FIFTEEN to 20 minutes a week may not seem significant, but for emerging Essendon VFL ruckman Michael Sikora it’s invaluable time.
That’s the time Sikora spends with David Hille, the Essendon veteran ruckman who co-captained the club with Matthew Lloyd one season and won a best and fairest, who helps the 206 cm second-year VFL player with his ruck tuition.
“I’ve learned so much from him,” Sikora said.
“I just try to ask him as many questions as I can. It’s something you don’t get at an aligned club.
“It may not seem much to an ordinary person, but 10, 15, 20-minutes with someone who has played almost 200 AFL games to pick their brain and soak up all that knowledge is invaluable.”
Sikora trained with Essendon at the end of last season in a bid to gain selection at either the NAB AFL November or Rookie Draft.
He did all the testing sessions, competed with all the AFL aspirants and gained an appreciation of what’s needed at an AFL club.
While not selected in either Draft, Sikora’s promise was enough for Essendon to persuade him to move from Sandringham to Windy Hill.
Sikora discussed the switch his manager who viewed it as a win-win situation for the raw ruckman, especially if he wants to put himself under serious scrutiny of AFL talent scouts – not that you could miss him.
After playing 18 games last season Sikora, an ex-basketball player, flagged his promise.
Sikora noted the transition from an aligned VFL club to a stand-alone AFL club presented him with greater opportunities to develop his game.
“There is a lot more contact hours with the coach,” Sikora said.
“There is only 21 (players) on the list so there is much more time to do one on one work with the coaches.
“Just being part of an AFL environment has helped me so much, just with the professional way they go about things.”
The 24-year-old was just one of three VFL players to gain a game for Essendon’s VFL team in the season-opening crushing win against Bendigo Gold.
He was happy with his ruck work, worked on his second efforts, took a handful of marks in a game he viewed as giving him something to work on.
Unlike last year when Essendon was hit hard by injuries, the Bombers are virtually injury-free.
Sikora realizes that at times it may be tough to squeeze into the team, but he understands the situation and believes it’s still beneficial to his development to train and play at Essendon.
“When you get an opportunity you have to grasp it with both hands,” he said.
Last Modified on 24/04/2013 12:54