St Kilda leader Maverick Weller has praised the impact of new development coach Ben McGlynn, saying the former Sydney small forward has introduced a more defensive orientated culture to the Saints forward line.
McGlynn arrived at Linen House Centre at the start of the pre-season, after hanging up his boots following the Swans Grand Final loss to the Western Bulldogs at the start of October.
Having started his time at the Saints in the midfield, Weller played almost permanently as a half-forward last year, where he set the tone for pressure in the forward half and also impacted the scoreboard by kicking 24 goals.
“He’s been fantastic, I’ve really grown to like Benny. The way he played I really respected, he was a niggling forward pocket, goal sneak and his work rate was just tremendous,” Weller told saints.com.au.
“He’s been great for our younger players and for myself with patterns, pressure – he’s really brought a defensive culture to our forward line, which is what they had up in Sydney.”
After a full season in the role, Weller has spent the pre-season fine tuning his forward craft, focusing on leading patterns and the defensive side of his game with McGlynn and forwards coach Aaron Hamill.
“(I've focused on) my forward play, little things with defence, patterns; it’s still a relatively new role for me,” Weller said.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Aaron Hamill this summer and Benny McGlynn on a couple of things.
“I’m just getting through the sessions, working harder, trying to get fit and stronger and hopefully it all pays off.”
