Going back step

RHYS Stanley has the physical attributes every footballer dreams of: size, strength and speed.

At 200cm, he is a goodsized ruckman and can outreach any defender. At 100kg, he can compete with the giants at stoppages and out-bustle most defenders.

Throw in the speed of a midfielder and it is one heck of a package.

So, after nine years in the AFL system and nearly 100 games next to his name, why has he not cemented his position in the senior side?

As Geelong builds towards another finals campaign, Stanley finds himself in the VFL, even after the injury to Mark Blicavs. Why is it so?

The answer could be as simple as he has never played in his natural position. He has been tried as a key forward, he has been the sole ruckman and played in tandem, but is Rhys Stanley a natural defender?

Playing in defence means Stanley no longer relies on making the play and presenting at the football.

He does not have to find the ball around the ground or hit the scoreboard. No key forward in the game will be quicker, stronger and bigger, and finally Stanley can play to his strengths, instead of trying to overcome his inadequacies.

The bonus to moving Stanley is a solution to Geelong’s ageing backline. Stalwarts Tom Lonergan and Harry Taylor are 33 and 31 respectively. They were pillars during Geelong’s success, but father time stops for no one.

Stanley was drafted by St Kilda as a key forward. He slowly developed, but like many young talls, it took time and there were inconsistent performances.

Stanley’s potential was evident when the bottomdwelling Saints defeated the reigning grand finalist, Fremantle, in 2014.

St Kilda won by 58 points and Stanley finished with 19 disposals, 14 marks and three goals. It was an impressive performance against a revered Ross Lyon defence.

Stanley’s athleticism was notable in 2015 when Geelong travelled across the border and defeated Port Adelaide in front of a hostile crowd.

With 17 disposals, two goals and 23 hit-outs Stanley’s performance would have been more impressive had he not injured himself during the third quarter.

The injury was significant enough to rule him out for the rest of the season, just as it looked like he was arriving at AFL level.

Geelong’s 2015 off-season recruiting spree landed Patrick Dangerfield, Lachie Henderson, Scott Selwood and Zac Smith. Smith’s inclusion had the greatest impact on Stanley.

He went from the firstchoice ruckman to second or sometimes third, and his role was altered once again.

Stanley’s predicament is not unique.

In the summer of 2008, Chris Tarrant changed from a plateauing full-forward to an elite fullback.

Years later, his brother, Robbie, moved from the forward line to defence and is now one of the top fullbacks. The final case study is Liam Jones.

At the start of the year Jones was a maligned full-forward playing VFL football. He is now Carlton’s first-choice fullback and has quelled some of the best forwards in the game.

There are multiple similarities between Chris and Robbie Tarrant, Jones and Stanley.

They were all powerful, big, fast forwards who were prone to drifting out of games. They sometimes struggled reading the game and finding consistency.

Stanley could fill a void and ignite his career by making one big switch over the summer. Rhys Thurston is a freelance writer