Richmond veteran Chris Newman is hoping his performance against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium last Sunday will be a turning point in what has been a frustrating season for him.
Newman, playing a small forward’s role, picked up 15 disposals, including four inside-50s, applied four tackles, and kicked a valuable goal in the team’s 16-point win.
The former Tiger captain admitted his form had not been as he would have liked since returning to the senior side following a lengthy stint on the sidelines earlier this year with a groin injury.
“It was sort of a better game on the weekend,” Newman said on this week’s episode of the Club’s official podcast ‘Talking Tigers’.
“I’ve been pretty disappointed the last couple of weeks and almost embarrassed with my output on the field. So, I was really keen to rectify that . . . get a little bit more time forward and stay in the one position.
“It was good to hit the scoreboard, and that’s probably the expectation going forward.
“Playing forward, you’ve obviously got to put a lot of pressure on, but also you’ve got to hit the scoreboard.
“If you’re going to keep your position up forward, you’ve got to kick goals. So that’s one thing I’ll be focusing on.
“The last couple of weeks I’ve been getting caught in between contests, and haven’t been getting to a lot of front-and-squares and that sort of thing. It’s something I’ll continually work on.
“But the one thing that I try and maintain is pressure around the footy. I feel like I can bring that each week.”
The 33-year-old, who has played 260 league games with Richmond, believes he can give the rest of the season his best shot after overcoming his groin complaint.
“It was just niggly early on, but it has gone. We’ve managed to get on top of it, which is good,” Newman said.
“So, it’s just about maintaining that and keeping my strength.
“I’ve just got to try and keep nice and fresh now.”
