I work with all forwards at the club in terms of their development,developing forward line structures and goalkicking.How differently isthe forward line setting up compared to last year?
From last year we lost Nathan Thompson, Sav Rocca and Leigh Hardingbefore the season started. They contributed over 100 goals between them theprevious two years, so obviously we had to try and find other ways of kicking awinning score. In saying that we obviously have tweaked our style of play abit, but I think we have been able to be a little less predictable in our scoringoptions.
Did the club'sforward plans have to alter greatly following the injury to Nathan Thompson?
Although Thommo has been a big loss we haven't changed theway we wanted to play. His absence has allowed other players to step up andtake more responsibility.
What do you thinkof the theory that a forward line without a spearhead can be more dangerousthan one that has a main 'go-to' man?
As long as the team kicks a winning score, I don't think itmatters.
The team doesn'tseem to be running a loose man in defence as often this year. Has this had amajor effect on the side's scoring power?
There have been a number of reasons, mainly the fact we areplaying a bit more direct.
Our midfieldersand onballers seem to kicking more goals for us this year. What do you put thatdown to?
I just think they've made more of their opportunities. Ithink it a good sign that the midfield players can put pressure on theiropponents by hurting them on the scoreboard
How much time dothe forwards spend practising their set-shot and on-the-run goalkicking?
I don't think they can ever do too much. As you can see eachweek, players still miss regulation shots and as we know that can prove costlyat the end of the day. The more we can do, the better!
Do you have yourown philosophy on whether players should adopt a particular routine for theirset-shot goalkicking?
I think it is important, as they need to be able to performthe same skill over and over again under pressure, so it needs to be secondnature to them.
How much time isspent in the off-season practising the set-up for when the opposition has akick-in?
Like all areas of the game we look at working out best waysof trying to win the ball back off the opposition as quickly as we can. Ourkick-in zone can change week to week depending on the opposition, so we try toplan accordingly.
Can you give usan idea of the dynamic in the box on match-day? For example, is your primeresponsibility to keep your eye on what is going on in the forward half of theground?
I mainly keep an eye on the forwards and opposition defence.I try to watch for whether certain set-ups and match-ups are working, and thegeneral performance of each individual forward.
Many commentatorssay that set-shot kicking is one aspect of the game that hasn't improveddespite the increased professionalism of the game. What do you put this downto?
You can't underestimate pressure in any sporting field. Thebest golfers still miss 2ft putts and the best tennis players still servedouble faults. But I think the players who work harder on any part of theirgame are usually the better ones and this goes the same for goalkicking.
Which Kangaroowould you choose to kick for your life?
Any one of them……as long as they were on the goal line!
