Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\nThe exciting utility feels he has the tank to run out games as a full-time rover, adding he can \u201cdefinitely\u201d see a scenario where he\u2019s on the receiving end of Sean Darcy\u2019s tapwork instead of interchanging with him in the middle of the ground. <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, working on craft in the midfield, but also the running capacity is a big strength you need in there, so I\u2019m just working on everything I need to be able to play that role for the team,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd definitely would love to link with Sean in the middle, it\u2019d be good fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite standing at 199 centimetres, Luke Jackson is a dynamic mover with the footy. (Photo by Daniel Carson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The change in ruck rules \u2014 prohibiting ruckmen from crossing the centre line to engage opponents before jumping at centre bounces \u2014 benefits an athletic beast like Jackson, so don\u2019t expect him not to still attend plenty of ruck contests. <\/p>\n
But picture him in an on-ball rotation with Andy Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Hayden Young \u2014 provided he can stay on the park \u2014 and maybe even sprinkling in some Murphy Reid. It\u2019s a terrifying proposition for rivals. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got your more senior guys like Hayden Young \u2014 his ability to stay fit this pre-season and just train, do every session … and Luke Jackson playing a bit more midfield as well,\u201d Dockers co-vice-captain Serong told Foxfooty.com.au. <\/p>\n
\u201cThose two guys, what they\u2019ve done as big-bodied mids to kind of come in, a-la Andy and I, to kind of be a bit more inside-outside and kind of use our strengths as well but allow them to play to their strengths \u2014 it\u2019s a dynamic that can be really exciting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tasmanian Devils aiming for VFL finals | 01:48<\/p>\n
What makes Jackson\u2019s shift all the more feasible is the arrival of former Collingwood premiership tall Mason Cox in the off-season SSP. <\/p>\n
The introduction of Cox, a forward-ruck in his own right, to play the second tall role behind Darcy may be the catalyst to allowing Jackson\u2019s game to develop and flourish between the arcs. <\/p>\n
\u201cA hundred per cent,\u201d Jackson said of the possibility. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe (Cox) has been playing ruck quite a bit and key forward, so he can play both positions. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think it adds a lot of flexibility to our team as well, helps out \u2018JT\u2019 (Josh Treacy), \u2018Vossy\u2019 (Patrick Voss) and those guys, so it\u2019d definitely help the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luke Jackson and Mason Cox are now teammates in purple. (Photo by Daniel Carson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
But aside from personnel dynamics, Jackson\u2019s belief that he can run out games as a ball-winner could be traced back to the club\u2019s high-performance department, which underwent significant change in the off-season. <\/p>\n
Adam Heard replaced Phil Merriman to assume the role of director of performance, and Jackson claims the playing group\u2019s running capacity and gym results have \u201cgone to another level\u201d this pre-season. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been an unreal pre-season. I look at the gym (results) compared to last year, on the track … I think the boys are pushing themselves,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a big change (in high-performance). Different change, but it\u2019s been really good for our group of players. I think we\u2019re all pushing ourselves in every area, so I think we\u2019re all improving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Going into a greater depth of detail, Serong explained that while day-to-day regimenting wasn\u2019t all that different, it\u2019s been the small details that have added \u201ca bit of freshness to the place\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cDay-to-day programming, it\u2019s not a heap different \u2014 like, we\u2019re still training on the same days, still got the same gym program in terms of when we\u2019re doing it and all that, but in terms of what is actually included in those extra running sessions … some training philosophies, it\u2019s just little tweaks,\u201d three-time All-Australian midfielder Serong said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nothing groundbreaking or life-changing, but it\u2019s little things that I guess add a bit of freshness to the place. Obviously, our past high-performance did an incredible job, and he\u2019d been there for five years, so it\u2019s a new kind of thing for a lot of our players, being such a young group. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve had a new high-performance manager, so I guess … the philosophies can kind of change in terms of what they prioritise, and little things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb Serong and the Dockers adapt to a promising new high-performance program. (Photo by Daniel Carson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Ultimately, it\u2019s a lot of talk until the Dockers turn it into action \u2014 which, for most supporters, is finals success and a look-in at a maiden premiership. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s little argument that Fremantle has a top-four list based on talent, but it all hasn\u2019t quite come together just yet as coach Justin Longmuir enters his seventh season in charge. <\/p>\n
The brutal one-point elimination final loss to Gold Coast on home soil still stings \u2014 as it should \u2014 but that valuable September experience won\u2019t have gone to waste. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think \u2018JL\u2019 (Longmuir) spoke about it; we got a taste of finals experience and what it\u2019s like \u2014 it definitely is a bigger jump to in-season,\u201d Jackson said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think getting that taste and the younger boys getting a feel of what it\u2019s like is only going to help us. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve still got a lot of growth areas, but I think that final (loss against the Suns) in particular will help us for this season.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the positional shift some have been clamouring for, and it could elevate Fremantle into the genuine premiership…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[231417,638,231425,23595,64,63,689,55,639,231419,10133,26517,231421,87606,5334,25572,48043,45742,10124,35646,2105,2485,231413,231426,3231,111707,10400,15626,229532,13126,218846,647,182036,94872,45691,677,231422,231414,222600,12156,231415,189890,37618,40736,48483,231418,215627,701,32913,3247,59976,15636,191321,31772,231420,85,231424,231423,231416,660],"class_list":["post-446331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-adam-heard","tag-afl","tag-agonising-finals-exit","tag-andy-brayshaw","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-centre-line","tag-collingwood-magpies","tag-daniel-carson","tag-dynamic-mover","tag-elimination-final-loss","tag-finals-berth","tag-finals-experience","tag-finals-success","tag-flag-tilt","tag-fremantle-dockers","tag-genuine-premiership-contender","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-gold-coast","tag-hawks-defender","tag-high-performance-manager","tag-jack-jovanovski","tag-joel-corey","tag-justin-longmuir","tag-luke-jackson","tag-maiden-premiership","tag-mason-cox","tag-match-simulation","tag-melbourne","tag-midfield-assistant","tag-midfield-coach","tag-midfield-operation","tag-oceania","tag-ominous-move","tag-on-ball-rotation","tag-origin-match","tag-patrick-voss","tag-phil-merriman","tag-positional-shift","tag-premiership-push","tag-premiership-star","tag-pure-ball-winning-midfielder","tag-pure-midfield-machine","tag-pure-midfielder","tag-queensland","tag-receiving-end","tag-robert-cianflone","tag-rookie-campaign","tag-ruck-contests","tag-running-capacity","tag-sean-darcy","tag-senior-guys","tag-sports","tag-tantalising-opportunity","tag-training-philosophies","tag-versatile-ruck-forward-hybrid","tag-victoria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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