Goodes looking to get better
He's achieved almost every individual and team honour, but Sydney co-captain Adam Goodes is still "tweaking" his game, in what sounds like bad news for opposing AFL defences.
A premiership player and dual Brownlow Medallist, Goodes captained the International Rules team that went to Ireland last year, and was named as skipper of the Indigenous All-Stars for their match against Richmond before it was postponed.
The 31-year-old forward has started the new campaign in dazzling form, kicking 13 goals in Sydney's last three pre-season hitouts.
The Swans leading goalkicker for the last two seasons when he was used predominantly as a forward, Goodes is still seeking to add improvements to his already polished game.
"I've tweaked a little bit with my kicking action this year," said Goodes, who booted 44 goals last year.
"I've just changed a positional thing with my hand and just a real minute thing with my follow through and that seems to have helped a little bit."
New Sydney coach John Longmire said Goodes turned up in good shape following his time in Ireland and had carried that through the pre-season.
"It's terrific as a coach when you want all your players to improve and a 31-year-old co-captain and dual Brownlow Medallist turns up and makes a statement that he wants to get better as well," Longmire said.
"I've seen him play some fantastic football in the past and if he's able to reproduce that on an even more consistent basis I think we'd be rapt. That's probably his only challenge in football."
With question marks over the fitness of veteran full forward Daniel Bradshaw and youngster Sam Reid and Jesse White only recently returning to action, Goodes is shaping as Sydney's prime forward option at the start of the coming season.
"I know what my role is going to be and that's going to be as a key forward, hopefully pinch hitting in the midfield when I can, when we have the forward structure that we require," Goodes said.
Longmire said he would have a better idea after training on Wednesday whether Bradshaw and defenders Tadhg Kennelly and Lewis Roberts-Thomson would be able to play in the reserves this weekend and have their only pre-season hitout before the competition starts the following week.
"Last year we played Daniel Bradshaw on virtually no preparation, so we know he can play on very little preparation, not many players can," Longmire said.
"What I do know is you can't afford to take too many with limited preparations (into round one)."
Kennelly, who has had knee cartilage issues said his general conditioning was fine and he just needed match fitness.
Irishman Kennelly is in the final year of his contract and hinted the prospect of another AFL premiership could keep him at Sydney beyond this season.
"It's always been appealing to me to go home, but I'm loving it here at this place at the moment, which is pushing towards a window of winning a premiership and there's opportunities going to come up here in the next couple of years," Kennelly said.
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