GPS data obtained by NMFC.com.au reveals the 27-year-old is in the AFL’s elite for distance covered in games and it’s little wonder he’s had such a strong season.
“It gets me games. If I’m not working hard, I’m not running and I can’t play the role they (the coaches) want me to play,” Gibson admits.
In just his second year, the wingman leads North Melbourne for disposals and in a sign of his ability to get away from his opponent, he is 79 ahead of his nearest team-mate for uncontested possessions.
“There are probably deficiencies in my game that would perhaps get exposed if I didn’t have the benefit of being able to run and get into space.
“Decision-making is easier when you are out in space, uncontested because you’ve worked hard to get it.”
While run and work-rate is a feature of his game, Gibson doesn’t read too much into the pure data.
“For me it’s about consistency of running, how you are running at the start of the game compared to the end. That’s perhaps where you get your edge,” he added.
“People look at you sometimes and say ‘you are a good runner, you’re never tired’, but that’s not the case, it’s all relative.
“If I’m hurting, the guy I’m playing on should be hurting the same, if not more, so you don’t really tend to think about it too much. If you’ve got to run, you’ve got to run.
“I don’t know what they are going to do with the second substitute, but all of a sudden, rotations get decreased, guys have got to spend longer out on the field, so being able to run out a game gives you a bit more confidence that you can burn opponents and outwork them.”
Despite a tendency to use his athletic abilities to gain an advantage, the importance of finding the ball in close can’t be understated.
Gibson has significantly upped his numbers in that area this year.
“The amount of pressure on you now as an AFL player is probably the most it’s ever been.
“Defensive pressure especially has gone up a lot, so you are going to find yourself in more and more contests. If you can’t win contests, regardless of how you are on the outside, teams will exploit you.”
His flexibility as both an inside and outside player has made Gibson a lock in the Kangaroos’ side. Having played every game, he’s been one of the great success stories for 2013.
“It’s been consistent, nothing too special. I was just happy to get a taste of it last year and build on it this year, but I feel like there’s a spot for me in the side.”
Gibson is in the prime of his career, but even the running man himself can feel the pinch of a long campaign.
“Recovery is huge. Especially, I don’t like to say it, but especially at my age,” he joked.
“I probably don’t recover as well as I did when I was a bit younger. It’s just important, just repetition in getting your body right. It’s boring at times, but it helps you feel a lot better on game-day.”
