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6:33:38 PM Mon 4 July, 2005
Alan Shiell
Sportal for afl.com.au
Adelaide champion Andrew McLeod, one of the AFL's most skilful and creative players, insists he is 'happy' as a defender, particularly because it suits the Crows for the time being.
But you sense he still fancies the relative freedom of a midfield role.
"I've been pretty happy with the way things have been going, playing in the backline," McLeod said at AAMI Stadium on Monday. "Every week's been a different challenge. Yesterday, playing on one of their (Fremantle's) better players, (Jeff) Farmer, I was happy to limit him to no goals.
"I'm pretty comfortable back there. At the moment, that's where I'm best suited to the team and that's what I'll do. I've said to you guys all along and I'll say it until I'm bloody blue in the face: 'It's not about me, it's about the side'.
"I'm happy to play back there and Neil (Craig) is pretty happy with the role I've been playing. Certainly we've got a pretty good back six at the moment."
When McLeod was reminded there had been frequent suggestions last year that he had not appeared 'happy' having to play some or several matches as an attacking half-back flanker, he said: "I got to a stage last year where I wasn't really enjoying my footy to a certain degree. I don't know really why, but now I'm really enjoying it.
"There's been a freshness about the place. We've certainly got a great bunch of guys who are all playing for the same thing and heading in the same direction, which is good."
Asked about the flexibility involved with his defensive role and how he appears to enjoy running into attack, McLeod said, with the best poker face he could muster: "I'm just trying to get my man away from the goals and put a bit of pressure on them.
"It's a great place to attack from - in defence. We've got some good players who do that - Benny (Hart), Bass (Nathan Bassett) and Benny Rutten. So we're pretty happy with the way things are going in our backline."
McLeod's long goal on the run early in the third quarter was the most spectacular and most memorable individual feat of Sunday's match at AAMI Stadium.
Goal of the year?
"Bloody oath," he said, laughing.
Better than that freakish left-footer from an acute angle in the left forward pocket earlier this season?
"I don't know," he said. "I was just pretty happy. At that stage I was in the midfield for about four minutes and I was letting the coach know there's a back pocket down here who doesn't mind getting a run in the midfield every now and then.
"Yeah, it was good to kick a goal but I was just happy to be able to sneak into the middle for a little while."
McLeod said playing Hawthorn at Launceston's Aurora Stadium on Sunday presented another challenge for the Crows.
"It's pretty amazing this season - every week's like a challenge for us," he said. "We've come up against some challenging situations. This week we play a side that's in the bottom half of the ladder and the pressure's there of us becoming complacent and carrying that (poor) form from the last quarter (against the Dockers) into the game.
"That's something we'll address this week. Certainly, we'll be looking to go down there and rectify what we did wrong yesterday and earn the four points."
Asked if coach Craig's after-match message had been 'animated', McLeod said: "Not really. Neil doesn't get too animated. He doesn't go out ranting and raving. But he was pretty clear that we had to look beyond the result, and that was what we did yesterday after the game.
"We talked about what happened and why we let it get to that situation. We were on the back foot, playing safe footy basically. It wasn't the way you want to win, but obviously we learned a lesson. We got a bit complacent and probably went down a gear and they went up a gear. They're not a bad side when they're playing some good footy here.
"It gives us something to work on as a side. If that was a side like Brisbane up at the Gabba … if they were five goals up, they're going to put a side away, and that's what we aspire to as a team. There's still a fair bit of work for us to do to become that good.
"We spoke about doing it at half-time. We knew they were going to come back out and have a crack."
Alan Shiell
Sportal for afl.com.au
Adelaide champion Andrew McLeod, one of the AFL's most skilful and creative players, insists he is 'happy' as a defender, particularly because it suits the Crows for the time being.
But you sense he still fancies the relative freedom of a midfield role.
"I've been pretty happy with the way things have been going, playing in the backline," McLeod said at AAMI Stadium on Monday. "Every week's been a different challenge. Yesterday, playing on one of their (Fremantle's) better players, (Jeff) Farmer, I was happy to limit him to no goals.
"I'm pretty comfortable back there. At the moment, that's where I'm best suited to the team and that's what I'll do. I've said to you guys all along and I'll say it until I'm bloody blue in the face: 'It's not about me, it's about the side'.
"I'm happy to play back there and Neil (Craig) is pretty happy with the role I've been playing. Certainly we've got a pretty good back six at the moment."
When McLeod was reminded there had been frequent suggestions last year that he had not appeared 'happy' having to play some or several matches as an attacking half-back flanker, he said: "I got to a stage last year where I wasn't really enjoying my footy to a certain degree. I don't know really why, but now I'm really enjoying it.
"There's been a freshness about the place. We've certainly got a great bunch of guys who are all playing for the same thing and heading in the same direction, which is good."
Asked about the flexibility involved with his defensive role and how he appears to enjoy running into attack, McLeod said, with the best poker face he could muster: "I'm just trying to get my man away from the goals and put a bit of pressure on them.
"It's a great place to attack from - in defence. We've got some good players who do that - Benny (Hart), Bass (Nathan Bassett) and Benny Rutten. So we're pretty happy with the way things are going in our backline."
McLeod's long goal on the run early in the third quarter was the most spectacular and most memorable individual feat of Sunday's match at AAMI Stadium.
Goal of the year?
"Bloody oath," he said, laughing.
Better than that freakish left-footer from an acute angle in the left forward pocket earlier this season?
"I don't know," he said. "I was just pretty happy. At that stage I was in the midfield for about four minutes and I was letting the coach know there's a back pocket down here who doesn't mind getting a run in the midfield every now and then.
"Yeah, it was good to kick a goal but I was just happy to be able to sneak into the middle for a little while."
McLeod said playing Hawthorn at Launceston's Aurora Stadium on Sunday presented another challenge for the Crows.
"It's pretty amazing this season - every week's like a challenge for us," he said. "We've come up against some challenging situations. This week we play a side that's in the bottom half of the ladder and the pressure's there of us becoming complacent and carrying that (poor) form from the last quarter (against the Dockers) into the game.
"That's something we'll address this week. Certainly, we'll be looking to go down there and rectify what we did wrong yesterday and earn the four points."
Asked if coach Craig's after-match message had been 'animated', McLeod said: "Not really. Neil doesn't get too animated. He doesn't go out ranting and raving. But he was pretty clear that we had to look beyond the result, and that was what we did yesterday after the game.
"We talked about what happened and why we let it get to that situation. We were on the back foot, playing safe footy basically. It wasn't the way you want to win, but obviously we learned a lesson. We got a bit complacent and probably went down a gear and they went up a gear. They're not a bad side when they're playing some good footy here.
"It gives us something to work on as a side. If that was a side like Brisbane up at the Gabba … if they were five goals up, they're going to put a side away, and that's what we aspire to as a team. There's still a fair bit of work for us to do to become that good.
"We spoke about doing it at half-time. We knew they were going to come back out and have a crack."
