The new CHF?
6:01:01 PM Thu 10 November, 2005
Matt Burgan
Exclusive to afl.com.au
Richmond has earmarked young tall Adam Pattison as its centre half-forward for 2006.
The 19-year-old played two AFL matches in his first AFL-listed year in 2005, but already Pattison is being groomed to take on the key post next year, allowing club great Matthew Richardson to stay closer to goal in 2006.
"The plan for the pre-season is to train me as the high centre half-forward and Richo (Matthew Richardson) and Staff (Greg Stafford) back near the goalsquare, so I can use my endurance to move around," Pattison told afl.com.au.
"I've got to get my body right to be in the ruck, so I'd say at the moment, I'll be playing up forward."
But at the moment, Pattison is focusing on getting his body right, after a "shoulder scope" during the off-season. But he said he was about "two or three weeks" away from being 100 per cent.
"I wanted to get the shoulder right and do a lot of running, but I've done a lot more leg weights and I think I've got a bit stronger in the legs and I've put on a few more kilos and I'm up to 96kgs now," Pattison said.
"I was 90 kilos when I came here and I've put on six kilos in a year, so hopefully I will be able to put on a few more."
Pattison is aiming to be 98 or 99 kilograms by the start of the 2006 season.
On reflection of his first season, Pattison said it had been "an awesome experience".
"It was good to get through the pre-season (last season)…and get a couple of games, which was really good," Pattison said.
"I wasn't totally satisfied with what I did in those games, so hopefully that'll drive me through this pre-season - I think it is a bit - because I would have liked to have played a few more games."
Pattison was voted Richmond's best performed player for the Coburg Tigers in the VFL this year.
"My VFL form was pretty good, but I didn't adapt as well as I would have liked, but I didn't have a lot of game-time as well," Pattison said.
http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=236774