Pattison prepares for risky leap
By Greg Lange
richmondfc.com.au
Thursday, May 10, 2007
ADAM Pattison is thinking of doing something very brave and costly.
The Tigers ruckman is considering abandoning the free food, freshly ironed clothes and rent-free accommodation he currently enjoys at the family home for the title of ‘Independent Adam’.
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Pattison’s decision to fly the family coop is symbolic of his attitude towards diving in at the deep end – something his club asked him to do when they assigned him the No. 1 ruckman role left void by the injured Troy Simmonds.
During the first three rounds, Pattison battled experienced opponents Peter Everitt, Darren Jolly, Cain Ackland and Josh Fraser. The 21-year-old, in just his third AFL season, admits it was a tough time.
“I probably struggled a little bit against the bigger taller bodies, but Terry [Wallace] said it was to be expected,” he said.
“However, I didn’t find it daunting. I was more excited about the challenge.”
While the Tigers have not placed huge expectations on Pattison this season, they have invested a lot of time in fast-tracking his ruck skills.
Richmond has employed ex-Collingwood ruckman Damian Monkhorst to assist Pattison with the subtleties of the position - skills Pattison says he is keen to add to his footballing repertoire.
“I still need to keep working on my jumping, my timing as well as use my spreading around the ground to pick up possessions,” he said.
“Because if I’m going to lose or concede the hitouts against the bigger more experienced ruckman, then I need to spread out and get more of the ball.”
Indeed, spreading out is something Pattison is starting to do a lot more, now that he is popping up more frequently on the Richmond selection radar.
“When we travel interstate, all the tall guys get the exit seats for the leg room. Even the coaches have to sit out in economy. Sometimes we even get shifted to business class,” Pattison said.
Amazingly, Pattison says he has never heard any of his shorter teammates complain about the club’s height-friendly seat allocation policy.
“They are too scared of the bigger guys,” he said, “plus they know their role, so it doesn’t matter.”
FACT
In 2007, Pattison is fighting for boxing supremacy on PlayStation 3 game ‘Fight Night’. He and his teammate Cleve Hughes, whom he rates as a “featherweight”, can often be found battling it out with several other Tigers, all aiming for the crown of heavyweight champion of the world.
Full article at:
http://richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=42918
