JERMAINE Miller-Lewis is making the switch from attack to defence ahead of his second season in the brown and gold.
After spending much of last season up forward for Box Hill Hawks’ development side, the rookie-listed Hawk has been swung around to the other end of the ground this pre-season.
Miller-Lewis says getting used to a new role has been a big challenge – but a really exciting one.
He’s trying to soak up as much information as he can.
“It’s going really well at the moment,” Miller-Lewis told hawthornfc.com.au
“Last year I was in the forward line, and this year the coaches have moved me to the back line.
“I’ve been learning lot - I’m just being a sponge at the moment.”
With pace to burn and strong foot skills, Miller-Lewis has been picking up the skills required to become a dangerous rebounding defender.
“It’s a lot of sitting down looking at vision, going through game concepts, game-play and game styles,” the 19-year-old said.
“It’s about just really learning it, understanding it and trying to put it in the memory back so when I get out out on the track it comes naturally and I can let my natural game take over.
“I’m making steady progress, but I’m definitely seeing that improvement and starting to get more comfortable.
“I understand what I need to work on and it’s exciting – I can’t wait to start playing games.”
Miller-Lewis has taken a defence-first approach to the role, before using his skills to attack.
He’s got plenty of good role models at Hawthorn, with some of the best rebounding defenders in the competition to learn from.
“I’ve got to learn how to defend first, then work off from there, try to get the footy and pump it into the forward line,” Miller-Lewis said.
“It’s a really exciting position and I’m really enjoying it. It’s about getting that confidence and backing my ability to be able to come across and take a mark or make a spoil.
“I’m learning a lot from the likes of Josh Gibson, Shaun Burgoyne and Luke Hodge. Taylor Duryea’s got a lot of information and feedback for me on the track too.
“Playing in the backline, I’ve found that there’s constant feedback – both positive and room for improvement.”
Last year, Miller-Lewis got a taste of senior footy in the NAB Challenge, and this year’s he’s set his sights on securing a senior VFL berth.
“I’m striving for that at the moment and putting in the hard yards at training,” he said.
“Last year I played all my footy in the Box Hill development side, so the goal for me is to play consistent footy and try to be in the VFL seniors for Round 1.”
