Liam Baker has been a vital cog in back-to-back Richmond premierships, but says he is still coming to grips with his positional change.
Baker was drafted at the end of 2017 as a forward who could rotate through the midfield, but midway through the 2019 season he made the switch to the backline.
The West Australian told SEN Breakfast he couldn’t have foreseen the move.
“No way. I’ve said it before, I didn’t think I had a defensive bone in my body,” Baker laughed.
“Dimma (coach Damien Hardwick) is the genius, it was his idea.
“He got me down there and it’s worked moreso than when I was in the forward line, so happy days.”
The 23-year-old identified his ground game as a factor in the switch with Hardwick having believed his willingness to get his hands dirty could suit the frenetic tempo Richmond dictate.
“He always said ‘We’ll try you at half-back somewhere along the line,’” Baker recalled.
“I didn’t really believe him, but one day I ended up back there in a VFL game, (and) a couple of weeks later I was in the AFL team.
“I’m loving it down there, it’s worked out well.”
Baker will have to adjust again this season, with the heightened pace of the game permitting backlines less time to set up.
“It’s a different game now,” he explained.
“It’s a mindset thing. We’re going to get more goals kicked on us this season than we have in previous years, so you can’t be getting too angry. You’ve just got to accept it.
“I think we're still structured well and our defence of previous years will hold up again.”
Baker last year hit a trigger in his contract for an extra season, locking him in at Tigerland until the end of 2022.
He has played 43 games since he arrived from WAFL club Subiaco, having missed just one in the Tigers’ successful premiership defence.
“I don’t want to be anywhere else, (so) I’m pretty stoked to get one more year," Baker said.