Traded to the Bulldogs in the 2013 offseason, the 21-year-old has pace and foot skills to burn and after beginning his career at the GWS Giants is determined to progress his football.
“His foot skills can be really reliable and his attacking flair off half back,” Hansen said.
“He’s a small defender that has the speed to go with the small forwards which is really important and then we’ve tried to build his game around those two fundamentals.”
When he first arrived at the kennel, the defensive component to his game became a key focus and the coaches worked closely with Darley to better himself in that area.
The benefits of his hard work are now starting to show in games, with the 21-year-old increasingly winning his position and naturally opting for a defence-first mindset.
“He’s starting to win his one-on-ones more regularly than not, which is really important for a defender because we want them to focus on defending first,” he said.
“But then his ability to run and carry the ball off the half back line or deep in defence and use the ball for us going forward offensively is really important.”
Adding a more defensive side to complement his natural outside run is helping Darley make an impact on game day and become a more well-rounded player.
“He’s [Darley] starting to get the nice balance between defending but then getting involved offensively when he gets the opportunity to do so,” Hansen said.
“He’s starting to get more of a rounded game which is really impressive.”
Hansen said if he continues to show commitment and professionalism in regards to his football then he could have a long career at the Bulldogs ahead of him.
“He’s giving himself the best chance to be the best player that he can be and hopefully a long term player at this football Club,” he said.
