NARROWING his focus at the start of 2021 and realising he "doesn't have to be everything" as a player has been a key reason behind Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines' career-best form.
Having lost sight of what his one wood was through a challenging and injury-interrupted period, the midfielder has honed back in on the contested strengths that make him one of the best of his kind.
Putting the shin, foot and shoulder injuries he has battled in recent seasons behind him has also been critical, with the combination of confidence, fitness and clarity in his role driving a standout season.
"It's been about accepting where he fits in the scheme of things and understanding he doesn't have to be everything for the team," Power midfield coach Jarrad Schofield told AFL.com.au.
"He doesn't have to be the outside player or the link-up player or the goalkicker.
"We've narrowed his focus as to what his strengths are and with confidence in his body and good form, it's fuelling his week-to-week consistency.
"Previously he was trying to play the uncontested game a bit and work onto the outside and wanting to be a link-up player. He lost a little bit of sight of what his one wood is."
A return to his contested strengths has seen Wines rank No.1 at Port this season for disposals (32.8) and contested possessions (14.7), both career highs, and No.2 for clearances (6.2) and centre clearances (2.8) behind Travis Boak.
He ranks No.3 in the AFL for disposals and No.4 for contested possessions, but it is the scoreboard impact of his coalface work that Port is relishing.
Ranked No.1 at Port for both groundball (9.8) and hard ball gets (4.4), Wines has averaged 6.3 score involvements and 1.8 score launches – both personal highs when comparing his past four seasons.
"Once your strengths are working in that pre-clearance and post-clearance groundball game, the rest of his game is coming to fruition," Schofield said.
"His work ethic from contest to contest is very good and now he knows how to get across the ground and be smart with his running patterns.
"So his out-number game would put him into positions for those involvements."
Schofield believes Wines is now "right up there" with the best inside midfielders in the competition, sitting fifth in the AFL Coaches Association Award, five votes behind leader Marcus Bontempelli.
He has a greater understanding of how honing his contested strengths and not deviating from them within games benefits the Power and better supports his teammates.
"It's taken the load off Travis (Boak) for one, because last year he was the one being talked about as much, if not more, as the main guy in the midfield," Schofield said.
"I think they're both complementing each other really well this year.
"He sacrifices his game as well if he has players go to him. But he understands what it looks like when he brings his A-grade game to the side."
