Newman ready for the challenge
4:11 PM Mon 11 February, 2008
By Justin Rodski
richmondfc.com.au
RICHMOND defender Chris Newman says he’ll be “full of pride” when he runs out as a vice-captain for the first time this season.
Speaking from the Tigers Community Camp in Echuca, Newman couldn’t hide his joy at being named in the leadership group.
“It’s a huge honour to get vice-captain this year; it’s something that you only dream of to be one of the captains, especially at such a proud club as Richmond. I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
The new look leadership team at Punt Road includes midfielder Nathan Foley and Newman as vice-captains, along with Troy Simmonds, Nathan Brown, Joel Bowden and Kane Pettifer.
Kane Johnson set to skipper the Tigers for the fourth consecutive season.
Newman has become one of the Tigers’ most important playmakers out of defence in recent years, and he believes the inexperience of the back six has helped him to take on more responsibility at the club.
“Having such a young group on the field, especially in the back half, probably forced me to come out of myself a bit more to become that leader,” he said.
“You have to make a bit of an extra special effort for the younger guys. I sort of see myself as an older player now and I’m only 25, but you look around and there’s 18-year-olds, there’s blokes that were born in 1990.”
After suffering a season ending broken leg midway through 2006, Newman expected the nature of his injury to affect his recovery, but he played all 22 games in 2007, finished eighth in the best and fairest and averaged more than 18 disposals per game.
But despite his successful return, Newman knows how lucky he was to have had such a smooth recovery.
“I didn’t really expect to but I ended up being really fit. I didn’t really feel anything with my leg at all so I was really lucky in that regard. It could have been messy like Nathan’s (Nathan Brown) break, but it wasn’t fortunately,” he said.
“It’s a bit of a setback but these are the things that come with footy and I’ve been pretty lucky with injuries, so it’s just something you have to get over.”
Newman says Tiger fans can expect big things from young defenders Kelvin Moore and Luke McGuane in 2008.
“They’re really two fierce competitors that we’ve needed and they’ve got that size, so I think it’s time they take that next step. I think they’re really looking forward to the challenge as well.”
The imminent return of midfielder Mark Coughlan from his second knee reconstruction will be a major boost for the Tigers this season and Newman expects him to make a big impact through the centre corridor.
“Its going to be like having a new recruit out there with ‘Cogs’. We’ve really missed him the last couple of years and he’s obviously itching to get out there. He’s one of those hard bodies you need in the midfield.”
With Coughlan’s return and a pre-season free from any major injury, the Tigers will have an almost full squad to choose from for this weekend’s NAB Cup opener against the Saints.
Many players will be battling it out for positions in the starting 22 inthe season proper, and Newman says depth of this quality is well overdue at Punt Road.
“It’s a good problem to have and I think that’s starting to spread all across the ground. There’s a big line up for the back half as well and it’s obviously hard to get into the forward line because it’s such a dangerous group.
But that’s a problem that we’ve probably needed to have and it’s come to us now. It’s about developing and getting some games into the young guys, obviously the older guys remaining at that standard and hopefully it all glues together and we have a good year.”
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