Despite beginning his career as a ruckman / forward, the 22-year-old’s shift into defence appears a canny move.
Western Bulldogs Development Coach Maple said the strides Roughead has made in his development over the pre-season has even seen him firm as the Bulldogs’ preeminent big-bodied defender.
“A big pre-season with Rohan Smith and Matthew Scarlett doing a lot of defensive work has really seen him grow and be probably our leading key defender,” Maple said.
“Playing as a ruckman and a forward sometimes you have to make the play, as a defender he’s had that opportunity to be able to experience from being a forward but utilise that as a defender and use it well.”
More than holding his own against Brisbane forward powerhouse Jonathan Brown in round one, Roughead went on to restrict Fremantle’s Matthew Pavlich to just two goals on Saturday.
A team-lifting smother in the goal square, preventing a certain goal to the Dockers’ captain, capped-off the 200 centimetre defenders’ performance.
“Rohan has worked hard with him reading the cues of the kicker and it has paid off definitely that one,” Maple said.
“But that is the whole thing that we want to try and breed through the football club is that never give up, that never die attitude and Jordan demonstrated that well on the weekend.
“He’s had two of the best key forwards in the last two weeks and he can hold his head really high – he’s done a great job.”
Roughead has also received a glowing review from ex-Geelong premiership fullback Matthew Scarlett, after the retired Cats’ great came across to Whitten Oval in a part-time coaching capacity last November.
“They have got a lot of key position talent there, [Jordan] Roughead I think is the pick,” Scarlett recently told Mike Sheahan on Fox Footy’s Open Mike program.
“He is going to be one of the best key position players in the league even from this year.
He’s got a fantastic attitude, he’s a wonderful kid.”
