AFTER overcoming the first injury of his AFL career, Brisbane Lions midfielder Jack Redden has gone outside the boundary line to improve his game.
Redden, 24, had played 112 consecutive games since his 2009 debut, until ankle surgery forced an early end to his campaign midway through last year.
Rather than purely concentrate on his rehab program, the South Australian was thirsty for knowledge on how he could become a better footballer.
He started watching more games from the grandstand, getting behind-the-goals vision of games, and picking the brains of the Lions' coaching staff to better understand both himself and his teammates.
Now, with the ankle injury behind him and a full pre-season to fall back on, Redden says he can become a better footballer.
"Leppa (coach Justin Leppitsch) came in last year with a new gameplan, and ... watching from the top you can watch it all unfold and you can see the team defence and how important it is," Redden said.
"That's one part of my game I need to improve and we've identified that. It was good for me because I could sit above and watch how it all unfolds and how it works and I can play instinctive footy when I know that.
"It's been really good for me. Working on that game knowledge and footy smarts, it's improved my football by doing so."
Redden has forged his reputation on being a midfield hard nut, who thrives in congestion.
He regularly sits in the AFL's top five tacklers (6.3 a game over his career), and gets enough of the ball (21.5 a game) to be a consistent midfield contributor.
But in a midfield that boasts the likes of captain Tom Rockliff, Dayne Beams, Daniel Rich and the injured Pearce Hanley, Redden wants more.
"One of my focuses has been to get more outside footy to add to my game," he said.
"I've been working closely with (assistant coach) Danny Daly on how I can improve my game in that sense. I've got the run and capabilities to get that outside footy, it's just working through running patterns and studying the game as to where I can pick up that extra four or five possessions a game, so it's not just the inside stuff.
"If I could bring that into my game I think I could be a lot more damaging and have a lot more impact on the game."
