TonyK
CibbuanoGarland wins nominarion
July 8th 2008 00:56
PROMISING Melbourne defender Colin Garland has been rewarded for his consistent season with the round 14 NAB Rising Star nomination.
The 20-year-old has shown versatility in the backline, playing on some of the league's most dangerous forwards including Lance Franklin, Alan Didak, Nick Riewoldt, Nathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw.
"I guess I've been pretty consistent with my form, but I think I did alright on Bradshaw, although I didn't think it was my best game for the year," he said.
"I just tried not to wrestle with Bradshaw because he's a pretty big bloke, so I just tried to stay behind him and be in the contest the whole time."
"I've been consistently getting better. I played alright on Franklin and on Riewoldt and I did well on Didak, and my Richmond game was pretty good," he said,
"I've had a few solid performances over time, I think.
Garland said his middle-of-the-road size of 191cm, 85kg allowed him to fulfil a number of roles in defence.
"I'm sort of in between heights. I'm not overly as big as some players like Riewoldt and Franklin, but I'm a little bit taller than the small guys.
"It's a good mix because I can reach the tall guys and still do alright on the ground because
I'm quick, so I can keep up with the small Aboriginal types or Didak or [Stephen] Milne or someone like that."
Garland, who played just two senior games last year after being drafted with pick No.46 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, said the extra responsibility this year had increased his confidence.
"Because I've been playing on some of the better players in the competition, you have to step up," he said.
"It's good that they've been giving me that type of opportunity because you can earn the respect of the group when you do well."
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey said Garland had been impressive so far this season and would only continue to improve.
"Colin has played a number of roles this season, playing on both talls and smalls in the backline, after initially beginning the year in the forward line," Bailey said.
“Col has shown great improvement over the year and has gained invaluable experience against some of the best forwards in the competition.
“He'll only continue to get better over the course of the year.”
The 20-year-old has shown versatility in the backline, playing on some of the league's most dangerous forwards including Lance Franklin, Alan Didak, Nick Riewoldt, Nathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw.
"I guess I've been pretty consistent with my form, but I think I did alright on Bradshaw, although I didn't think it was my best game for the year," he said.
"I just tried not to wrestle with Bradshaw because he's a pretty big bloke, so I just tried to stay behind him and be in the contest the whole time."
"I've been consistently getting better. I played alright on Franklin and on Riewoldt and I did well on Didak, and my Richmond game was pretty good," he said,
"I've had a few solid performances over time, I think.
Garland said his middle-of-the-road size of 191cm, 85kg allowed him to fulfil a number of roles in defence.
"I'm sort of in between heights. I'm not overly as big as some players like Riewoldt and Franklin, but I'm a little bit taller than the small guys.
"It's a good mix because I can reach the tall guys and still do alright on the ground because
I'm quick, so I can keep up with the small Aboriginal types or Didak or [Stephen] Milne or someone like that."
Garland, who played just two senior games last year after being drafted with pick No.46 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, said the extra responsibility this year had increased his confidence.
"Because I've been playing on some of the better players in the competition, you have to step up," he said.
"It's good that they've been giving me that type of opportunity because you can earn the respect of the group when you do well."
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey said Garland had been impressive so far this season and would only continue to improve.
"Colin has played a number of roles this season, playing on both talls and smalls in the backline, after initially beginning the year in the forward line," Bailey said.
“Col has shown great improvement over the year and has gained invaluable experience against some of the best forwards in the competition.
“He'll only continue to get better over the course of the year.”
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