JOEYS’ X-FACTOR
JOEYS ON TRACK FOR FLAG DEFENCE
DUAL premiership coach Heath Jamieson believes returning VFL star Alex Hickey can make an instant impact in St Joseph’s midfield this season as the club chases backto-back flags.
The 23-year-old was in and out of Geelong’s VFL side last season but has been let go by the Cats, freeing him up to return to the GFL powerhouse.
While he played most of his footy off half back in 2017, Hickey has put his hand up for a midfield role.
“I’ve sat down with Alex; he probably wants to become more of a midfield player,” Jamieson said.
“Obviously we know he can play back and he played forward in the finals series to good effect for us as well, so he’s expressed his desire to play in the midfield and we’ll have a look at that over preseason.”
Jamieson said having Hickey permanently would bolster the reigning premier.
“Alex is a great leader as well and we’re always keen to get our players back, but we always try to push them to play at the standard they want to play,” he said.
“He’s had his crack at the VFL, his work commitments have probably gone up — he works in Melbourne — so he finds it hard at some stages to keep up with the commitment of VFL footy.
“That step down to GFL level is going to suit him, so to get a leader like Alex back is great for our footy club.”
Lech Featherstone is another who is shaping ominously at Drew Reserve.
The 28-year-old arrived on the eve of last season, before finishing tied for second in the Mathieson Medal.
“I see some upside to Feathers,” Jamieson said.
“I think he had a really good season last year but he’d be the first to admit he turned up towards the start of the season and didn’t have the greatest of pre-seasons.
“Now that he lives down here, he’s put a fair bit of work over the summer and hardly missed a session now. We expect him to be fully fit and firing and playing to the best of his ability, which is pretty scary given the level he played at last year.”
Joeys welcome 2015 premiership ruckman Josh Hovey (Torquay) back to the club, along with Martin Dufty (WRFL) and Lucas Anderson (Lake Wendouree).