Sam De Koning’s rise from ‘stick’ to Geelong defender of the present and future
When Sam De Koning entered the league, he was a self-professed ‘stick’. Now he is one of the league’s top key defenders, and at just 22 years old the young Cat is eager to keep growing.
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When he arrived at the club in 2019, rising Cats star Sam De Koning was a self-professed “stick” of a footballer.
Standing at 204cm and weighing 85kg, the wiry key defender knew he had to put on some size in order to compete with some of the league’s best forwards.
Working with the strength and conditioning staff, De Koning said he was quick to want to fill out his frame.
“I came into the club at 85kg, in my first pre-season I finished at 92kg and played that season at 92kg,” he said.
“I came back the next pre-season at 103kg which was a bit too heavy, so I brought that down, played at 95kg last year and now I’m 100kg, which I feel pretty comfortable at.
“When you first come in you’re a bit of a stick … the strength and conditioning staff are good in making sure it’s all functional, we’re not just chucking on muscle for the beach.
“I’m still trying to work out what’s best for me but I still want to stay athletic and stay mobile, and be good on the ground and cover the ground well, so tweaking where that is.”
The extra size has made a difference, with De Koning breaking onto the scene in 2022 with an outstanding campaign that saw him finish second in the Rising Star award behind gun Magpie Nick Daicos after playing just one senior game in his first two seasons at the club.
De Koning has risen to prominence, with his coach Chris Scott claiming he was already one of the league’s top key defenders, with his combination of strength and athleticism allowing him to cover a variety of opponents.
“It’s definitely helped with having situations covered, if the ball gets kicked on our heads I feel confident standing under it against the bigger bodies,” he said.
“I play a style that is a bit different, I like to use my athleticism a bit more and try to get some of my strengths out of it … I’ll try to get the best out of my game but it does help being able to have every situation covered.”
Round six’s win over Sydney saw a different side of De Koning, with the key defender thrust into the midfield to fill a ruck void left by the late out of Jon Ceglar.
Having not played any games in the ruck at the AFL level, De Koning could not have been expected to dominated the game, but like his fantastic season in 2022 the young gun surprised many with 16 disposals and 11 hit outs.
He said he was ready for the ruck duties whenever “Scotty” called upon him.
“I’m not too sure what the situation is, just got told last week that I might be needed in the ruck, I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team and what Scotty tells me to do,” he said.
“It was a bit different, I’ve played a little bit in the ruck throughout my time … just not at the highest level.
“Blitz (Mark Blicavs) and Rhys (Stanley) and Cegs (Jon Ceglar) are all great ruckmen and to get some knowledge off them and the midfielders in there give you a lot of confidence to attack the game and try to play well.
“They really do well at preparing well so any situation that might come up could be handled properly.
“So I had tons of work during the week so I could train a little bit and do some work with coaches.
“I try to stay on top of every position just in case I’m needed because I feel as though I can move anywhere and play anywhere.”
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Originally published as Sam De Koning’s rise from ‘stick’ to Geelong defender of the present and future