By Jonty Ralphsmith
It’s proven to be a coaching masterstroke.
With some uncertainty hanging over Dandenong Stingray Finn Emile-Brennan’s list spot in preseason after two underwhelming under-17 games in 2021, midfield coach Josh Moore proposed a positional move.
Having coached him as a junior at Rye, and always seen him flourish as an outside midfielder, trying him as a defender was a gamble.
But in those two games, the nature of the wing position stunted his in-game rhythm, so Emile-Brennan embraced the move, spending the preseason training as a halfback.
“I just thought with that elite kick coming out of the back half, we could showcase his talent – he had never played there in his life and it was really good for him because he caught the eye of a lot of people early in the season using his weapons,” Moore said.
But to get to that point, there was craft that needed to be learned with defensive coach Leigh Stewart, who has also had several years of involvement with Emile-Brennan.
Back then, Stewart highlights that ‘defence’ was a foreign concept for Emile-Brennan and Rye teammates Jesse Davidson-Lopo and Taj Campbell-Farrell as their team monopolised the junior league.
“We got them (as 15-year-olds) and they were the worst defensive group of all time because they never did it, so (Emile-Brennan’s) mindset around the way the game needs to be played has completely changed,” Stewart said.
“He understands that even when he shoots up the ground, there are two parts not one, not just get it and take the game on. Playing behind the footy has given him the understanding of what it needs to look like when he goes up the ground.”
As well as those improvements, one area to address was his slight stature, something he had always previously overcome.
“It’s just putting himself in positions before the ball gets to that contest to give himself the biggest advantage when the ball does get there,” Stewart added.
“It was just trying to utilise his strengths, and taking away the advantage his opponents might have from a pure weight point of view.
“People will see the huge weight advantage as a deterrent, but if the positioning of your hips and legs, and centre of gravity is low enough to make you as strong as possible, no matter how big you are, you’re still hard to move.
“The message was that if that occurs, let’s not be overawed by the situation, be confident that we have something in place to win those situations and back yourself in.”
Emile-Brennan accepted the positional change, learned it, trained it and executed it.
He showed his ability to cleanly gather, slice teams apart with his ball use and run opponents ragged with his speed.
An individually dominant performance in a preseason match against Sandringham affirmed his confidence in defence, and he carried that form forward.
Throughout the NAB League season, he averaged 22 disposals and seven rebound 50s, with his early season form resulting in Vic Country selection where he looked comfortable enough to earn him a state combine invite, confirming some interest.
Having seen his kicking’s progression, Stewart said:
“He was able to get the ball from A to B competently early on, but he kicks the ball so hard now.
“It’s not just about getting it to a position anymore, it’s get it and back yourself to hurt opposition teams.
“As much as it has always been a strong point, it’s improved out of sight.
“If he gets drafted it will be on the back of how well he kicks the footy and the damage clubs think he can do with it and he definitely hasn’t maxed out.”
Viewed as a 50-50, whether he gets selected at the AFL draft largely depends on clubs’ willingness to take a long-term approach.
Would they prefer to give him time to condition for senior footy, or to reassess at the mid-season draft in nine months?
Melbourne has first dibs on him as he is a member of its next-generation academy, meaning one of three things will happen to Emile Brennan: he will end up a Dee, either as a rookie or via a matched bid; he gets listed at another club as Melbourne don’t match the bid; or he doesn’t get picked up.
While it has been heavily interrupted due to the pandemic, Emile-Brennan notes the benefit of the academy, of which he is eligible for due to his Mum’s birth in Mauritius.
He also highlights Moore’s impact on his career.
“’Moorey’ has been really good for me, it’s good that he lives on the same street, so I can just go straight to him when I need advice,” he said.
“He’s always there to help out whenever I’ve needed it, from Rye to preseason sessions and as midfield coach so I’m really grateful to him for that.”
It might just be the move to halfback, though, which is Moore’s most important contribution.
