Jarrad Waite says North Melbourne’s injury prevention techniques have allowed him to play some of the best football of his career.
The key-forward has played 29 games out of a possible 31 since arriving at Arden Street, and has hit a purple-patch of form in recent weeks, kicking 16 goals in the opening four games.
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“North Melbourne do injury prevention better than I’ve ever seen,” Waite said to Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
“We probably spend three or four hours just working on injury prevention.
“So rather than worrying about the injury once it’s occurred, we do that much exercise on it all so everything’s strong and we can get through a full season.
“It’s probably the one thing that I’ve found has really helped me and my footy and durability.”
A feature of Waite at top form is his ability to jump early, protect the drop zone and consistently take contested marks.
But it’s the work he does in the gym during the week that allows him to do what he does best.
“There was a lot of things I couldn’t do at Carlton, I had some back issues so a lot of the leg weights I wasn’t able to do,” Waite said.
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“At North Melbourne we’ve come up with alternative ways to do squats, leg press and things like that which doesn’t affect my back.
“I feel really strong in the legs – I’ve still got chicken legs but I’m able to use my athleticism.”
Waite said playing consistently has allowed him to stay focused, and avoid finding himself frustrated out on the field.
He’s only had one minor report in his time at North; a charge for rough conduct resulting in just a $1,000 fine.
“Back then (at Carlton), I was frustrated with where my body was at and my performances,” Waite explained.
“I probably wasn’t playing to the level I expected from myself and in other ways it came out the wrong way.
“Where I’m at at the moment is where I wanted to be playing for the last 10 years. I feel like I’m finally getting some continuity even though it’s taken to the latter part of my career.”
That continuity has led to a better understanding between Waite and his fellow forwards, Ben Brown and Petrie. No side has scored more points in 2016 than North Melbourne and the club’s talls have played a big part.
But according to Waite, it took a while for everything to click in the front half.
“It probably took a good six months last year (to build chemistry). The second half of the season we (Waite, Brown, Petrie) really started gelling together.
“Everyone down there is working for each other. I remember the first couple of weeks in pre-season; Drew came up to me and was like, ‘how do we work together so we can become a really good force?’
“He was asking me what I do well, and I was asking him the same. We try to work off each other, and the big thing is not to get in each other’s way.”
