Ready for a Krak at the midfield
By JON RALPH
Herald-Sun
12feb06
FEW Tiger supporters would have begrudged Andrew Krakouer a poor-to-middling 2005 if the turbulence of his changing family dynamics became too much to bear.
The circus surrounding father Jim returning home after 11 years in jail for drug offences -- and Andrew's two children -- could have caused him to lose direction with his football.
Yet last year, in which he held ground rather than forged ahead spectacularly as expected, had nothing to do with Krakouer's off-field life.
Perversely, the Aborigine who left Western Australia in late 2000, has become the picture of domesticity in the past few months.
He and partner Barbara have settled second daughter Tekia, 4, into her first week of school; they have bought property in West Heidelberg and the reintroduction of Jim to the family has been positive with Tekia and older sister Allira, 6, relishing contact with their grandfather.
"I bought the house last year and we are going well and very, very settled," he said.
"This is my sixth season now and I have a house and my own family, so everything is going pretty well.
"The kids get on pretty well with Jim so they have good times. He and my mum, they come around all the time, so it's good."
It is not so much the lineage that continues to heap expectation on Krakouer, but more the glimpses of brilliance that are not yet regular.
The hope is his freakish goalsense, brilliant tackling and defensive pressure and ability to extract the ball where few others can, will combine into one comprehensive package some day.
For Krakouer that day has not yet arrived -- in 20 games last year he cobbled together 23 goals and 11 possessions per game, but he has not yet had the impact in the midfield or up forward that some expect -- perhaps unfairly.
Krakouer conceded he needed to get much fitter before being allowed the licence to roam the midfield, but said he had been reasonably happy with his progress.
"I thought I was good probably half-way through the season, then I had a month that really killed me," he said.
"I didn't kick any goals, and didn't have much of an impact, so that month really killed me and dampened the season. Up until then, I thought I was going OK and that finished the season off really poorly for me."
The flourishing of Kayne Pettifer and early dominance of Nathan Brown meant Richmond had plenty of forward options, but Krakouer is not prepared to use that as an excuse for his inability to score more often.
"I just thought I was struggling a bit, but it wasn't that blokes weren't kicking to me, it was just that I had to be putting myself in the right position, and I am not quite sure what happened," he said.
"It is something I have to work through and talk to people about."
Krakouer has trained almost exclusively with the midfield group this pre-season given his desire to play more as an onballer.
"It would be good for me to get up there, it's pretty hard to stay in a forward pocket and have your whole career there, so I need a few other strings to my bow," he said.
"My fitness levels weren't too good last year and Terry (Wallace) said we have to have fit blokes in the midfield, so that is something I have worked on in the off-season so hopefully I can get a bit more of a run.
"Terry has said he will give me the opportunity. I just need to hold up my end of the bargain and do the right thing."
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18116786%255E11088,00.html
