THERE aren't many tougher roles in footy than being asked to quell the influence of Caleb Serong.
The 2020 Rising Star winner has added two All-Australian guernseys and two Doig Medals to his CV in the past two years, and had been a crucial cog in the Dockers' three wins leading into Saturday's clash with Melbourne.
DEMONS v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats
In planning to face Fremantle, winless Demons coach Simon Goodwin made key changes for his side, headlining-making moves that saw Bayley Fritch and Jacob van Rooyen dropped back to the VFL, and Harrison Petty swing forward.
But another move that went under the radar, but proved just as pivotal, was handing Demons hard nut Jack Viney the job on Serong.
"Serong is a gun of the game, and particularly around clearance. He's a freak. So I had a job today to try and nullify his dominance around stoppage and clearance. I really cherish those opportunities," Viney told AFL.com.au after he played a key role in Melbourne's drought-breaking win.
"My mindset is to beat my opponent, whoever it is, nullify what they can do but also damage them on the other end."
Key to Viney's success, and a crucial part of getting the Demons' first win of the year, wasn't just his stopping power, but his ability to get dangerous with ball in hand himself.
Keeping Serong to just nine kicks for the day (in 27 disposals) and only five clearances allowed Melbourne to get dangerous out of the middle and create genuine attacking opportunities. As a result, the Demons won centre clearances 20-11, an area that Fremantle is typically dominant, and builds its game upon.
"I knew he was going to take me to the ball, he's so dangerous and clever around contest areas," Viney said.
"Thankfully, our team got to win some contested possession and I was able to make some good reads on the back of that and spread out (of) the contest."
That spread meant Viney ended the game with 25 disposals, five clearances and a goal to his name, in addition to making life exceptionally tough for Serong.
"He's the heart and soul player within our footy club, you just know what you're going to get with Jack Viney. And he's a leader that you know wants to do the best for the team," Goodwin said after the match.
"The thing that he does value is what we spoke about today, and he values the pressure side of the game, he values the contest side of the game, and he led the way. He had a role today for the team; he's very task-oriented, but he was able to get off and influence the game himself, and it's credit to Jack.
"He was at the club for a long time (on Friday) doing extra stuff and working hard to make sure he's really clear on where his opportunities would sit and what he had to do around the ball."
