THIS pre-season is a road to redemption for Alex Witherden.
In a refreshingly open chat with AFL.com.au, the skillful Brisbane defender said he was "embarrassed" after opponent Brent Daniels kicked the match-winning goal on him in Greater Western Sydney's three-point semi-final win over the Lions in September.
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The passage of play saw Witherden drawn to a marking contest at half-forward, but when he couldn't impact, the speedy Daniels roved superbly and ran away to kick a memorable checkside goal.
The usually jovial Witherden had a hard time dealing with the incident in the aftermath.
He even got off social media once criticism flowed in about his lack of speed.
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"That week post, I felt kind of embarrassed, I felt like I let my teammates down, the supporters down," Witherden said.
"You sort of feel responsible because it's your opponent that kicks the winning goal.
"It was a tough week to get your head around it."
Upon reflection, he said it was his decision-making more than speed that let him down.
"Initially I went back to try and mark the ball, and then I saw Harris (Andrews) at the last minute. Had I stayed with him (Daniels), I could have checked his run, but I half-committed.
"I didn't make one clear decision, I floated between two options and that's what cost me.
After his end-of-season meeting with coach Chris Fagan and football manager David Noble, the 21-year-old quickly redirected his emotion into what he could do to improve.
There were a number of "one percenters" the brains trust identified.
Of his own doing, Witherden even ran a couple of times a week on an overseas holiday, just to make sure he didn't go backwards with his fitness.
After his first off-season in 2017, the young Victorian returned out of shape and was running laps the first few weeks of pre-season to play catch-up.
Even just two years on, Witherden is so much more professional.
He's started doing yoga, fixed up his diet and began doing extra sessions to help his speed and footwork.
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"It's hard to get a lot faster but I can help my technique, which will help later in games," he said.
"Sometimes it feels like I'm running through the ground.
"I'm becoming a lot more efficient and I've noticed I can run for longer because I'm putting less stress through my hips and lower back."
Witherden has been rewarded with some instant results, slashing 35 seconds off his 3km time trial prior to Christmas.
With Brisbane acquiring Callum Ah Chee and Grant Birchall to strengthen the half-back line during the off-season, Witherden knows his spot is up for grabs.
"Honestly, having competition for spots is never a bad thing," he said.
"Bringing in Cal and Birch helps us want to go to the next level.
"Every person is trying to find that extra one or two percent. The more competitive training is, the harder blokes are going to try and the more they're going to strive to be better. It's exciting.
"For us to be a better team, our bottom 10 of last season, we were a bit inconsistent and need to improve a little bit.
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"Our best is pretty good footy, but it's about us bringing it consistently for longer.
"I've been lucky to play 50-odd games my first three years, we've got good competition for spots and I want to get myself in a position where you can only blame yourself if you're not getting picked.
"I want to tick all the boxes, make sure I'm giving myself the absolute best opportunity to play every week.
"I'm confident if I can play my best footy, I'm good enough to be playing every week here."
And if Witherden's mindset is ever waning on Brisbane's hot pre-season days, there's always the memory of Brent Daniels to spur him on.
