DYLAN THE DESTROYER
Inverleigh v Bell Post Hill; Corio v Belmont Lions; Geelong West v Werribee Centrals; East Geelong v Thomson (SUN) “YOU know I’m Dylan, right?”
That’s Dylan Holland in a nutshell. The Barwon Heads defender is as unassuming as they come.
So much so that when the Geelong Advertiser asked for a chat, he had to double check we had the right person.
Yet the loyal Holland finds himself as a crucial piece in the Seagulls’ premiership tilt.
The undersized key defender will take some of the biggest jobs in the BFL come the business end of the season.
He will get a taste for that today when Barwon Heads hosts Anglesea in the BFL’s top-of-the-table battle at Howard Hamer Oval.
A date with Roos spearhead Jordan Erskine awaits. It’s those sorts of challenges Holland lives for.
“I started off as a back, had a couple of years up forward, now I’ve shifted down back again,” Holland said.
“I love a challenge. I do get anxious, don’t get me wrong, especially when you find out the guys you are playing on during the week.
“I do have some restless sleeps, but it’s good, you thrive on it. It gets me going.”
But Holland’s 2018 was almost over before it began.
He broke his jaw in the Round 3 clash with Ocean Grove and then suf- fered a back injury on the eve of his return.
“It’s been really frustrating. I think all up I’ve missed 12 games,” he said.
“I broke the jaw in Round 3 and then the week I was to come back, I slipped a disc in my back at training. It set me back another five games.
“It’s good to get back, have some continuity, it’s been good.”
Holland described the back issue as “really annoying”.
“This is the first, I’ve never had back issues. Generally I’ve just been unlucky with injuries this year,” he said.
“I was feeling good (before my slipped disc). Because of the jaw I was running almost the whole time, it was just the contact stuff I couldn’t do.
“Obviously with the back you are pretty limited with your training. Just getting my fitness back was good.
“I’m starting to get a bit of confi- dence now which is really good.”
Confidence is a big thing for Holland. It’s not just getting it back in his body, but also back out on the ground.
“I’m hoping just to build. I’ve put in the work now and I know my body can hold up. It does give me confidence, I think that’s important going into games,” he said.
“I suppose everyone is different (in terms of how long it takes to get back to their best). It takes a couple of games, definitely.
“And I suppose if you have a couple of games in a row then it just builds confidence from that.”
Holland has already claimed one big scalp since his return, holding Ammos forward Mitch Day goalless last week.
It will certainly give him belief he can shut down Erskine today.
“I knew going into the game I was going to get Daysie. It’s always a good contest,” Holland said.
“You’ve got to give credit to the midfield and the forwards, their pressure was unbelievable (in helping me keep him quiet). If you limit their ball use going forward, it makes your job a whole lot easier.
“That communication is key. With such a big fella like Mitch, you’ve got to limit his space and his leads. Once he gets out in front he is hard to stop.”