ALL AUSTRALIAN small forward Hayden Ballantyne was back to his dynamic best on Saturday night following some honest conversations with his coach Ross Lyon during the week.
Ballantyne delivered a vintage display in the 73-point win over North Melbourne.
He had 20 possessions, laid four tackles, and kicked 1.1 but he also had three score assists.
Ballantyne was at his most damaging when he was crumbing front and square and his goal came through a toe poke off the ground, having positioned himself perfectly at the feet of Matthew Pavlich.
Ballantyne said he had heeded his coach's instructions by going to the disciplined spots instinctively instead trying to predict where the ball could fall.
"I think I was just going to the ball a bit more instead of trying to read the ball," Ballantyne told AFL.com.au.
"I just went to where the ball was going, got front and centre and the ball fell my way a few times.
"I think if I can keep doing that consistently, hopefully that keeps the boss happy.
Lyon said he was pleased with how his forward responded to their conversation mid-week.
"We just clarified his role," Lyon said.
"(The) areas we want him to be (are) working off the talls, and he was always going to do what he did tonight once he had that clarification, and that's what he spoke to after the game.
"(He said) 'I've been second guessing a little bit and I'm really clear now', and he did his job."
Ballantyne was at his manic best in terms of applying pressure to the opposition defenders when they were in possession.
He was insatiable again on Saturday night.
He said his match fitness had returned to where it needed to be after an interrupted start to the year that included a calf injury late in the pre-season and an untimely two-game suspension that saw him miss rounds three and four.
"Fitness-wise I'm pretty well back to where I should be," Ballantyne said.
"So hopefully I can continue to get to the right spots and keep doing the things that we pride ourselves which are pressure and then kick some goals after that."
