WITH the bulk of pre-season training behind us, we are all busy preparing for the upcoming season with a number of practice matches. I watched the senior team play at Telstra Dome on Friday night before playing my first practice match for Williamstown, our VFL affiliate, the following day.
It was great to be able to get out and have a run around against the Northern Bullants in my first game for Williamstown, who are being coached again this year by Brad Gotch. Brad is the Development Manager at the Western Bulldogs and even though I’ve had a lot to do with him through our development program, it was interesting to see another side of him, the coaching element, last weekend.
It was the first time he has coached me in a game and I was impressed with the way he went about his job, providing everyone with good feedback on how to improve their game and how to improve team performance. While Brad is keen to see players like myself develop, he is also a very competitive man and you can sense he is looking forward to a big year at Williamstown.
I was also happy because I was able to play in my preferred position too. I started on the half-forward flank and rotated through the midfield during the match, picking up a few touches along the way.
We have another game at MC Labour Park this Saturday, this time against Box Hill. It will be another chance to get a solid game under my belt, so hopefully I can continue to make an impact to give myself the best possible chance of playing senior football at Williamstown.
If I can string together some good performances then maybe I will be able to achieve one of my goals for 2008 of playing a senior game for the Western Bulldogs.
