Western Bulldogs big man Jack Redpath will captain the Club’s AFLX side this weekend despite having just 34 games under his belt, but according to coach Rohan Smith, the power forward is the right man for the job.
The 26-year-old Redpath will lead an inexperienced side into the six-team tournament at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday afternoon, but there was a reason that the Kyneton product was elevated into the Club’s leadership group before Christmas.
“I think Jack just drives really high standards,” Smith told RSN on Friday.
“He’s not afraid to stand up and speak if someone is doing something wrong, or not doing the right thing in the gym or they’ve cut a little bit of a corner, then he’s the one to stand up and say ‘hey, I saw that’.
“He’s quite a strong influence in the way that the players train, the way he drives the standards of the Club, and players probably saw that and wanted to vote him into the leadership group.”
According to Smith, Dogs fans should be looking forward to seeing 2017 draftees Aaron Naughton and Ed Richards in action for the first time, as well as a host of the Club’s emerging young talent.
“We played a bit of scratch match yesterday and they really stood out, so look at Ed Richards tomorrow night and see his pace and his skill level.
“He’s a really exciting young player, and you’ll see some things form him that will make you go ‘wow’.”
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