Greystache
02-02-2014, 02:43 PM
INSPIRED by one of this generation's great key defenders, Jordan Roughead has vowed to further boost his competitiveness in order to better curtail the best of the AFL's power forwards.
Fresh from his first full season as a defender and a year that saw him play 22 games for the first time, Roughead says he is finally starting to feel as if he belongs at senior level.
But the 23-year-old jokingly suggests he is still drawing on the experiences gained as a defender for the Lake Wendouree under 13.5s in what was, before last year, the only time he had played a full season in defence.
Roughead led the competition for one percenters _ which include spoils, smothers, shepherds and knock-ons _ in the 2013 home and away season.
But with Geelong champion turned Bulldogs defensive development coach Matthew Scarlett watching over him, Roughead is fast learning how important it is to be a "competitive beast" in order to succeed.
"You've got to have that every time the ball is in your area," Roughead said yesterday.
"Scarlo was one of the best at that. He always jokes that he wasn't the fittest bloke out there, but he just hated being beaten.
"I don't like being beat, but I know I've got some improvement to make in that area.
"That's what I'm trying to take off him, as well as the obvious positional stuff when you're out on the ground. He's great at giving insight about where to stand when the ball's more than a kick away and then when it's only a kick away and whatnot."
Roughead said the continuity of last season has given him more self-belief than ever before.
"I think just being out there on a more regular basis makes you feel as if you belong," he said.
"Having the senior guys that we have around you fills you with a bit of confidence as well, guys like Dale Morris and Robert Murphy are fantastic and really help me out."
Roughead said watching his cousin Jarryd and former teammate Brian Lake win last year's premiership for Hawthorn serves as extra motivation to help the Bulldogs back towards the top of the table.
"But we know that there are another 17 teams out there that want the same thing," he said.
"And while we finished last season with a bit of momentum we know that there's a lot of improvement that we need to go through to compete with the best teams."
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/western-bulldogs-defender-jordan-roughead-is-growing-in-stature-and-ready-to-compete-against-power-forwards/story-fndv8weh-1226815665352
Fresh from his first full season as a defender and a year that saw him play 22 games for the first time, Roughead says he is finally starting to feel as if he belongs at senior level.
But the 23-year-old jokingly suggests he is still drawing on the experiences gained as a defender for the Lake Wendouree under 13.5s in what was, before last year, the only time he had played a full season in defence.
Roughead led the competition for one percenters _ which include spoils, smothers, shepherds and knock-ons _ in the 2013 home and away season.
But with Geelong champion turned Bulldogs defensive development coach Matthew Scarlett watching over him, Roughead is fast learning how important it is to be a "competitive beast" in order to succeed.
"You've got to have that every time the ball is in your area," Roughead said yesterday.
"Scarlo was one of the best at that. He always jokes that he wasn't the fittest bloke out there, but he just hated being beaten.
"I don't like being beat, but I know I've got some improvement to make in that area.
"That's what I'm trying to take off him, as well as the obvious positional stuff when you're out on the ground. He's great at giving insight about where to stand when the ball's more than a kick away and then when it's only a kick away and whatnot."
Roughead said the continuity of last season has given him more self-belief than ever before.
"I think just being out there on a more regular basis makes you feel as if you belong," he said.
"Having the senior guys that we have around you fills you with a bit of confidence as well, guys like Dale Morris and Robert Murphy are fantastic and really help me out."
Roughead said watching his cousin Jarryd and former teammate Brian Lake win last year's premiership for Hawthorn serves as extra motivation to help the Bulldogs back towards the top of the table.
"But we know that there are another 17 teams out there that want the same thing," he said.
"And while we finished last season with a bit of momentum we know that there's a lot of improvement that we need to go through to compete with the best teams."
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/western-bulldogs-defender-jordan-roughead-is-growing-in-stature-and-ready-to-compete-against-power-forwards/story-fndv8weh-1226815665352