Meyer just fantastic
1:26:52 PM Thu 15 June, 2006
Matt Burgan
Exclusive to afl.com.au
Fans of comic books know the The Fantastic Five. as a superhero team in the Marvel stable. But to fans of AFL football, there's a new Fantastic Five sweeping the town.
It's Richmond's quintet featuring Brett Deledio, Richard Tambling, Danny Meyer, Adam Pattison and Dean Polo - all outstanding young talent and integral to the club's future.
Borne from a playful remark made by Pattison after a recent Tigers victory - The Fantastic Five were 'outed' by Deledio on Channel 10's Before the Game last Saturday night.
But as a slightly embarrassed Meyer explains, it's something he is happy to take on board, purely from the fact that he and his four mates are determined to make an impact at Punt Road.
"Now they're calling us the 'Fab bloody Five' or whatever it was on TV the other day," Meyer told richmondfc.com.au.
"(We're) the first five picks in the 2004 draft for Richmond - we were all top 20 picks as well - and he (Pattison) was just joking around in the showers after the game the other week (that we were The Fantastic Five).
"Things look pretty exciting for the club - we've got a lot of young kids in the side at the moment and we're doing pretty well - and I think even with last year's draft with Cleve Hughes, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and Trav Casserly - they're all looking very positive … the young kids are starting to step up and the Coburg form is going really well.
"Now we're just happy as a group just getting games because we're all trying to cement a spot, but things do look pretty positive in the long run."
Drafted from Glenelg at No.12 in the 2004 NAB AFL Draft, Meyer played six matches in his first year in 2005, while he has played the past four matches for the Tigers this season and was impressive against Geelong in round nine and the Kangaroos last round.
Meyer said both he and Richmond coach Terry Wallace were pleased with his progress at this point of his 10-match career.
"It's been good to get back in the side for sure, and so far I've been really enjoying it and the form's not too bad and Terry seems to be pretty happy with what I'm doing, so obviously I just hope to step up and cement a spot in the side," Meyer said.
"I think this year I'm a lot better prepared, because I've been doing a lot of extra fitness work with Matt Hornsby our fitness coach, and I've been doing a lot of extra running sessions and it's starting to really pay off.
"My fitness levels are heaps higher than last year and my speed has improved as well, so I'm finding it a bit easier to cover the ground and get more possessions."
"Terry wanted me to go into the VFL and then come into the seniors with some really good form, so basically it would prepare me to cement a spot in the side and hopefully I could come up and not just be in one week and out the next.
"That took me a little while (to break into the senior side), until round eight, but I had a good month in the VFL beforehand, when I came up, so it's been alright."
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