IF you stand still, you fall behind the pack.
And two-time Peter Crimmins Medallist Josh Gibson is determined not to let that happen.
The star defender will enter 2016 on the back of arguably his best AFL season – a year in which he won All Australian selection for the first time, a second club best and fairest and a third premiership medal – but is already excited about the year ahead.
“I missed a little bit of time at the start of January, but I’m back into everything now and loving it,” Gibson told hawthornfc.com.au.
“It’s a good time of year to train hard in the heat, then get into the games, put the running a bit on the back-burner and get a little bit excited (ahead of the season).
“You’ve always got to evolve – there’s always areas that I can improve on.
“I’ll be playing different roles this year with Lakey gone and I still really want to work on some of my marking and areas like that.
“If you stay still and think you’ve got everything covered, the game will pass you by.”
It’s been full steam ahead for Gibson since the NAB Challenge got underway.
He spent more time on the field than any other player in 2015, and so far, 2016 is following a similar pattern
The 32-year-old was one of only a select group of Hawks to feature in all three matches – spending every minute of the past two matches against Richmond and North Melbourne on the park.
“I haven’t got to the bench much yet, but I’m sure that will happen at some stage,” Gibson said.
“It’s all about building in the NAB Challenge.
“We weren’t really happy with the way we played in the second game (against Richmond). It’s all about getting our structures right, and I think we did that against North Melbourne.
“Guys can take some confidence into the season after the way we played.”
Gibson himself will be able to take plenty of confidence out of his performance against his former side.
With 31 disposals, nine one-percenters, nine marks and five rebound-50s, it was your typical Josh Gibson display – and one he attributes a strong team defensive performance, with some young players gelling ahead of 2016.
“It’s still about educating the younger guys – I thought KB and Gus were really good, and we want to bring them on,” Gibson said.
“When you’re playing well as a back six unit, you tend to have a better game yourself.
“I felt I was able to have a better game because the guys around me were really working as a team, which is the key to any good defence.”
LATEST NEWS
Mitchell stars as Hawks outlast Roos
O'Rourke impresses in NAB Challenge 3
