I’ve found myself in the forward line a lot more over the past 12 months and your brief is still the same – you have a job to do to the best of your ability.
I’m still playing my defensive role, just in another part of the ground.
That’s where I make my mark in the game, with the defensive part of my game, and I’m in the forward line for my defensive pressure.
Being on the end of a couple of goals really tops off a game nicely like it did last weekend against the Crows.
One minor difference is probably that I wake up a little less sore on the day after a game.
For some reason when I’m in the back half I come out of it a bit battered a bruised, but I still usually pull up alright.
There has been a bonus for us on Sunday mornings too nowadays.
For as long as I’ve been here we’ve had a Sunday morning recovery session after a Saturday night game, but we have been given Sundays off this year.
Considering I drive an hour each way to get to recovery, which only ever last 30-40 minutes, I’m really appreciating the change.
I make sure I spend the whole day making it quality family time – we often go up or down the coast. Before that I will usually go for a 30-minute walk or bike ride to get the body ticking over anyway.
I can’t sit still for long.
I like to try to stick to what I would call a normal lifestyle in the lead-up to a game too.
The day before a home game I will often do a bit of work around the house or maybe even go for a fish if I can.
Friday night is usually low key, maybe watch a bit of telly or have family or friends around for dinner.
Sometimes we might get out to a movie, but there’s no set structure or routine.
I don’t like to think too much about the game until it’s time to play. If I think too much about it before hand I usually go bad.
If I need to I’ll mow the lawn on a Saturday game day morning, then I’ll do it. Every now and then I might take the tinny out the back and have a bit of a fish, just for an hour or so.
I find it very relaxing and it helps clear the mind.
I don’t mind throwing the ball to the dog, or having a kick or playing match box with my son Brock.
Like I say, it’s all about keeping life very normal.
Winning is something that has become normal for us lately too, and last Saturday night was definitely one of our best against Adelaide.
We’d lost to a good team the week before and were playing another good team and luckily we got away with the win.
Everyone was saying how big the game was for us in the lead-up, and it was. We wanted to play the game on our terms how we wanted to play it and show ourselves more than anyone that we could do it.
There’d been some talk about the way we’d been finishing too, but this one was won and lost in the last 10-15 minutes and we had to fight right to the end.
There’s a really good sense of team about the place at the moment, and that’s why we won’t be falling into any false sense of security about Melbourne on Sunday.
