Caddy now a Dusty-style double threat Courtney Walsh
The Australian
June 2, 2018After proving a matchwinner for Richmond last weekend, Josh Caddy received the ultimate compliment from premiership coach Damien Hardwick.
According to the Tigers mentor, Caddy has developed into a “double threat” capable of damaging opposition teams in two areas of the ground, just like his superstar teammate Dustin Martin.
“He is one of those players like Dustin. He is a double threat. We can play him on ball. We can push him up forward,” he said.
In a week where Kevin Sheedy, who served both Richmond and Essendon with distinction, received Legend status in the Australian football Hall of Fame, Caddy is the type of player he would like.
For the four-time premiership coach, who also led the Giants in their formative years, was lauded for developing versatile footballers capable of playing multiple positions.
Caddy may have believed he would spend most of his time in the midfield at Richmond but, to his credit, he is proving above average in multiple positions.
According to the AFL’S Official Player Ratings, Caddy is the most improved performer in 2018 heading into the “Dreamtime” game against the Bombers at the MCG tonight. He credits an improvement in his accuracy for that status, having overcome a form of the yips last season that made “the goals feel like they narrowed up to a metre wide”.
“Probably on paper, my year has looked better in terms of goals kicked, that sort of stuff,” he said.
“But internally, I am just doing the same things as I was last year, playing pretty much exactly the same role. Things are probably just coming off a little bit better for me.
“In terms of the goalkicking, I was kicking a lot of points last year and obviously that doesn’t look as good on paper, whereas this year I have been much more accurate.” Not surprisingly, he is more than happy to play wherever Hardwick fancies as long as he remains influential.
“Obviously, it was documented I came here to play in the midfield and help out there and it transpired the other way and I played probably more forward,” he said.
“But I’m loving my footy at the moment and (I’ll do) whatever ‘Dimma’ (Hardwick) needs me to do. If Dustin needs a rest down forward, I’ll go in the midfield, and if we need a forward target, I’ll play up in the forward line. There’s no dramas either way.”
It is no surprise Caddy is enjoying his time at Richmond given the contrast to the two seasons he spent on the Gold Coast at the start of his career.
In his second season at Punt Road, the 25-year-old has played in 22 wins from 30 matches and claimed a premiership. The Suns failed to win in his first 17 matches, with his maiden AFL victory coming in round 16 of his second year up north.
At a time when the Suns are struggling, Caddy has become the damaging presence they hoped he would become when selecting him with pick No 7 in the 2010 draft.
The Suns and Caddy were an unhappy pairing, with the former under-18 All Australian keen to return home almost as soon as he arrived due to his father suffering ill health.
In the end, he stayed a season longer before being traded to Geelong. Caddy was a consistent performer with the Cats, playing 71 games in four seasons.
But when Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan were joined by Patrick Dangerfield, he was never going to command the midfield time he desired, hence the trade to a third home in just six seasons.
This appears a trade in which both clubs have won.
Caddy is a premiership player still blossoming, while the Cats landed the talented Brandan Parfitt and developing Quinton Narkle with the trade picks secured from Richmond.
But whether Caddy should persist with demanding more time in the midfield remains to be seen.
According to Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy, he is far more valuable to the Tigers as a forward who spends bursts in the centre than the other way around.
“He is an All Australian forward. He is never going to be one in the midfield role. Gee, is he playing some good footy in the last six weeks,” he said on Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
Caddy delivered against St Kilda last weekend when Jack Riewoldt was knocked out in the opening minute.
And he was similarly effective when called on in rounds 19 and 20 last year when the dual-Coleman Medallist was sidelined with an eye injury.
“Obviously we would have preferred to have Jack there but when he went down, I was the oldest player there … so it was a challenge for me and something I enjoyed as well, to be a leader down in the forward line and provide a target for the boys,” he said.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/caddy-now-a-dustystyle-double-threat/news-story/ec47c3a34b7ee52e9cb47bcf5dd7ac5c
