Composed Simmonds plays for ruck group gig
Martin Boulton Echuca | February 7, 2008 | The Age
RICHMOND ruckman Troy Simmonds has emerged from the horror of 2007, when he cobbled together 10 games, by raising the bar for the Tigers' midfield this season.
The 29-year-old took a lead role in yesterday's coaching clinic in Echuca, which attracted about 400 children, but probably delights in kicking a footy to anyone at this stage of the year.
After ankle surgery sidelined him for the opening two rounds last season, Simmonds played four games, missed six, played the next six and was then hospitalised with a blood clot on his lung.
It's no wonder he's looking forward to today's intra-club practice match in Moama.
"It'll be my first run (since round 18 last year) and I'm feeling really strong again, the best I've felt for a long while," he said.
There was no evidence to show his ankle problems contributed to the dangerous blood clot that hospitalised him on the eve of last year's match against Collingwood.
There is, however, no doubt he desperately required medical attention to avert further complications.
Having fully recovered with the aid of blood-thinning medication and survived another gruelling pre-season, the former Dockers big man feels especially motivated by his young Tiger teammates.
"What I'm really looking forward to is working with this midfield group," he said.
"I think we're starting to get a bit more maturity in there with some of our younger guys like (Richard) Tambling and (Nathan) Foley and (Daniel) Jackson working alongside (captain) Kane Johnson."
Despite the off-field drama unfolding at West Coast in recent seasons, Simmonds said the Eagles midfield was the benchmark of the competition and a model of consistency worth trying to emulate.
"When you look at Dean Cox at West Coast and the midfield he's had around him over five or six years … I see some of our young guys coming through and really building that chemistry."
He said the Tigers suffered badly from injuries to key players last year, which in turn drained the confidence of some players.
"It gives you a mental boost to have all the senior players around the younger guys (and) I can sense a lot of hunger going into the season … as you should when you finish on the bottom of the ladder."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/simmonds-set-to-lift-midfield/2008/02/06/1202233950862.html
