Veteran Daniel Cross has taken emerging utility Jason Tutt under his wing this summer and said he couldn’t be prouder of the youngster's progress.
With an eye on increasing Tutt’s attack on the contest, Cross said he has made strides in adding a harder edge to his game, to further compliment his natural outside flair.
“I’ve been working with [Tutt] daily,” Cross told Sportsday.
“We have been partnered up this year and he has come along in leaps and bounds.
“I am pretty proud of him in… how he’s come along because his hardness at the ball was certainly questioned when he started.”
The veteran believes Tutt’s marked improvement will add some headaches at team selection this season.
“He can certainly run and carry and use the ball - but the way that Brendan wants to us play, if you don’t play that way, you won’t get a game,” he said.
“We tried to drum that into Tutty and he is bringing that as well as his other assets and he will be a real key to us doing well this year. “
Tutt would be hard pressed to find a better mentor over the pre-season than Cross, who is known for his immaculate training and preparation methods.
Under the belief that football is a year-long dedication, the midfielder who turns 30 next month thrives on the one per cent extras he can do to keep himself in top physical condition.
“I was always of the belief that the harder you train and prepare the less likely you are going to fail out in the big spotlight,” he said.
“Everything I do daily – you can ask my wife… I definitely do drive her mad with stuff I do 24/7 - but that is the way I treat it. It is a 24/7 thing for me.
“It’s basically gearing myself up… for the two hours on game day.”
The exercise science graduate pinpoints knowing his body really well as a key element to his fitness in regards to both physical conditioning and nutrition.
“Like every player I have my weaknesses and strengths and I like to think that I work on my all parts of my game just as hard as everyone,” he said.
“I guess the key thing is knowing your body really well and that’s one thing that I have been able to do.
