St Kilda ruckman Tom Hickey admits he endured a few sleepless nights in the lead up to last Sunday’s encounter with Melbourne star Max Gawn.
But by the final siren, the emerging Saints star walked off the ground with another victory over the incumbent All Australian, ready for a full night’s sleep.
Not only did Hickey restrict Gawn’s usual match altering impact, but he also inflicted plenty of damage of his own, collecting 27 hitouts, 21 possessions (career-high) and four clearances, along with a full complement of votes from the coaches.
“He’s a quality player so I pretty much had a few nightmares this week and worried about it a little bit,” Hickey told saints.com.au after the 36-point win over Melbourne on Sunday.
“My whole game was pretty much about getting him under control early and defending him pretty hard early, and then competing in the ruck obviously and looking to use my attributes later in the game and run off him a bit.”
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Hickey revealed he spent longer than usual preparing for Gawn during the week, trawling through vision edits and past case studies with St Kilda ruck coach Adam Skrobalak.
And he would have been glad he did, after he kept the bearded goliath to just 11 possessions and below his average for hitouts and hitouts to advantage.
“He’s a super player, so a bit changed this week trying to nullify his performance, because when he plays well Melbourne play well. So I didn’t care if I didn’t get a touch, I just wanted to keep him quiet,” Hickey said.
“You worry a little bit more about their game and how they can hurt you, especially with someone as influential as Gawn.
“I still did my usual prep and tried to play the way I wanted to play, but just in the back of my mind knowing I had to be a bit more accountable to him and not play the standard ruck role where we shake hands and see each other at the end of the game.”
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