The 26-year old ex-Tiger enjoyed a career best season in 2007, averaging over 15 touches per game and finding his niche as a hard-running midfielder with an obviously increased intensity.
Things haven’t gone as smoothly for Fiora so far this season, with the midfielder struggling to get himself back into the groove he found last year.
“I think I’m slowly getting better, but I haven’t started off the year really well,” Fiora told afl.com.au on Wednesday.
“I did every session in the pre-season but in the NAB Cup and in the first game of the year I wasn’t real flash. Against Carlton in round two I started to see some signs I was getting there but on the weekend, I sort of faded out with the team.
“I’m a little bit up and down at the moment. It’s not really where I’d like to be.”
Fiora has been something of a spare parts man this year, playing all over the ground and even trying his hand as a back pocket as things turned nasty for the Saints against the Western Bulldogs last week.
He admits the Dogs won the battle of the engine room and came out harder than they were expecting.
“I suppose it all starts from the midfield, and I think we want to be known as a hard, tough team but they were excellent at that and were first in at the footy”, Fiora said.
“That’s not good enough and we weren’t overly accountable either, and that’s how it ended up being as bad as it was.”
In regard to his own form, the South Australian – taken as the third overall pick by Richmond in the 1999 draft – says he must work at doing all the things which made his game all the more damaging in 2007 as well as turning himself into a 22-round contributor.
“Traditionally in the past, I’ve started off well and then faded a little bit in the middle before coming good on the way home,” he said.
“But I’ve started a bit slow, and hopefully I can build up from now and be a bit steady and a bit more consistent.
“If I can improve on the team things, tackles, chases, hard in at the footy – everything you’re expected to do as a player for the Saints – then I’m sure I can get back up there.”
Fiora says being such a high draft pick saw him ease off early in his career when he should have been working harder to become a team-oriented player.
“Being taken at a high draft pick, I suppose I was able get away with a few things early in my career,” he said.
“I was probably a bit selfish and thought about myself, which isn’t great. I’m probably lucky to still be around.”
“But it’s never been about kicks and handballs at this footy club. It’s about doing the team things.”
Fiora says this Saturday’s clash with Geelong offers a chance for redemption from the horrors of last week, but only if the same mistakes aren’t repeated.
“They remind me a bit of how the Brisbane Lions finally broke through after they had the same core group for five to six years, and I think that’s similar to how Geelong have come through,” he said.
“They’re hard, tough and they do all those team things. They enjoy doing it and they’re definitely the benchmark and everyone’s striving to get their scalp.
“If we do the things we need to do, follow the behaviours we’re meant to, then we’ll make a game of it.”
While speculation has persisted in recent years that Fiora was set to head home to Adelaide, he now says he’s made a life for himself in Melbourne and will certainly spend his post-football career in Victoria.
“I said from the start, wherever I went I was pretty keen to stay and I just love living in Melbourne,” Fiora said.
“Recently I married a Melbourne girl, so its home now and I haven’t really ever thought about going back to Adelaide.
“Add that to the bigger city, the bright lights, and it’s all convinced me to stay.”
