wegs on pendles
Team Captain
BECOMING a Magpie has given ruckman Chris Bryan a new lease on life.
The former Blue, who made his debut in the black-and-white on Anzac Day, believes Collingwood's impressive Lexus Centre facilities as well as the club’s number of support staff have contributed to his development as a player.
"I think my fitness is a lot better, I still can improve a lot, but I think that's the biggest improvement with me," Bryan told collingwoodfc.com.au on Thursday.
"With the facilities and the altitude room here, it's really helped with my fitness. I've grown up a bit as well, I know a bit more about the game and how to play.
"I also understand the whole football scene a lot more, with standing up for myself and seeking out advice."
He attributes Collingwood itself as the reason he has developed as both a person and a player, and he believes the club has made him become more extroverted.
"I've grown up as a person and a footballer," he said.
"I think Collingwood did help with the personnel and the staff they have here, there are just so many different people to talk to and get different opinions off.
"They're no good to you if you're just sitting in your shell and you don't seek them out. I think coming out of my shell and growing up a bit and understanding what is required has helped me."
Bryan grew up as an Essendon supporter and had attended numerous Anzac Day clashes throughout his childhood.
He described playing on Wednesday as "amazing", and the feeling of running out in front of over 90,000 spectators as simply memorable.
"It was my first game for the club and to come in for a game like that was super," he said.
"I've watched the game on TV and I've actually been to a couple. To be playing in it was just a different experience.
"It will be one that I'll remember for a while.
"The loudness of the crowd and the build up to it, and all the media coverage of it, I'd say it's definitely like a final.
"I think the noise was mainly the thing I wasn't ready for. I haven't played in front of such a crowd before, and you couldn't hear yourself talk. That was the biggest unexpected thing."
Bryan said he enjoyed the lead-up to the match, particularly the focus coach Mick Malthouse places on the history of the occasion.
"We had a couple of videos that he ran in the meetings, and Mick spoke about the diggers in the trenches and tied them in with relation to footy," he said.
"He spoke of working for your mates and doing what is required, so it was good to learn stuff about that and also tie it with football."
Bryan says he understands his role in the side and enjoys the responsibility of enabling Josh Fraser to drift forward and take regular breaks from the demanding task of rucking.
"I want to give Josh a chop-out in the ruck and do my bit, and then maybe spend time down in the forward line while Josh is in the ruck," he said.
"Hopefully, I'll kick a couple of goals when I am forward, and when I'm in the ruck; just get a bit of the footy around the ground and kick it in to him."
He said his relationship with Fraser is developing, and he looks forward to working with the tall Magpie for the rest of the season.
"It's been really good with Josh. We seem to have a kind of connection there, changing forward and into the ruck, and we give each other a bit of a wink or something," he said.
"We'll rotate hopefully over the rest of this season and over the next few years get a good relationship going."
Bryan had 10 possessions on Wednesday and 12 hit-outs after starting in the centre, and hopes he can improve on what he labelled a sub-standard second half.
"I wasn't too bad on Wednesday. I was a little bit disappointed in my second half as I didn't have the impact I would have liked to," he said.
"I was pretty pumped up so my first half I thought I did OK, but in the second half I felt I had a few issues and just wasn't making the impact I would have liked to."
All up, Bryan is happy he has found his way to Collingwood – despite the fact his childhood years spent as an Essendon supporter had taught him to despise the club – and is hopeful he will be able to repay his new home for giving him a second chance.
"The move has been for the best. If I had stayed at Carlton and had the same year as I did last year, my career probably would have been over," he said.
"I would have been delisted at the end of the year. Now I have two years here to make myself, and see how I go."
The former Blue, who made his debut in the black-and-white on Anzac Day, believes Collingwood's impressive Lexus Centre facilities as well as the club’s number of support staff have contributed to his development as a player.
"I think my fitness is a lot better, I still can improve a lot, but I think that's the biggest improvement with me," Bryan told collingwoodfc.com.au on Thursday.
"With the facilities and the altitude room here, it's really helped with my fitness. I've grown up a bit as well, I know a bit more about the game and how to play.
"I also understand the whole football scene a lot more, with standing up for myself and seeking out advice."
He attributes Collingwood itself as the reason he has developed as both a person and a player, and he believes the club has made him become more extroverted.
"I've grown up as a person and a footballer," he said.
"I think Collingwood did help with the personnel and the staff they have here, there are just so many different people to talk to and get different opinions off.
"They're no good to you if you're just sitting in your shell and you don't seek them out. I think coming out of my shell and growing up a bit and understanding what is required has helped me."
Bryan grew up as an Essendon supporter and had attended numerous Anzac Day clashes throughout his childhood.
He described playing on Wednesday as "amazing", and the feeling of running out in front of over 90,000 spectators as simply memorable.
"It was my first game for the club and to come in for a game like that was super," he said.
"I've watched the game on TV and I've actually been to a couple. To be playing in it was just a different experience.
"It will be one that I'll remember for a while.
"The loudness of the crowd and the build up to it, and all the media coverage of it, I'd say it's definitely like a final.
"I think the noise was mainly the thing I wasn't ready for. I haven't played in front of such a crowd before, and you couldn't hear yourself talk. That was the biggest unexpected thing."
Bryan said he enjoyed the lead-up to the match, particularly the focus coach Mick Malthouse places on the history of the occasion.
"We had a couple of videos that he ran in the meetings, and Mick spoke about the diggers in the trenches and tied them in with relation to footy," he said.
"He spoke of working for your mates and doing what is required, so it was good to learn stuff about that and also tie it with football."
Bryan says he understands his role in the side and enjoys the responsibility of enabling Josh Fraser to drift forward and take regular breaks from the demanding task of rucking.
"I want to give Josh a chop-out in the ruck and do my bit, and then maybe spend time down in the forward line while Josh is in the ruck," he said.
"Hopefully, I'll kick a couple of goals when I am forward, and when I'm in the ruck; just get a bit of the footy around the ground and kick it in to him."
He said his relationship with Fraser is developing, and he looks forward to working with the tall Magpie for the rest of the season.
"It's been really good with Josh. We seem to have a kind of connection there, changing forward and into the ruck, and we give each other a bit of a wink or something," he said.
"We'll rotate hopefully over the rest of this season and over the next few years get a good relationship going."
Bryan had 10 possessions on Wednesday and 12 hit-outs after starting in the centre, and hopes he can improve on what he labelled a sub-standard second half.
"I wasn't too bad on Wednesday. I was a little bit disappointed in my second half as I didn't have the impact I would have liked to," he said.
"I was pretty pumped up so my first half I thought I did OK, but in the second half I felt I had a few issues and just wasn't making the impact I would have liked to."
All up, Bryan is happy he has found his way to Collingwood – despite the fact his childhood years spent as an Essendon supporter had taught him to despise the club – and is hopeful he will be able to repay his new home for giving him a second chance.
"The move has been for the best. If I had stayed at Carlton and had the same year as I did last year, my career probably would have been over," he said.
"I would have been delisted at the end of the year. Now I have two years here to make myself, and see how I go."
