Less is certainly not for Moore
At 178 centimetres, it's unlikely Jarred Moore will ever get the nod to play the lanky man's role in the ruck. But should Swans coach Paul Roos ever need a player to throw anywhere on the park, Moore will raise his hand for the job.
For the time being, Moore won't have to worry about finding an extra 30cm. Roos is happy with where he has the 22-year-old playing, in the forward line, filling the small-forward role Adam Schneider did before he was traded to St Kilda last year.
"I'll play wherever I can - wherever they want to put me - at the moment," Moore said before tonight's match against Brisbane at the Gabba. "Obviously, the goal is to play in the midfield at some stage, but if I have to play up forward to get a game, then I will."
It's been almost three years since Moore made his senior debut, against Essendon. He played a further four matches in 2005, and was one of the emergencies for the grand final that season, flying to Melbourne with the team, taking part in the parade, being involved in all the team meetings, doing "everything, right up until the last couple of minutes when the rest of the side ran on to the ground".
But since that season it has been a lean time for Moore, with injuries in particular playing havoc with his aspirations. He played just four games in the following two seasons.
"It has been a bit frustrating over the last couple of years, but you've just got to keep working, and this year I set myself a goal to try and consolidate a spot in the team every week," he said. "I had a really big pre-season, and got reasonably fit so that I could run a game out a bit more to basically give me more chance of getting more game time, and that's the way it's worked out.
"My [training] times weren't really improving a lot, but I was getting more match-fit. I was staying fit and getting some good match-time in the five practice matches I played. I played close to, or a bit over, 100 minutes in each game, and in the past I only really played half a match or a bit less than that.
"In the pre-season I sat down with Johnny Longmire [assistant coach] and he said there is a spot there for me, in that pressure forward role. With 'Schneids' leaving and Amon Buchanan going more into the midfield, they wanted someone to move into the role of helping to close down the opposition in the forward line, and felt that was a role for me. That pressure is definitely something we're working on as a group, and to be able to keep the ball in your forward line is a major key, and that's part of my role every week.
"That's a part of the game I do enjoy. I enjoy tackling. It's something that if I know I'm tackling well and putting pressure on, the rest of the game works around that. The coaches want you to work on the defensive side of the game and the rest will come.
"All throughout the pre-season I averaged about six tackles a game, then in the first round I didn't get a chance to make any, and I was pretty disgusted with my performance against St Kilda. Thankfully, I managed to make a few last week, which was pleasing. Again, it comes down to me being more consistent."
One man who has been impressed with what he's seen from Moore so far this year is his fellow forward Barry Hall, who said the youngster and Adelaide recruit Marty Mattner had been the stars of the pre-season.
"Jarred has been thereabouts and in the past everyone knew exactly what they got out of him," Hall said. "But he just stepped it up another level this season.
"He grabbed his opportunity when the coaches told him there was a spot there for him, got fitter and really did a lot of work to make that position his.
"He was the highlight for me of the pre-season. In a couple of practice matches, I thought he was best on ground. He might not have had a lot of the footy, but the pressure he was putting on and the tackling and the chasing, I thought he was fantastic, and that sort of stuff is a real key indicator for us, and he's doing well in those areas, and that pressure he's providing in the forward line is so important for us."
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