AFLW Captain Melissa Hickey has benefitted from Tom Stewart’s ‘simple’ approach to football.
Hickey was the special guest on Geelong’s official podcast – To the Final Bell on Tuesday. The Cats star shared her unique insight on leadership and empowerment, and also touched on what the playing group has gained from working in collaboration with the AFL team.
The 35-year-old says she is ‘really lucky’ to get to spend a lot of time with Stewart and believes the defensive group in particular has benefitted from his football mindset.
“I am really lucky I get to spend a lot of time and talk with him,” Hickey said speaking on Geelong’s official podcast.
“I love his philosophies of keeping it simple.”
"You see from the way that he plays that he just takes the best option straight away and doesn’t overthink it.”
Obviously, his ability to get an intercept mark and our backline has certainly benefited from that.”
“We overcomplicate a simple game sometimes and as someone that can sometimes be an over thinker, it has really helped me to simplify the game.”
Hickey also discussed the positive impact she has found working alongside the AFL program.
Earlier this year Stewart and teammate Tom Atkins presented to the AFLW playing group at a pre-season camp.
Hickey said it was ‘really helpful’.
“I think the feedback amongst the group was that it really got them to think differently.”
“A lot of the messages were about challenging the older players, the more experienced players and leadership that we need to be challenged, as well as the way we challenge the rest of the group and that really resonated with me.”
Hickey is set to lead out the girls into battle on Sunday when Geelong hosts Brisbane in their first home game of the season at GMHBA Stadium. Gates open at 12.40pm with the first bounce at 1.10pm.
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