In Hawthorn’s nail biting four-point win against Geelong on Friday night, several young Hawks stepped up to the plate and staked their claim for regular senior selection.
Teia Miles was among them. The versatile defender managed 17 disposals for the game, with nine of them coming in a busy first quarter.
Though Geelong managed to claw back a 41-point lead to hit the front deep into the third quarter, Miles was happy to get away with the win.
“We want to taste that winning feeling.
“Hopefully we’ll be winning lots of games during the season, and there’s no better time to start than in the JLT series.”
Fresh off a successful season with Box Hill in which he finished third in the VFL side’s best and fairest award, Miles is experiencing his best pre-season campaign to date.
“It’s the best pre-season I’ve had at the club so far, and to get a game in the first JLT round is pretty exciting, and to get a couple of kicks and come away with the win was really good.”
Watch: Kade Stewart discusses his winning goal
While the desire for a regular AFL berth isn’t far from his mind, Miles is focusing on stringing together consistent showings throughout the pre-season in order to earn the respect of his teammates and fellow backmen.
“Hopefully I can get a few more JLT games, and gain the trust of the boys down in the back line and show them that I’m capable of playing down there, and then we will just see how things go during the year.”
“I’m just going to keep focusing week in, week out.”
