Dane goes back to winning form
GEELONG Falcons sensation Dane Hollenkamp says his TAC Cup career would have been short-lived had he not been reinvented as a defender.
The 200cm tall helped to steer the Falcons to premiership glory as a ruckman last year but has since found a new home in defence, which has caught the attention of a number of AFL scouts.
Five straight games in his side’s best players will see him most likely start at full back in Vic Country’s clash with the Allies at Spotless Stadium next Saturday.
But Hollenkamp said no one could have foreseen his success in defence.
“I was pretty much a ruckman all pre-season to be honest,” he said.
“I played the first two intra-clubs as a ruck and a little bit forward as well, and then the last practice match against Ballarat in the last quarter, DOK (coach Dan O’Keefe) was like, ‘We’re going to throw you down back and see how you go’.
“I think a few clubs had asked to see me down there, so I played down there and they liked me down there.
“I practised a little bit more and said I enjoyed it and from there on at training, I’d just go with the backs.”
At the TAC Cup testing day in March, Hollenkamp was the only Fal- con to record three consecutive 20m sprints under three seconds, a feat that put him on the radar of AFL scouts.
But having a quick sprint will only get you so far. Hollenkamp has not only worked on defending his man, but has learnt to intercept mark also.
Teammates Connor Idun and Cooper Cartledge have been instrumental in his development, as has O’Keefe and assistant coach Luke Daffy, who takes the reins for tomorrow’s clash with Gippsland Power.
Hollenkamp said the move into defence had kept his AFL dream alive.
“I think if I had have stayed a ruckman and that’s it, it would have really been tough for me, so this definitely will help,” he said.