The boys have really competed well and they’re ready to go.
I’ve been really pleased right across the NAB Cup - we were number one for accuracy and score assists, number two for goal percentage from inside 50s (after West Coast), and high up there for goal assists.
It’s been a great group to work with and having the new skills that our recruits like Angus Monfries and Jake Neade have brought to our forward line means that we can be more attacking instead of looking to defend first.
We want to attack first.
If we can have guys like Monfries, Jay Schulz, Justin Westhoff, Chad Wingard, Paul Stewart and Neade all firing then it puts pressure on the opposition’s back six to defend us before they can think about doing anything with the footy themselves.
We’ve tried to get a really dangerous front six that has the ability to win the ball at ground level, give us a contest if the ball comes in long, put on scoreboard pressure and create evenness in our group by kicking multiple goals instead of having only one or two do the damage.
We want to be noted for being the best scoring side, but also the hardest-working forward line in the league.
Here is how I’ve seen our forwards over the pre-season:
#2. Cam Hitchcock
He had a disappointing 2012 and only managed 1-2 games due to injury. He played a bit in the SANFL, but his form there wasn’t great. He has really approached this year differently, put his head down and worked extremely hard. He was going well until he had a foot operation which has set him back a little. He needs to just continue to put pressure on similar players who are going to play this weekend – Chad Wingard, Angus Monfries, Jake Neade, Paul Stewart – by improving his defensive game too. That said, he’s a very classy and tricky small forward and hopefully he’ll put the pressure on for spots we need this year.
#6. Angus Monfries
Angus is fantastic. Since crossing from Essendon, his experience has given us much in terms of the roles he can play; which will be in the midfield and forward. He’s classy and a good decision maker which is what we need. He had a big pre-season and probably suffered under a heavy load by the end of it when he pulled a hamstring – that kept him out for 3-4 weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing him get on the park and give us those options we need him to.
#9. Robbie Gray
We all know what Robbie can do and we can’t wait to have him back. He’s a tricky small forward and it takes a quality defender to curb his influence on a game. He can run through the midfield but we’re not expecting big things from him first-up so he’ll play forward while he gets his body right and we expect him to give some small backs a hard time.
#11. John Butcher
Butcher’s been derailed by injuries again – the hip over the pre-season, the hand most recently – but he’s worked hard with our development guys to get back into form. He’s very competitive and helps Jay Schulz out with his ability in the air and hunting the ball at ground-level. He needs a couple of weeks in the SANFL to build his form before he’s back pushing for a spot.
#14. Paul Stewart
Paul Stewart’s had a really good pre-season and continues to be our ‘Mr. Consistent.’ He had a great year last year: winning the game for us against North and then kicking five against Melbourne in Darwin. He’s been able to show to us, and the competition, that he’s a real livewire forward. His ability to find space and create opportunities for other players is a real advantage to us and his ability to play a shutdown role (we saw that against West Coast’s Shannon Hurn in the NAB Cup) is another string he’s added to his bow.
#21. Matt Thomas
Matty’s missed out thus far with a few injury blows limiting his involvement this pre-season. It seems when he gets better from one problem, he gets whacked again! He’s there for backup as a defensive forward who can play midfield. He’s like a number of players who’ve been limited in their pre-season who will now need to wait and work for an opportunity in our side. His game against Carlton last year was a benchmark for him and that’s the sort of game we want consistently.
#22. Mason Shaw
Mason is a quality kid and we were really excited when he first came to the club about the fact that he knew where to run and the tricks he has up his sleeve. He’s going to be a big, powerful man who knows where the goals are and has a good contested mark. While he’s got time on his side, we do want him to be able to be as good as he can sooner rather than later. His SANFL form hasn’t been great early … but watch this space!
#28. Jay Schulz
We want him to get the injury monkey off his back and have a good full season! When he’s fit he gives us leadership and aggression up forward and our boys get up and about when he’s on song. Jay is a quality shot on goal and ranks highly in terms of forward accuracy but while he’s a focal point for us we also think we’ve got an even mix of other contributors who we need to support him and put on some scoreboard pressure as well. We just want him to give us 22 games this year – that would be a big boost for us.
#32. Jake Neade
He’s been outstanding and is such a quality kid. He’s got a big heart and terrific appetite to hunt the opposition when the ball’s on the ground. We’ve been after a small, creative, hard-working forward and I think we’ve got one! His size gives him an advantage because opponents might need to learn that his head is where a lot of other players’ chests and hips are – so he’ll always be protected! We’re looking forward to seeing what he can produce this year and I know all our supporters are too.
#33. Brett Ebert
Brett was firing up until Christmas. He’s one of our best, dynamic forwards and was working really well with Schulz and Westhoff. His abilities to get off his man and lead-up, play through the midfield and create options are his biggest assets. Again, he’ll be like Robbie Gray in being a ‘new recruit’ for us and we’re excited about the different dimension he can give to our forward line. He just needs to get through a period of having a few niggles and like Schulz we hope he has a big season.
#39. Justin Westhoff
Westy is versatile and he’ll play forward a little bit, but at times he’ll also help in the ruck, behind the play and on the wing. I think the focus on increasing rotation over the next couple of years will be a big advantage for Westy with the massive running capacity he has for a guy of his size. He’s not our centre-half forward and that’s something that’s probably been attached unfairly to him for a while and we like to use him as a tool to support us all around the ground. With other talls like John Butcher and Daniel Stewart we think we’ve got enough other options to play as key forwards and take advantage of Justin’s other abilities.
#40. Aaron Young
Aaron’s had a really good pre-season and has started where he finished last year. His attack on the ball is second-to-none and he’s probably the most compliant player to our forward structure. There’s a big future for him as he starts to fill out and the only thing stopping him from cracking our 22 at the moment is his ability to get up the ground and back inside 50.
#43. Daniel Stewart
He’s had a shoulder injury and worked through that problem with a solid pre-season. His competitiveness up forward has improved and he’s not going to ground as much. He’s in the mix if we don’t play two rucks, but he knows that he needs to play very, very aggressively if he wants to be considered.
Tomorrow: Josh Carr reviews the midfield. Join the club in 2013 and Show Your True Passion at www.weareportadelaide.com.au
