Hughes' steep learning curve
5:10:56 PM Fri 9 February, 2007
Jason Phelan
Exclusive to afl.com.au
... burgeoning stocks of tall forwards at the club and a need to develop the youngster's defensive instincts have led Terry Wallace to recast him as a key defender over the summer.
"It's basically been like starting school again, I've been trying to learn as much as I can this pre-season," Hughes says. "One of the things I've needed to work on is the defensive side of my game, so part of the move is a bit of a learning exercise, but they reckon there's also a chance that I can develop and become a reasonable player there.
If I'm playing really well there and the side has a need for backmen then that's where I'll stay, but if I can learn a bit in the backlines it can only help the defensive side of my game when I go forward and make me a better player up there."
"If I had been playing up forward, I would have liked to have played a minimum of six games this year, but as a back-man I can't really say until I've played a few games and seen if I can play the possie!"
The 20-year-old has sought the counsel of Tiger veteran Darren Gaspar and assistant coach Jade Rawlings as he learns his craft and has also been studying tape of Geelong defender Matthew Scarlett.
"Since I got to the club last year, I've put on nine kilos in the weights room. My strength has improved a lot - they're not throwing me around as much anymore," he says with a smile. "The extra month or so of running that I did at the start of this pre-season has put me in a lot better position than I was this time last year. I've got a far better running base under my belt, so I should be able to run out games a lot better this year.
Full article at:
http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=314433
