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#1
Really enjoyed the piece on Houlihan and lets hope he has a real breakout year... or enough that he's valuable at trade time.
Good to see Josh playing at the Bullants... He's great at that level and with the new 12-10 rule players like him and Diggers will really help.
Source Herald-Sun
Good to see Josh playing at the Bullants... He's great at that level and with the new 12-10 rule players like him and Diggers will really help.
RYAN Houlihan is acutely aware his time is now as an AFL footballer.
For all the talent he has displayed since making his Carlton debut as a 17-year-old in 2000, it will mean very little if Houlihan doesn't make 2006 the season where he becomes part of the AFL elite.
Twenty-four last month and with 117 games behind him, the man known as "Hoops" (hoola-hoop) has prepared himself like never before so he can become a bona-fide member of Carlton's midfield.
At 186cm and 86kg his physique stood out this week in Newcastle as the Blues' players went on their daily swimming routine.
It has been a conscious effort from Houlihan to prepare himself for the rigours of regularly playing in the midfield, a role he knows he must take on.
"I'm 24 and people have been saying I was finished when I was 21. So I'm used to criticism, but I accept this has to be a good year for me," Houlihan said.
"I haven't had the endurance at the elite level to play regularly in the midfield, but now I'm very confident that I could go with anyone in the competition.
"Because I knew I was going into the midfield, I got stronger and fitter. I was at a stage last year where I was getting tagged in the midfield and couldn't find the ball.
"Denis (Pagan) put me to the half-back line so I could run off. I was hiding away, but now I've come to the realisation that I've got to take the next step for the club and myself."
Houlihan is part of a gifted quartet, his brothers Damian (Collingwood, North Melbourne) Adam (Geelong, Richmond) and Josh (St Kilda) all having been drafted.
Only Josh hasn't played a senior AFL game, although at 22 he hasn't given up hope and is planning to pursue his dream with the Northern Bullants this year after spending 2005 at Coburg.
Then Houlihans from Wahgunyah are proud of what they've achieved, although Ryan knows there is a school of thought that considers them largely to be wasted talents.
That's another reason why he's desperate to become an elite midfielder, as distinct from a talented kid who never quite grasped the chance.
"I don't want to get washed away so we are known as a family of wasted talent. A lot of people could say there's a lot of talent there so I want to be the one who does go on," he said.
"Damian is retired and raising a family at Sunbury after winning a flag with Corowa-Rutherglen and another couple with Gisborne under Mick McGuane.
"Adam has been training jockeys in Nick Ryan, Matt Pumpa and Mark Pegus, doing really well at it. And Josh is trying to have a good year to get another chance."
To back up Houlihan's belief that he's in the best condition of his career, he recently ran 11.05 and 11.06 around Princes Park – 35 seconds better than his previous best.
He plans to learn from teammates such as Anthony Koutoufides and Nick Stevens on how to play in the middle.
"I'm not a dumb footballer, but in the midfield I have a lot to learn. I like watching Kouta around the contests. I've learnt a lot from him, how to work and get into position, how to read the ball off the hands, whereas I would go and stand at contests and hope to get it on the fly and be out and all clean," he said.
"Nick Stevens finds a way to get the ball by running, he'll run anyone off their legs or go in and get it when necessary."
Houlihan is also making plans for life after football, his interest being in fashion where he hopes to start working each Thursday on his day off. Nothing fancy, just store work for a start so he gets a feel.
But he hopes that contingency plan is a long way off as he strives to become Ryan Houlihan the elite midfielder from Ryan Houlihan the kid with promise.
For all the talent he has displayed since making his Carlton debut as a 17-year-old in 2000, it will mean very little if Houlihan doesn't make 2006 the season where he becomes part of the AFL elite.
Twenty-four last month and with 117 games behind him, the man known as "Hoops" (hoola-hoop) has prepared himself like never before so he can become a bona-fide member of Carlton's midfield.
At 186cm and 86kg his physique stood out this week in Newcastle as the Blues' players went on their daily swimming routine.
It has been a conscious effort from Houlihan to prepare himself for the rigours of regularly playing in the midfield, a role he knows he must take on.
"I'm 24 and people have been saying I was finished when I was 21. So I'm used to criticism, but I accept this has to be a good year for me," Houlihan said.
"I haven't had the endurance at the elite level to play regularly in the midfield, but now I'm very confident that I could go with anyone in the competition.
"Because I knew I was going into the midfield, I got stronger and fitter. I was at a stage last year where I was getting tagged in the midfield and couldn't find the ball.
"Denis (Pagan) put me to the half-back line so I could run off. I was hiding away, but now I've come to the realisation that I've got to take the next step for the club and myself."
Houlihan is part of a gifted quartet, his brothers Damian (Collingwood, North Melbourne) Adam (Geelong, Richmond) and Josh (St Kilda) all having been drafted.
Only Josh hasn't played a senior AFL game, although at 22 he hasn't given up hope and is planning to pursue his dream with the Northern Bullants this year after spending 2005 at Coburg.
Then Houlihans from Wahgunyah are proud of what they've achieved, although Ryan knows there is a school of thought that considers them largely to be wasted talents.
That's another reason why he's desperate to become an elite midfielder, as distinct from a talented kid who never quite grasped the chance.
"I don't want to get washed away so we are known as a family of wasted talent. A lot of people could say there's a lot of talent there so I want to be the one who does go on," he said.
"Damian is retired and raising a family at Sunbury after winning a flag with Corowa-Rutherglen and another couple with Gisborne under Mick McGuane.
"Adam has been training jockeys in Nick Ryan, Matt Pumpa and Mark Pegus, doing really well at it. And Josh is trying to have a good year to get another chance."
To back up Houlihan's belief that he's in the best condition of his career, he recently ran 11.05 and 11.06 around Princes Park – 35 seconds better than his previous best.
He plans to learn from teammates such as Anthony Koutoufides and Nick Stevens on how to play in the middle.
"I'm not a dumb footballer, but in the midfield I have a lot to learn. I like watching Kouta around the contests. I've learnt a lot from him, how to work and get into position, how to read the ball off the hands, whereas I would go and stand at contests and hope to get it on the fly and be out and all clean," he said.
"Nick Stevens finds a way to get the ball by running, he'll run anyone off their legs or go in and get it when necessary."
Houlihan is also making plans for life after football, his interest being in fashion where he hopes to start working each Thursday on his day off. Nothing fancy, just store work for a start so he gets a feel.
But he hopes that contingency plan is a long way off as he strives to become Ryan Houlihan the elite midfielder from Ryan Houlihan the kid with promise.
