HE KICKED 4.3 as a key forward in the SANFL just two weeks ago, but it’s an impromptu stint in the ruck that’s got people talking about Port Adelaide rookie Daniel Stewart.
The 200cm goalkicker spent a month in the North Adelaide reserves during the middle of the season and found himself in unfamiliar territory upon his return to the league side.
“All year I’ve been playing as a forward, but Cain Ackland our ruckman hurt his back surfing so I had to fill in as second ruckman,” Stewart said.
“In my first game as back-up ruck our other ruckman had to go to hospital and get scans on an injury, so that left me with all the ruck duties.
“I’ve always been more of a forward, but because I’ve moved clubs a lot, different teams want you to do different things. Growing up sometimes my coaches would chuck me into the ruck, so I’ve had a bit of experience but not much.”
Power assistant coach Matthew Primus was impressed with Stewart’s transition from the forward line to the midfield and said the Victorian possessed the necessary skill and athleticism to become a very good player at AFL level.
“Stewie can play as a ruckman or a forward [at AFL level] and if you look at [retiring ruckman] Brendon Lade over his career, he’s been able to do both pretty well,” Primus said.
“Stewie’s still a long way off that [Lade’s] level, but we’ve been happy with him and we think there’s something to work with there.
“We’ll persist with him next year. Whether that’s on the rookie list or the senior list, that’s up to list management next month.”
Stewart sits down with Primus once a week to review his game tape and has also started doing extra ruck training with teammate Matthew Lobbe and development manager Stuart Cochrane.
He’s come up against the likes of AFL-listed big man Jon Griffin, big-bodied Glenelg ruckman Trevor Cranston and Sturt’s Angus Kurze, who is also in the draft mix after being invited to the South Australian state screening session.
There are five young players, Lobbe, Jarrad Redden, Jonathan Giles, Jackson Trengove and Stewart, vying for Lade’s spot in the team next season.
And according to Cochrane there’s only one thing stopping Stewart from seizing the vacant second-ruck position.
“Stewie can take a great contested mark, a great lead-up and he’s quick off the mark, so he surprises people, but the one area that he needs to continue to improve and be consistent with is his second and third efforts,” Cochrane said.
“Stewie, being the [tall and skilful] type of player that he is has probably done it easy through the junior ranks. He hasn’t had to work as hard as other players.
“He’s taken some big steps forward in that area and once he’s applying that defensive effort consistently he could be a really good player for the club.”
Stewart admitted it had taken some time for the coaches’ message to sink in.
“Before I came here I wasn’t going into games focused on one particular area, like chasing blokes or tackling,” Stewart said.
“It was all about just getting out there, taking big marks and kicking goals. That’s probably been the biggest lesson I’ve learned this year and change I’ve made to my game.”
