Shannon Neale is determined to put his own slant on a Geelong key forward post as he emerges from the shadow of club great Tom Hawkins.
Neale, a 200cm target, played 15 games in a breakout campaign last year, kicking 23 goals to help steer the Cats to a preliminary final.
But the 22-year-old never really felt like he owned his spot as teammate and mentor Hawkins fought to overcome a troublesome foot injury in a bid to return for the finals.
Now, with triple-premiership hero Hawkins retired, Neale has the chance to make his own mark on the forward-line.
It starts with the Cats’ first match of the season, against Fremantle at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
“There’s an opportunity there for me to take it and I’m excited to run out there on Saturday against Freo,” Neale said.
“Me and ‘Hawk’ are different players in terms of what we bring, strengths and weaknesses.
“But I’m definitely excited to make it my own and play in a forward-line that is just as exciting, respectfully, without him.
“When he got injured I felt like I had to come in and play his role, whereas this pre-season has been good to build my own role and build a forward-line around the talent that we have there now, and not someone who might be injured.”
Neale will feature alongside mobile key forward and four-time All-Australian Jeremy Cameron in a Geelong attack that boasts plenty of weapons despite 796-goal champion Hawkins’ departure.
Tyson Stengle, Ollie Henry and Brad Close all booted 25 or more majors last season behind leading goal-kicker Cameron (64).
Oliver Dempsey, Gryan Miers and Shaun Mannagh are also scoring threats, and off-season acquisition Jack Martin presents a fresh option.
Neale, who has played 20 senior games for 24 goals over three seasons, insists he is still trying to earn the respect of his teammates.
“I’ve only played a handful of games and I’ve still got a long way to go,” Neale said.
“I’m looking to build the connection with my teammates on the field as well as off the field. It’s something I’ll continued to work on.
“I still haven’t played a full season, so I’m looking to bring continuity into this year and have an impact and be a good teammate.
“The ultimate goal is to win some games, which would be great.”
Neale kicked two goals in an important interstate win over Fremantle when the teams last met – in round 23 last year.
He expects a tough battle with Dockers key defenders Alex Pearce and Brennan Cox on Saturday.
“I’ve got a clear focus on how I can approach those guys but I think it’s got to happen from a whole team perspective – not just me,” Neale said.
“They’re a really good outfit but we’re up for the challenge.”
Neale is out of contract at the end of the season but is “comfortable” in Geelong and expects a new deal to be done.
