Ben Collins
Western Bulldogs Website 2nd February 2012
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/56033111/tutty246b.jpg
WHEN considering diminutive Bulldog three-gamer Jason Tutt, 'strong' isn't the first word that comes to mind.
Quick? Yes. Elusive? Check. Goalsense? You betcha.
Each of those qualities came to the fore during Tutt's sensational 26-touch, four-goal debut against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in round 22 last year.
But strong?
The answer is, perhaps surprisingly, yes. For his size, the 20-year-old is one of the strongest Bulldogs of recent times.
In the club's sub-80kg class, Tutt recently equalled the previous record of 21 chin-ups (while wearing the required 10kg weight vest) set by former Dog-turned-Sun Jarrod Harbrow.
"Brian (Lake) was saying that I'd put in a couple of half ones, but they were counted so I'll stick with that," Tutt said.
"I couldn't get that last one out to break the record, though - I only got halfway up.
"Maybe next time I'll beat it. That's if I stay under 80 kilos."
For all that, Tutt hasn't beefed up his 177cm frame as much as he'd hoped this pre-season. He has converted some fat into muscle but continues to hover around the 77-78kg mark. He wants to reach 80kg by the start of the premiership season.
Tutt's improved strength should help him in his quest to become a better inside player. A natural outside runner who can break lines, he is determined to give his game a harder edge, "so that if the contested ball is there, it can be won, or at the very least it can be halved and we can have a stoppage".
None of which should come at the expense of Tutt's impressive outside play, as displayed by his top-three placing in the Bulldogs' brutal high-intensity running test, comprising repeat 100m runs with diminishing rest periods. Tutt smashed his pre-Christmas result of 42 with a New Year's effort of 47.
As those figures suggest, Christmas back home in Canberra was no holiday. Tutt trained most days with older brother Ryan at his old club Ainslie.
Tutt credits his brother, almost four years his senior, with playing a significant role in his career. Ryan Tutt represented NSW/ACT in the national under-18 titles in 2005 and came close to becoming an AFL rookie. After three seasons in the SANFL with Glenelg and Norwood, he returned to Ainslie to help his little brother get drafted.
"It was a pretty selfless act," Jason Tutt said.
"He'd run around with me at training and let me know if he thought I wasn't pushing myself enough.
"And during games he'd always have my back. That was good because Canberra is a bit like bush footy in that if you've had some spotlight growing up, you get a bit of a target on your back."
As well as being stronger, faster and fitter, the younger Tutt also feels a greater sense of belonging among the Bulldogs' senior group - and he should after the impact he made in the last three rounds of 2011 in a wing/high half-forward role.
His debut was the stuff of fantasy - a game-high 18 kicks, goals with each of his first three kicks inside the opening seven minutes and a vote in the Brownlow Medal.
"I look back on it with a bit of pride," the 2009 draftee says. "Bulldogs supporters still come up to me and say, 'Jeez, that was a good first game.'
"But enough's been said about it now. I just want to move on from it and focus on this season - and hopefully give people other things to talk about."
Tutt knows there will be opportunities for youngsters like himself under new coach Brendan McCartney, but he isn't looking too far ahead. However, he is determined to feature in the Bulldogs' NAB Cup campaign and push for selection in the season opener against West Coast at Etihad Stadium.
"If you're in my position, with only a few games under your belt, you can't really take any other attitude than that cliché of week-by-week," he said.
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