St Kilda midfielder Seb Ross might be coming off a stunning breakout season following an injury-interrupted past, but he doesn’t feel comfortable just yet. Not with the recent midfield additions at the Saints.
The arrival of former Western Bulldogs and West Coast midfielder, Koby Stevens, and Greater Western Sydney rising star, Jack Steele, has increased the engine room depth and talent at St Kilda, raising the competition for midfield spots.
Having never previously played more than 13 senior games in a season, Ross didn’t miss a game in a stunning 2016 which culminated in a sixth-place finish in the Trevor Barker Award after averaging 26.5 disposals, 4.6 inside 50s and 4.4 tackles.
Despite entrenching himself inside Alan Richardson’s best midfield last year, and not missing a beat thus far this pre-season, the 23-year-old is preparing to play multiple roles in 2017 to ensure he builds on his career-best campaign.
“We recruited a few more mids over the off-season, so I'm just trying to get myself as fit as possible to potentially play a couple of different positions,” Ross told afl.com.au.
“There are only three inside midfield spots, so whether (I spend more time) out on the wing or up forward a little bit, (I'm) just trying to adjust my game a little bit.
“We're a pretty experienced group of midfielders now, so we know there will be competition for spots.”
No stranger to the wing or a half-forward flank, Ross wants to be capable of playing a variety of roles on any given day. With an increase in depth and class at Linen House Centre, versatility is more important than ever at St Kilda.
“When it comes to picking a team, it's good to be able to play both those positions, because you don't want to have your one-wood and then nothing else, in case you can't get any midfield time,” Ross said.
“You've got to be bloody fit to play on the wing so if we are playing a fair few mids and I have to play wing and forward, then I'll be suited to that role.
“That's the nature of the game now. You get chucked around everywhere on game day so you have to have that knowledge of what you're doing down there, because if us mids are coming down into the forward line and we're not getting the structures right, they get pretty cranky at us.”
