Greater Western Sydney's Harry Himmelberg is set to be given the chance to establish himself as a tall forward in the AFL side following a confidence-boosting effort in last year's preliminary final loss.
Brought to the club as a forward, Himmelberg broke into the senior team as a back in 2016, playing four games as a defender before getting a chance up forward last year.
He showed he could handle the role and the big occasion, kicking a career-best four goals out of a team total of just nine, in front of a massively pro-Richmond MCG crowd of 94,258 in the preliminary final.
"Coming into the pre-season, I had that little boost of confidence knowing that if I do the right things, I can impact the scoreboard," Himmelberg said.
"I know that's not my role 100 per cent of the time. I do have a lot of things to work on as far as defensive structures and defensive pressure, which is key for our success this year."
While coach Leon Cameron plans to use the 194cm Himmelbeg in a number of roles, he's left little doubt the 21-year-old will spend a fair chunk of time up forward supporting Jeremy Cameron and Jon Patton.
"It's a bit of a different role playing as a forward down there with Jonny and Jez but I've done the pre-season in the forward line," Himmelberg said.
While critics attacked the Giants lack of forward pressure last season, Himmelberg's tackling instincts have been part of his game since his childhood.
"I was probably lucky enough to have a younger brother when I was growing up, that we always used to play in the backyard and tackle each other, so I've always had an appetite to get after the opposition and tackle," Himmelberg said.
That younger sibling, 19-year-old Elliott, is starting his second season on the Adelaide Crows list, though the 198m cm key position player is yet to make his senior debut.
Himmelberg said playing his first few AFL matches as a back was good for his development and helped him see the game from a different perspective.
"I'm still open to the idea of maybe being swung back and forward if that's better for the team, I'm really loving my role at the moment," he said.
Share
