By Jonty Ralphsmith
Emerging talent Nik Hibbert has pieced together two weeks of strong form for Southern Football Netball League Division 2 club Doveton.
After managing three games in 2023 and being dropped twice in the first half of 2024, his return to the senior side against Caulfield two weeks ago has heralded an increase in confidence.
He followed up his strong game against the Bears with an even better game against rivals Hampton Park in Doveton’s 23-point win on Saturday.
He’s proved to himself and the club that he has the strength to match it with the big bodies and burst away from traffic following a sustained block of work in preseason at Axis Performance.
“He has all the attributes for a young player – fit, strong, fast and good endurance,” said coach Matt Stapleton.
“He’s one of the ones that leads the way in terms of training standards.
“He spent a lot of time in offseason preparing his body so he put himself in a good position to get those results.
“I’m really impressed with the way he goes about it.”
Hibbert arrived at Doveton ahead of last season after a strong season in Narre Warren’s under-19s.
“I wanted to try and get a fair bit of consistency this season and the last couple of weeks it has clicked,” Hibbert said
“Having the support to back myself has really played a big role in it.
“I’ve really honed in on building up my strength as well as my speed as I felt that needed to be a bit of an improvement to play at the next level and I feel like it’s helped me take a massive step forward.
“I’ve really wanted to back myself at the contest and make use of my speed which I feel like I did in the reserves and in the last couple of weeks.
“I feel like I’m moving a lot quicker and I’m more agile compared to last year where it was stagnant at times and I couldn’t burst out as quick as I wanted to.
“When I’ve got space I want to use it but also settle and execute the basics.”
While still early in his career and with plenty left to learn, he’s one worth keeping an eye on for Doves fans.
