Marcus Windhager has wasted no time in tapping into the knowledge of new midfield coach Lenny Hayes as he looks to further entrench himself in St Kilda’s on-ball brigade.
The first-year Saint became a mainstay of the senior line-up last season, earning particular praise for his tagging roles on the likes of Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale and All-Australian Tim Kelly, but has eyes on expanding his horizons in 2023 under the tutelage of his new line coach.
The fruits of a diligent off-season – in which the 19-year-old and Mitch Owens were almost a daily presence at RSEA Park – have already started to show, with top honours at the club’s initial time-trial on Monday pushing his case forward.
“I’m definitely working on all areas (of my game). That run-with role was something that was brought upon me late last year and I enjoyed it at the time,” Windhager told SEN.
“(Tagging) is more of a learning sort of style of play, getting to run with great players like Lachie Neale and Tim Kelly. As much as it was a role for the team, I thought it helped me heaps tapping into what styles of play these guys have.
“If I get called upon to play as a tagger I’m more than happy to, but at the same time I’ve had a key focus on improving my own game.
“I’ve always thought endurance running and being clean are the two most important things, so a few of us boys who stuck around and stayed local during the off-season stuck to the running program and did a lot of extra touch work with a few of the coaches like Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard.
“To be able to tap into legends of the club, it’s pretty awesome. Us younger boys have already started catching up with them and getting the most out of them as we can.”
Windhager is eager to see St Kilda adopt more of an attacking style of play; something that was hinted at by Senior Coach Ross Lyon when he was appointed to the role.
The young Saint’s athleticism and aerobic capacity were two of his key strengths that appealed to recruiters last year, which have only grown over the past months.
“I pride myself on my running ability and that’s something I want to be known for,” Windhager said.
“Watching a few teams last year that just played that quick rebound footy, it’s exciting and fun to watch, but being a part of a side that’s just going to run all day and just attack is going to be a joy to be a part of.”
The nose to the grindstone approach doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time for Windhager, especially with a new senior coach at the helm who reads from the same hymn book when it comes to working hard.
“Everything he’s said to us as a playing group so far I’ve just loved. The way he goes about it and everything he stands for is just awesome,” Windhager said.
“That’s pretty much his overriding theme: just work ethic. So far this week, that’s what we’ve tried to adhere to. All the boys have been pretty good at getting on the track and putting their head down with our running and with our training.
“I guess all we can do from our end as players is put our heads down and work our arses off, and that’s what Ross expects of us now.”
