As a comeback to competitive football nears for Richmond utility Kamdyn McIntosh, he has found himself investing more time perfecting the subtle aspects of the game which have lain dormant during his prolonged absence.
McIntosh’s 2016 season was effectively ended when he suffered a syndesmosis sprain of his right ankle during training in May.
He recovered and trained towards a return at the end of the season, but it never eventuated.
That training block wasn’t wasted, however, as the 22-year-old used it to launch into this pre-season, and now, as the JLT Community Series approaches, he feels he just needs to add some finish to his game before a return to the field.
“With my footwork, I’ve been off a little bit... I’m a bit rushed,” McIntosh told Roar Vision.
“I really want to get out there and just kick the footy… so I’m a bit all over the shop at the moment.
“I’ve been working with Leppa (assistant coach Justin Leppitsch), Blake Caracella and Andrew McQualter, just to help me calm myself a little bit, get my touch back, get the feel of the game back as well, and I’m finding it’s coming along nicely with the one-on-one stuff I’ve been doing with those coaches.
“It’s just little things that you might not think about, like reading the flight of the ball, that I’m working back into my game now - and just out in drills, finding where I’m supposed to be out on the ground - it takes a little bit of time, but I’m finding it’s coming back nice and quickly.”
Another focus for McIntosh during pre-season training has been the actual position he will play within the side.
After excelling on the wing in 2015, the hard-runner impressed in a new role moving the ball off half-back in the six senior games he did play last year.
For now, McIntosh has his sight set on advancing up the field and again being part of the midfield mix.
“I thought I was going to go back into the backline this year for pre-season, but I’ve been shifted back to the mids,” he said.
“Whether I stay there when the season starts, I’m not too sure, but at the moment I’m just trying to work with the mids and really get my knowledge back.”
