WHILE he may appear unassuming, Sandringham Dragons coach Dale Tapping describes Alex Woodward as a “tough little bugger”.
Tough is a word that Tapping constantly uses in describing Woodward, who has created quite an impression in his first TAC Cup season.
After taking a handful of games to gain a feel for the tempo of the competition, Woodward has emerged as one of the Dragon’s best and a reason why the club is enjoying its best season in years.
Woodward has been among the Dragon’s best virtually every week since mid-season and, according to Tapping, he was simply outstanding against ladder leader Northern Knights last round.
Quite apart from amassing 25 possessions, taking nine marks and kicking one goal, Woodward laid 11 tackles. It was a performance that saw Tapping and Knights’ coach Anthony Allen have no hesitation in awarding him the maximum five votes in the TAC Cup Coaches Award.
“He’s a very quiet kid, but he’s very competitive. He’s a real tough little bugger,” Tapping said.
“He follows instructions to the letter, works hard, prepares himself well and just has a great attitude.”
What makes the debut TAC Cup season of Woodward, who last year represented Vic Metro in the AFL Under 16 National Championships, even more impressive is that he came off pre-season knee surgery.
While he missed a massive chunk of pre-season, Tapping said so highly did the Dragons rate Woodward that they brought him straight into the team when he was cleared to play.
“He was always doing his rehab, doing as much as he could without stressing himself. That’s just him, he’s a real professional,” Tapping said.
Woodward damaged his meniscus during the Under 16 Championships then strained his medial ligament, an injury he repeatedly aggravated when he returned to local junior football.
Eventually, the cartilage within the knee wore away, which resulted in surgery.
The late December operation kept Woodward out of action until he debuted for the Dragons in late April.
“It took me a good three to four matches to regain any sort of touch. I just had to get used to the level of the TAC,” Woodward said.
“Once I got the hang of it, I’ve just wanted to play consistent football.”
Woodward adopts a simple game philosophy. “I just try to get my hands on the footy,” he said.
“First in, quick hands, get to every contest and get the ball up and out.
“I’ve got players around me that support me pretty well - ‘Sketch’ (Jackson Sketcher) and Jarrod Lyons. When they’re in there it’s a lot easier than it look.
“With the bunch of players we have I think we can really push ahead when the finals come around.”
Last Modified on 20/09/2010 10:51