Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon has pleaded to the AFL coaches to experiment, instead of falling into a state of sameness, during this year’s JLT Community Series.
The preseason competition is often used to trial players in different positions, something Hawthorn did with James Sicily in 2017. The 23-year-old was used in defence during the JLT, and he then turned into an intercept machine at the back end of last year’s home-and-away season.
Lyon reckons coaches need to use the practice matches to try and reveal something they never knew they had, as opposed to staying on the treadmill of familiarity.
“Why play it safe?” he told SEN Breakfast.
“Why continue with what you already know? Why not challenge the playing list to develop into multidimensional threats?
“The worst thing that could happen is these players get a better appreciation of what it takes to defend their own positions.
“At best, you unearth a player of real quality that you didn’t know you had, and they could be the difference in contending for a flag or not.
“I don’t want to go watch a team line-up the same way they did at the end of the 2017 season.”
The dual Demons best and fairest winner also used the example of two players to prove his point that switching the magnets can have fruitful returns.
“What sort of influence does the plight of two players in particular have on the mindset of the coaching set-ups across the country?” Lyon said.
“If we cast our minds back 12 months today, January 17th 2017, where would Richmond’s Jacob Townsend and Carlton’s Liam Jones feature in terms of possible storylines?
“The answer to that is really simple. They wouldn’t feature at all.
“If not for some imagination, dare and willingness to experiment, it’s no exaggeration to suggest that they may not even be involved in season 2018.
“Instead, Townsend enters the year as a premiership hero, finals star and a key plank in Richmond’s forward structure.
“Jones has got a top 10 finish in the best and fairest to his name.
“This is what I’m hoping to see in a months time.”
A host of positional changes have already been mooted for the 2018 season, including Collingwood’s Darcy Moore moving into defence and Essendon’s Jake Stringer spending majority of his time in the midfield.