Ty Leonardis is relishing his new role in North Melbourne’s VFL side, after a surprise move to defence.
The silky recruit, who spent two years in Sydney with the Swans, has provided versatility in a number of positions for the royal blue and white this season.
With key defensive pairing Ben McKay and Sam Durdin withdrawn mid-game due to injury against Footscray last weekend, coach David Loader was forced to improvise, shifting Leonardis to the other end of the ground.
“I never thought I’d be playing in a deeper role,” Leonardis told North Media.
“My form in the last couple of weeks has been pretty good. I’ve usually played a lot of my footy on the wing or at half back, but here I’ve played pretty much everywhere.
“On the weekend, I was supposed to play forward and that was the message all week. We had two players go down [Ben McKay and Sam Durdin] and I had to play back.”
He was able to adapt quickly, with his elite kicking skills on display in the curtain-raiser at Etihad Stadium, and the left-footer provided a variety of looks in the Roos’ defence.
The 21-year-old’s heroics were highlighted with two composed efforts in the goal square, running back with the flight of the ball twice to save two goal-bound efforts.
“Because I was playing one-on-one last week, I was taken back pretty deep,” he said.
“I felt pretty comfortable when I was playing a couple of contests. That gave me the confidence to keep going.”
Although North’s recent form has been disappointing, Leonardis has been encouraged by the signs shown by the Roos’ emerging youngsters against Footscray and Geelong.
“Our next month of footy will be really important for us. I think we’re a good chance of making finals,” he continued.
“The boys have really bonded in the last month or so, from our big wins. Even with our recent results, it’s okay for us to come back with a loss, because we learn a lot from them.
“It’s really helped us, especially with the Geelong game where we weren’t fantastic. But we’ve learnt a lot from those games and I think the next six to eight weeks will show that.”
Having cemented a spot in North’s defence, Leonardis has now challenged himself to maintain his recent form with a string of consistent showings in the run home.
“I think be flexible with my role wherever I’m playing, especially it’s down back, I need to play well,” he said.
“I think in the start of the year, I wasn’t where I wanted to be. The last two weeks I’ve been good, I now want to show some consistency.”
Fans are invited to attend Sunday’s VFL match against Coburg at Avalon Airport Oval, with the first bounce at 11.00am. Entry to home games is free for NMFC members.
