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bornadog
17-05-2013, 04:25 PM
Greenwood goes to work (http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2013-05-17/greenwood-goes-to-work)

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Going to work,’ it's what you do as an AFL rookie.

One foot in the door of an AFL career, but no guarantees. Living the professional footballers life, but without the acclaim.

It’s not glamorous, but as Western Bulldogs second-year rookie Alex Greenwood explains an AFL apprenticeship is as much about preparing for the future as it is about the present.

Learning from the experienced today, and developing your craft for tomorrow.

“Being able to see [Boyd and Cross] go to work is pretty inspiring, and it’s not easy,” Greenwood told BulldogsTV.

“You can’t just slot in and do what they do, but you’ve got to slot in and take the steps in place to get to their level.”

“Macca always says to us as a mids group that ‘you guys are the heart of the club, you guys have got to drive it and be the engine room for the footy side.’”

“We know the pressure is on for us to step up. A lot of us aren’t actually at AFL level yet, so we me may not be doing it for the team yet, but we have to be improving so that in a year or whenever it may be that we’re there and ready to takeover that engine room.”

Gaining invaluable experience as part of Williamstown’s VFL finals campaign in 2012, the 19 year-old is confident his first full preseason has given him strong footing to continue his football education in 2013.

“To come in this year and be able do all the running, all the lifting, skills, and learn the method and the way coaches want us to play, you can’t compare.”

An ankle injury all but ended his 2012 pre-season, already cut short due to a late arrival to the Kennel via the AFL Rookie Draft.

Training under the watchful eye of midfield coach Steven King, and amongst a hard-edged young midfield group including Tom Liberatore, Clay Smith, Koby Stevens and Josh Prudden, Greenwood’s focus has been as much about developing his craft as it has been about building an AFL body.

“We’ve been together practicing body movement, how to use your hips, positioning at stoppages, and timing,” said Greenwood.

“That’s been the biggest thing, just the work around stoppages, being able to read the ball off the ruck and time it, so that you’re moving through the right areas at the right time.”

Right place, right time. Stoppage work would appear a metaphor for a rookies lot.

Do the work, develop your craft, and be ready for your chance when opportunity knocks.

bulldogtragic
17-05-2013, 04:35 PM
Nice article. I wonder if he will see another year on an AFL list beyond 2013. I hope for his sake he does.

bornadog
17-05-2013, 04:41 PM
This is what the rookie draft is all about for me. Adding young players into a group that haven't been drafted, but can learn about AFL football and train with the elite guys and see what its all about and hopefully take the next step.

bulldogtragic
17-05-2013, 05:07 PM
This is what the rookie draft is all about for me. Adding young players into a group that haven't been drafted, but can learn about AFL football and train with the elite guys and see what its all about and hopefully take the next step.
Yep. It's been quite good for us, less the Tommy Gun selection (WTF we're we thinking!), and the NSW rookies. Would have been better with Daw rather than Thorne who made the senior list (WTF we're we thinking!).

The Bulldogs Bite
17-05-2013, 06:05 PM
Speaks very well.

I haven't seen much of him, came to the club pretty raw but made improvements late last year.

Unfortunately for him we have too many inside mids as it is, so it may count against him come list management time. He's going to have to really play well for us to keep him.

Cyberdoggie
18-05-2013, 12:02 AM
Speaks very well.

I haven't seen much of him, came to the club pretty raw but made improvements late last year.

Unfortunately for him we have too many inside mids as it is, so it may count against him come list management time. He's going to have to really play well for us to keep him.

He will have to take his chances but he does have a nice left foot which our other mids don't have.

Mofra
18-05-2013, 12:35 PM
Yep. It's been quite good for us, less the Tommy Gun selection (WTF we're we thinking!), and the NSW rookies. Would have been better with Daw rather than Thorne who made the senior list (WTF we're we thinking!).
Daw was selected before Thorne - I actually think we're above par with our rookie selections over the years (probably a similar strike rate to Clayton's first round picks :eek:)

Greystache
18-05-2013, 12:55 PM
It's a difficult situation when a rookie gets a couple of injuries that restrict their playing time, they're not usually given the same amount of time to prove themselves as the listed players even though in some cases they clearly have more talent.

Hopefully Greenwood can get some continuity and show some of the form he displayed late last year so he gets another year. He's shown ability to find a lot of the ball, use it effectively, and be composed in heavy traffic. Plus he played well in the VFL finals which is an attribute I like in a player.

Bulldog Revolution
18-05-2013, 09:09 PM
I thought he was a bizarre selection given our desperate need for pace and kicking skills

I thought we should have taken the best quick flanker type