Buckley flags Witts’ debut
This article first appeared on afl.com.au
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has forecast the debut of Jarrod Witts in 2013, with the hulking young ruckman set to “find out what League football is all about” next season.
Witts, 20, has excited Magpie fans since he was signed to the club via the New South Wales Scholarship program in 2008.
Witts, from Normanhurst, attended Barker College on the North Shore and played for the St Ives Aussie Rules club.
The 209cm ruckman came close to a senior debut in 2012 – his first full season of playing in the VFL – and was named emergency for the Pies’ round 18 clash with Greater Western Sydney.
Buckley said next year would be “big” for Witts and former West Coast big man Quinten Lynch, who was recruited to support No.1 ruckman Darren Jolly in a back-up role.
“We feel that Jarrod Witts is ready to dip his toe and find out what League footy is all about so it’s going to be big year for him as well,” Buckley told collingwoodfc.com.au.
“[Lynch] is a very good forward but also a legitimate back-up ruck option.
“He hasn’t played a lot of ruck the last couple of years behind Nic Naitanui or Dean Cox as you’d expect but we actually have recruited him specifically to play more time in the ruck to manage Darren Jolly.”
The Pies made several changes in the Gillette AFL Free Agency and trade periods, with Hawthorn’s Clinton Young and Carlton’s Jordan Russell coming on board.
Marley Williams was also promoted to the senior list.
To make room, Sharrod Wellingham was traded to West Coast, Chris Dawes to Melbourne and Tom Young to the Western Bulldogs, and five senior players were delisted (Cameron Wood, Jonathon Ceglar, Kirk Ugle, Luke Rounds and Simon Buckley).
Buckley admitted the Pies had been “very aggressive” when it came to list management after identifying a need to change things given the results of the past two seasons.
“It’s a cut-throat environment, it’s a very competitive industry, and the last couple of years we haven’t been able to beat the best teams in the competition; whether it’s been at the last hurdle or the second last hurdle. We’ve just fallen short,” he said.
“We don’t want to be there again. We want to take those last couple of steps and be the premier team.
“To facilitate that, you need to improve your list and we feel like we’ve been able to improve our list to this point.”
Young has been recruited to address the Pies’ need to “sure up our wing positions” while they’re confident Russell will be able to recapture his 2010 form in a new environment after falling out of favour with the Blues.
Young will start pre-season late after he had surgery on his left foot after the Hawks’ Grand Final loss to the Sydney Swans.
He was in a moon boot when he arrived at the Pies last month.
He has since been on holiday, given the late finish to the Hawks’ season, but is tipped to attend the Pies’ December altitude training camp in Utah, along with young forward Jackson Paine.
Paine underwent a shoulder reconstruction at season’s end.
Russell has been training at the club three times a week and will start pre-season shortly, while Lynch will arrive in Melbourne on Thursday with his wife to find a new house.
The Pies will leave for Utah on December 4, with the majority of the list to attend.
They are confident Luke Ball and Lachlan Keeffe will have full pre-seasons after knee reconstructions early in the season, with just Paine and Young to be limited before Christmas.
Buckley said the annual altitude camp, which usually takes place in Arizona, was an important part of the Pies’ pre-season.
“We believe we’re going to get the same results, if not better, from our opportunities this year,” he said.
“We’ll take away a good squad, it’s a great bonding activity and exercise as well.
“We do some things over there that test mind, body and spirit, and the players need to get through it together, as do the coaches.”
