Dale Morris said that versatility is one of the keys to the Club continuing to improve as season 2015 fast approaches.
Speaking from a wet and warm Maroochydore Sports Complex, Morris told gathered media that as the game continues to evolve, players need to evolve with it, and the ability to play in multiple areas of the ground is increasingly important.
“All my career I’ve played down back and now every player needs to be able to play multiple positions.
“The game’s changing and you need to change with the game so I’m always learning. I’m learning off the new guys, I’m learning off Rohan Smith, off Bevo, off everyone.”
“The way we play and the way that teams are going, they need players that can play in every area of the ground, so you’re not reliant on one forward kicking all your goals [for example].”
The 207 game veteran played just the 14 games in 2015 after being sidelined by a pectoral injury between rounds 4-12, before returning to the side and earning the nomination as the Club’s most courageous player at the AFLPA MVP awards.
Morris, who turned 33 in late December, said that pre-season is always a challenge, but because the coaching group are managing to keep it fresh, he’s enjoying it this year.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older but they do seem to be getting harder and harder but they’re enjoyable, they get mixed up, we come up north, we went to Lorne, they’re mixing up the pre-seasons as we go.”
And despite the wet weather, he said there’s plenty of upside to being in Queensland this time of the year.
“It’s great here. It’s [got] great facilities, we’ve got a couple of ovals to use and it’s drained the water really well and we still had a solid session out there.
“Even though it’s raining it’s still quite humid and warm, if it was down in Melbourne it would be freezing right now so we can’t complain too much.”
As the 10 day training camp moves through the halfway stage ahead of a return to Melbourne on Friday, Morris said the trip has been beneficial for the players both on and off the track.
“It’s been good, he said.
“There’s a bit of bonding and a bit of hard training and the boys really come together because we’re staying together in the same hotel, we get to stay around each other a lot more while we’re up here.”
