Back in the AFL spotlight, Port Adelaide’s Dougal Howard opens up on his “tough’’ start to the year
Left out of the Port’s Round 1 AFL side, 2018 revelation Dougal Howard has revealed how much the decision rocked him and how he had to change his game to force his way back in.
Port Adelaide
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Surprisingly left out of the Port Adelaide side at the start of the season, 2018 revelation Dougal Howard has revealed just how much the decision rocked him and how he had to change his game to force his way back in.
After recording the most spoils (216) in AFL history last year and the most one-percenters last season (231), key defender Howard found himself on the outer when he failed to make the Power’s round one team against Melbourne.
He was surprisingly overlooked for former Demon Jack Watts, who had endured a tough first campaign at Alberton last year.
The tall, athletic Howard spent the first two rounds in the SANFL before Watts suffered what is likely to be a season-ending leg injury against Carlton.
Howard was promoted for the round three clash against Brisbane and has been a key player in Port’s AFL team since, starring in consecutive wins against premier West Coast and North Melbourne on Friday night.
“It was a tough start to the year for me and it’s really good to be back in the team,’’ Howard told The Advertiser.
“There’s a great feeling about the group at the moment and to play some all right footy on top of that and win some games is nice.
“I probably wasn’t in the form that I had to be in coming out of the pre-season, which was a bit disappointing, but through injuries the coaches have backed me in and given me my opportunity.
“It was a tough couple of weeks not playing in the AFL side but with some great support around the club it’s made the transition back in really easy.’’
Howard said he was told by the Port coaches that he had lost his spot in the club’s best 22 because of his lack of offensive playmaking.
Forward-turned-defender Watts was preferred because of his ability to win more of the ball and distribute it well from the back half.
“There was a couple of guys just ahead of me in terms of form in the backline, ‘Wattsy’ had made the move down back and they chose to go with him,’’ Howard said.
“I understood that with Kenny (coach Ken Hinkley) and we were on the same page the whole time.
“It made it pretty tough but I did understand because ‘Wattsy’ was playing some good footy at the time and I knew I just had to put my head down, play as well as I could in the SANFL and try to get an AFL spot back.
“It was very unfortunate for Jack to get injured the way he did after such a promising start to the season but with that came my opportunity and I had to take it with most hands.’’
Renowned as being Port’s “Mr One-Percenter’’, Howard said he was told he had to win more of the ball after averaging a modest 11 disposals and four marks in 20 games last year.
“They mainly wanted me to build my offensive game more,’’ he said.
“You always want to improve defensively, especially because I only started playing down back myself 18 months ago, but I also need to get more of the ball.’’
Recruited as a key forward and occasional ruckman by the Power with pick 56 at the 2014 national draft, the 199cm Howard had 20 disposals and took five marks in the standout win against the Eagles and followed with 12 possessions and six grabs against the Kangaroos.
Five of his marks were intercept marks.
No other player on the ground took more than three.
After quelling the Roos’ forwards, including danger man Ben Brown, without late withdrawal, co-captain Tom Jonas, Howard and Port now have their sights set on a giant-killing mission against flag fancy Collingwood at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
“It’s going to be as big a (minor round) game as you will get, Friday night in Melbourne against a team that is in red-hot touch,’’ Howard said.
“But we’re in good form too, so we’ll approach it like any other game and prepare accordingly.’’
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