Forward-turned-defender Robbie Tarrant has shown promising signs playing down back in the Roos’ match practice session on Friday.
The players sweltered through the 30-plus degree heat for a two-and-a-half-hour run at Arden Street that consisted of a one-hour competitive hit-out to finish.
The 25-year-old was among those to impress, looking composed in the backline and generating plenty of run during stints against Ben Brown and Sam Durdin.
Tarrant said he is gradually feeling more comfortable in the Roos’ reconfigured backline, but understands competition for spots will be intense.
“I’m getting there, (I’m) still learning a lot of things,” Tarrant told NMFC.com.au after the session.
“(I’m) sitting down with ‘Drummo’ (backline coach Josh Drummond) a couple of times a week and going through some edits … I don’t think it’s going to come straight away but I think it’s progressing nicely.
“We’ve got a very settled back six so the competition is going to be on.”
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The 196cm big man has also caught his teammates’ attention this pre-season, including that of fellow defender Jamie Macmillan.
“I’m liking the way Tarrant’s going about his business at the minute,” Macmillan said.
“He’s come down back and he’s really impressed me with his attack on the footy, his marking (and) he’s keeping opponents goalless or nearly there.”
Tarrant said the Kangaroos are working hard to strike the right balance of attack and defence – an area that let them down at times last season.
“We’re starting to implement the stuff that ‘Scotty’s’ (senior coach Brad Scott) introduced this pre-season,” he said.
“We’ll have a training review from that (the match simulation drills) and I’m sure things will pop up.”
Tarrant said he was pleased with the efforts of Macmillan and Shaun Atley, in particular, during the hit-out.
“Atley’s providing really good run and ‘J-Mac’ (Macmillan) has lifted and he’s really instructive and showing real leadership qualities out there,” he said.
“Those two stood out for me mainly because they’re coming back and helping the defenders out a bit.”
In a further boost, several players on the comeback trail – including midfielder Jack Ziebell, forward Ben Brown and ruck-forward Majak Daw – took part in the match simulation session.
With North’s first NAB Challenge match just over three weeks away, Tarrant said more players are pressing for selection and performing when it matters most.
“It’s good that we’re starting to get a good amount of numbers on the track now and the blokes who were in rehab are coming in and going well as well,” he said.
Veteran Brent Harvey was another who had a solid impact on the field, while forward Jarrad Waite moved freely in attacking 50.
Key forward Drew Petrie excited by the former Blue’s contribution.
“He’s been able to complete every session since we’ve started training which is good for his confidence and good for him to be able to push through it all,” Petrie said.
“He's got a good set of hands on him and he's very good in front of goal, so today, on a hot day, when the footy was nice and sticky, he shone through.”
