition defenders honest for the last couple of weeks.
It’s great to see him moving so well. It looks like he has lost none of his mobility, which is always a concern with a big fella coming back from a reco.
It’s not just me who is glad he is back, but it’s great for the team.
Any time you have got a multi-pronged attack, you are a hell of a lot more dangerous than if you are relying on the one big key position forward.
You are not so one-dimensional, it helps to spread the defence, and you are not having to put up with going against two or three blokes in a contest all the time.
The good thing about our partnership is that we play our footy a bit differently which I reckon helps.
I’m more of a natural centre-half-forward and he’s more inclined to full-forward.
We talk a bit when we’re out on the field about our positioning, but to be honest I don’t tell him a lot.
He’s an experienced bloke and knows what to do.
We seem to complement each other with what we do instinctively.
We both run hard, and it’s important that if I need a chop out, he is always there to give me a breather.
I was asked if we have any side wagers on who is going to kick the more goals, but I can guarantee you that is the last thing on our minds.
It’s all about us both doing the best thing for the team and to be honest, I’d like to set him up for a few more goals.
I guess if we can collectively kick eight goals between us each week, it will go a long way towards winning games, with the midfielders and other forwards chipping in with their bit.
We’ve got 13 between us at the moment, so we’re around about the mark after two games.
Some days it might only be four that we contribute, but if we’ve had a lot of possessions and set up other blokes, then we’ve done the job just as effectively.
I do feel very comfortable for the team when I see Braddy with the ball in his hands lining up for goal.
He’s a good kick for goal with that really nice relaxed action. He never seems to get flustered no matter what the situation, which is a good tip for kids out there.
I copped a little bit of grief over my goalkicking early last year, but I was happy that I ended up with the best conversion average of any bloke who booted more than 50 goals.
I finished up with something like 50.10 for the second half of the year, so I was pretty happy with that. I obviously haven’t tried to change anything with my kicking this year after that.
I know I fluffed a couple last weekend, but in general I feel like I’m still in pretty good rhythm.
