Adelaide forward Darcy Fogarty says his ability to stay “level-headed” has helped him grow into a more consistent AFL footballer.
Fogarty’s consistency has been on show over the past two months, kicking multiple goals in his past eight matches, while averaging six marks per game.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the 24-year-old said his growth in the mindset had been a “real positive” as he continued to develop.
“It (my mindset) has definitely changed over the last few years, I’ve been able to stay a lot more level-headed,” Fogarty said.
“I don’t dwell on stuff that has happened in the past anymore, which is a real positive to where I’m at.
“Overall though not much has really changed in the way I prepare and go about it on the field, I’m just trying to get to as many contests as I can and work up the ground, now I’m just getting a bit luckier in front of goals.”
The absence of former captain Taylor Walker for periods throughout the season has seen Fogarty take greater ownership of the Crows’ forward line, an opportunity he said he had relished.
“It’s been a good challenge (playing without Tex for periods of the season), I’ve been able to play with a few more of our younger guys that have had to step up to replace Tex and Filthy,” Fogarty said.
“I think it has been really fun, it’s quite a young forward line without Tex and everyone has had to pick up the slack.
“Tex is such an important part of our team, and it is great when he’s out there, but it was a good experience for me to have a bit more ownership over the forward line when he wasn’t.”
The Crows will travel to Brisbane this weekend to take on an in-form Lions outfit.
Fogarty said the group was excited to challenge itself against one of the competition’s strongest sides.
“It’ll be nice to get up north to the warmer weather this weekend,” Fogarty said.
“The Lions have found an extra gear and are back to what they were doing last year, so it’s going to be a tough challenge for us.
“Getting onto the GABBA will be a lot of fun and a great test for us as a group, we are looking forward to a good game of footy.”
Adelaide will face Brisbane at the GABBA this Sunday, with the first bounce at 3.40pm (ACST).
