Carlton midfielder Nick Graham still remembers the advice his junior coach instilled in him: ‘don’t try to play on your weaknesses too much, just try to make your strengths elite’.
With these words still ringing in his ears, the 21-year-old has worked hard during the pre-season to improve his skills and kicking prowess.
“I think as a youngster I always had pretty neat skills and coming up through the ranks I wasn’t always the quickest fella,” Graham told Sportsday on Wednesday.
“I always wanted to work on my strengths, which is something my coach drilled into me. Kicking is something I’ve been working on so it’s a weapon I can take into games.”
The young midfielder, who racked up 20 disposals against the Suns on Saturday, played six consistent games last year, before injury hampered the second half of his season.
This string of games was enough to give Graham the confidence he needed heading into 2016, but he reiterated he wasn’t getting “comfortable”.
“I do feel like I belong at the level now. I think having that run of strong games last year really gave me confidence going into this year, but I never want to feel comfortable.
“I think living on the edge and playing on the edge every week, like it could be my last game, is spurring me on to try and improve every week – I never want to feel like my spot in the side is cemented.”
The No. 32 credits a lot of his improvement and development to Carlton’s new coaching team, highlighting assistant coaches Tim Clarke, Shane Watson, and senior coach Brendon Bolton.
“I’m loving going into the Club every day. Bolts has been a breath of fresh air at the footy club and there’s a lot of new faces,” he said.
“Working under Tim Clarke and Shane Watson, who have been brought over from other clubs, has not only been good for my development but all the boys’ development – hopefully we can continue to build strong relationships in the future."
Want to hear more of Nick Graham? Make sure you listen below to Carlton Media’s latest podcast Grumpy Old Defenders, hosted by Michael Jamison and Zach Tuohy. Nick Graham was the boys’ first guest!
You can listen via the official Carlton website or via iTunes, and if you love the show make sure you rate it! We enjoy getting your feedback.
