JUSTIN WESTHOFF is as excited as ever for the Toyota AFL season to begin, despite the veteran heading into his twelfth season of league footy.
Westhoff expects to play a similar role to last year, and with the inclusion of Jack Watts to Port Adelaide’s line-up, it will give him even more freedom to play a multitude of roles.
“Without Jackson Trengove here, I will have to help out Paddy (Ryder) a little bit more,” Westhoff told media on Friday morning.
“I’ll be playing a variety of roles – I love being able to slot in and help my teammates out whenever I can.
“With Watts in the team, we have the flexibility for him to play up the ground and for me to play a little deeper.”
While the Power were the second-highest scoring team in 2017, Westhoff admitted the club had a real focus on its forward efficiency over the pre-season.
“Watts has come in to help out with our forward line efficiency – as you saw on the weekend, he is an amazing set shot at goal,” he said.
“He brings that experience in the forward line as well, which is really exciting for our younger guys.
“It adds to our forward line systems and adds a bit of flexibility.
The 31-year-old was swung into defence regularly last year, and he believes having a strong defensive structure is the most important aspect of the game.
“You win games based on having a really strong defence,” he said.
“Obviously you need to kick a winning score but the main objective for us is to have a strong defensive team.
Port clash with Fremantle at Adelaide Oval in just over a week, and the utility says the club will have a relatively full playing list to choose from heading into the season-opener.
“I think we will have a full list to choose from, bar a couple – which is ideal heading into the season,” he said.
“Rocky trained yesterday and covered the ground extremely well – I expect most of the boys to get up against the Dockers.
“Round 1 is always a tough game. They will bring their best across, and we will have to be at our best to beat them.”
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