The transition from small forward to half back flanker has been an unfamiliar but rewarding experience for Hayden Crozier.
Crozier finished with 23 touches, 14 marks and was a constant presence across half back as he set up attacking moves against Essendon on Saturday night.
While he hasn’t been too exposed to playing a defensive role, Crozier said he’s enjoying the perks that come with the new position.
“It’s a different role for me,” Crozier said.
“I didn’t really play any defence as a junior player. I played some in under 18s as a defender but I’m really enjoying being back there, it has a little bit more freedom and you have the whole ground in front of you so you can see a lot more.”
While the role may be new, Crozier hasn’t been left to his own devices as Freo’s veterans have helped him adjust to his defensive responsibilities.
“It helps to have the experienced campaigners like Zac Dawson, Lee Spurr, obviously Garrick Ibbotson isn’t playing but he’s been another who’s been very good for me,” he said.
“They’ve been leading me in the right direction.
“There’s still a lot of things I need to work on but I love it down there at the moment.”
From the start, we came to compete
If the experienced campaigners were of help to Crozier, then the presence of captain David Mundy would have been the icing on the cake.
Mundy returned against the Bombers after missing last week’s game with a calf injury and Crozier said having the skipper back in the line-up was highly beneficial on Saturday night.
“Not only is Dave a fantastic player, but he’s a fantastic leader and person off the field as well,” he said.
“We know what we’re going to get from him each week.
“He shows a lot of leadership on the field and his foot skills are elite so we know if he’s coming past, he hits his targets and it’s a really good thing for us.”
