Breust now the centre of attention

By James Matthey

Most normal players who have just passed the 50-cap mark would be flying under the radar when their side is the subject of opposition homework, especially when that side boasts players of the calibre of Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Sam Mitchell.

But Temora-born Luke Breust is not just a normal player.

So impressive has the Riverina product been in his 52-game career that he is now the subject of some extra attention from opposing teams, who are starting to realise that shutting down the small forward’s impact on a game is key to improving their chances of beating the Hawks.

In Hawthorn’s Round 8 clash with the GWS GIANTS, Breust was tagged by Toby Greene, before suffering the same fate last Friday when Carlton’s Zach Tuohy was given the same task.

Breust said being tagged was a new challenge that he would have to adapt to.

“I can’t really remember anyone just sitting on me last year,” Breust told hawthornfc.com.au this week. 

“They’d have a job to attack as well as defend, and a lot of the time that’s where I could get a little bit of breathing space, when they were off attacking. 

“If we were good enough to turn it over, you could hurt them on the rebound. 

“But when you’ve got a guy who just sits on you, you’ve got to find ways to try and get off them.”

In an effort to discover how to manage being marked at such close quarters, Breust has turned to Hawks’ elder statesmen Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge for advice.

“I’m trying to learn little tricks to get away and find space, and still have an impact on the game,” Breust said.

“It’s mainly just getting up into congestion and trying to get your teammates to help you block, and get the tiny little bit of space that you need until you’re free.”

The 22-year old has been one of Hawthorn’s most consistent performers since debuting in 2011, finishing fourth in the club’s best and fairest in 2012 and winning the Most Promising Player Award on Peter Crimmins Medal night in the same season.

His form this year has been equally as impressive, backing up last year’s 45 goal haul with 20 goals to his name in 2013, and he is currently the fourth-ranked forward in the Official AFL Player Ratings.

Far from being content to sit back and rest on his laurels, Breust wants to elevate his game to the next level, and he believes learning how to shake a tag would be a big step in that direction.

“That’ll be the determining factor in whether I plateau or continue to get better,” he said.

Despite the added focus being afforded to his jersey this season, a modest Breust is refusing to get caught up in the hype, instead happy to let his bigger-name teammates take all the plaudits.

“It’s obviously nice to get recognised,” he said. 

“But it’s funny how if you do get recognised, you might start to get a little bit more attention, and then the pressure comes to perform. 

“I like to keep a pretty low profile. 

“There are obviously some great players in our side, so I don’t mind slipping under the radar below them. It’s fine by me.”