Article on Thomson about himself from July...On the rise: Adam Thomson
By Katrina Gill
Thu 24 July, 2008
ADAM Thomson knows he’s not the magician holding the wand in Port Adelaide’s midfield, but he’s confident he can become a pretty handy assistant.
The hard-nosed 21-year-old struggled to break into the Power line up last year, as the team felt the need for speed, but demanded selection earlier this season with a string of stand-out performances for Sturt.
Thomson, who models his game on Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell, is a tough, in-and-under type-player, determined to take his SANFL dominance to the next level.
“I guess I’m not the quickest bloke in the AFL, but you try to play to your strengths and, for me, that’s definitely my ‘inside’ ability. I just try to get it out to the blokes like Danyle Pearce and Shaun Burgoyne, who do all the magic,” Thomson said with a laugh.
“At Sturt I played that in-and-under role from under 17s all the way through. It’s just how I started playing, I don’t know why, but I don’t really know any other way.”
Thomson has played 28 games in nearly four years with the Power, prompting a former teammate and media commentator to call for the shy lad from Murray Bridge to seek a trade out of Alberton.
But Thomson, who has dreamed of playing AFL footy since he was a boy, believes he’s good enough to cement a place in the Port Adelaide line up.
“There has been a fair bit in the press about me leaving and doing the same thing as Brad Symes [going to Adelaide], but I really enjoy it here at Port. I want to play here as long as I can and prove to the coaching staff and the players that I’m good enough to be a regular AFL player,” he said.
“I’m not a big personality, so I can’t really march up to Choco’s [Mark Williams’] office and demand to know [why I’m not in the side] or anything like that. I prefer to try and suss it out and I already know what I have to improve on.
“The past couple of years have been frustrating, but this is what I really want to do, so I have to take it one week at a time, as they say, and whether I’m playing with the Power or at Sturt, I just have to play as well as I can.”
Thomson has battled groin soreness, which the club feared was the early sign of osteitis pubis, this season, but with Port Adelaide committed to auditioning players for next year, he’s likely to receive more opportunities.
The prolific ball winner, who started his career with the Ramblers Football Club in Murray Bridge, has worked on several areas of his game with midfield coach Matthew Primus, including his disposal and offensive actions.
“I’ve played a bit of a different role this year, moving across half forward and trying to crumb a few goals,” he said.
“This year I’ve kicked more goals than any other year, which is another string to my bow, instead of just being able to play in the middle and, hopefully, it will hold me in good stead to stay in the [Port Adelaide] team this season.”
http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/News/NewsArticle/TabId/6038/default.aspx?newsId=64031
