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LIN Jong picked the biggest month of last season to obliterate his reputation as a shutdown midfielder.
But what has happened since his exceptional VFL finals series, when he averaged 28 possessions and 11 clearances over the last four games, has been no less significant.
Simply, Jong, 21, has been the story of the pre-season at the kennel.
With the club looking for a midfielder to step up in the absence of departed skipper Ryan Griffen this season, the 188cm former rookie has made an emphatic statement over the past few months that he is ready to partner Tom Liberatore, Jack Macrae and Marcus Bomtempelli in the Dogs’ burgeoning engine room.
“This pre-season he (Jong) has probably been the shining light, closely followed by Jake Stringer,” teammate Luke Dahlhaus said.
“I think he has grown a lot of confidence from the VFL finals series and he really has been enormous over summer.
“He is really starting to use his pace and power in his legs, so he’s going in head over the ball and just taking off.
“He’s one of the hardest blokes to tackle at training, with his agility and speed.”
On Saturday, the Dogs will take their first step under new coach Luke Beveridge, with a near full-strength side in their NAB Challenge opener against Richmond at Whitten Oval.
While the Dogs will be missing only Stewart Crameri, the Tigers have rested some of their biggest stars including Trent Cotchin (hamstring), Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin.
Jong, who has been taken under the wing of midfield coach and three-time premiership Cat Joel Corey, wants to continue his sizzling VFL finals form into the NAB games to help cement a Round 1 berth.
“I got a lot of self-confidence out of all those VFL finals games,” he said.
“Understanding what I’m capable of and what my potential is and that I can do it at the top level.”
With the slate wiped clean after the tumultuous departure of former coach Brendan McCartney, another blossoming ex-rookie, Jason Johannisen, said the young pups were thriving with a more “daring” game plan.
“We’ve been a bit more adventurous, that would be the one word I would use to describe our game plan and our match practice over preseason,” Johannisen said.
“Quicker ball movement and a bit more direct and fast.”
A speedy half-back, Johannisen’s brief is to “take the game on”.
“Use your assets. If I see a gap, I’m going to take it,” he said.
Johannisen said Beveridge starts each training session with a joke, to help set a buoyant mood for each day.
“It gets everyone buzzing a bit,” Johannisen said.
“He’s got a few good ones, and he gets others involved, so other players have jokes as well before we start.
“It’s been a lot more positive environment with Luke Beveridge, you can ask anyone that has been at training. It has been really good and really exciting and I think everyone is enjoying it.”
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