When Jonathon Patton was dumped to the NEAFL after the GIANTS' round seven loss to Geelong, it's fair to say the power forward wasn't a fan of the decision.
Patton booted 45 goals last year to top the GIANTS' goalkicking with Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene, but he'd kicked just four in the seven matches before he was axed, and his biggest weapon – contested marking – had also deserted him.
His first game in the reserves was a struggle when Sydney defender Aliir Aliir held him goalless, but his next outing gave him some perspective.
The GIANTS' NEAFL side
"It was funny because at
"I gave it to them, I couldn't say no."
More importantly, the 25-year-old also found some touch that day, kicking three goals and taking eight marks against the Demons.
"It was enjoyable to play with a lot of young blokes and I had no idea who a lot of them were, but I had to make sure my body language was good and play a leadership role," he said.
"It's a lot different obviously because there's not as much pressure on you.
"But in saying that, I was going into those games almost playing for my life because I wanted to get back into the senior team."
Shane Mumford's retirement at the end of last season caused plenty of change at the GIANTS, with Rory Lobb taking the number one ruck role, and Patton cast into the role of back-up.
It meant more time up the ground for the GIANTS' gun tall target, and while his ruck work was solid, the extra workload saw Patton's potency as a goalkicker fall away.
"Leon felt that he needed to send me back to the twos which I didn't necessarily agree with, and I was pretty angry or frustrated for a couple of days," he said.
"But we had a pretty honest conversation and worked out that I just needed to go back and work on being a forward.
"I lost that craft of what makes me a good player, so that was my sole focus when I went back.
"I've definitely got a new appreciation for ruckmen, it's a tough gig especially if you're doing big stints.
"It was quite taxing, but when I was going forward I wasn't having the impact that I should have.
"I was concentrating too much on rucking, but I
"I'm feeling a lot more confident in myself right now."
Since he earned a senior recall in round 10, Patton has steadily increased his influence on
The big man kicked three goals and took eight marks – a
The spike in productivity couldn't have come at a better time for the GIANTS after the five-game suspension handed to Patton's fellow forward Cameron this week, and he's ready to be the number one man starting with Saturday's crucial clash with Hawthorn at Spotless Stadium.
"Obviously 'Jezza' is one of our most important players so I'm looking forward to the challenge of stepping up," he said.
"He leaves a hole, but last year we made a preliminary final without him, so if we can all step up and play a part then we'll be alright."
Star teammate Josh Kelly is confident Patton can handle the responsibility of leading the
"He was outstanding," Kelly said.
"He knew there
"I think that's showed by the way he's returned to form in the ones, he's got a real presence out on the ground.
"We just want him to crash packs and have that presence, and he's been a big part of our run of form lately.
"Jonny's proved that he can have some really big games, so it's a really big opportunity for him to step up."
