How Lachlan Gollant shed the ‘skinny kid’ tag
The teenage Crow has added several kilograms to his slender frame
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The teenage Crow has added several kilograms to his slender frame
Adelaide midfielder Ben Keays has no intention of resting on the laurels of a breakthrough 2020 season.
The former Lions midfielder joined the Club as a rookie at the end of 2019 and played every game bar the opening round.
But despite finishing fifth in the Crows’ Best and Fairest tally, Keays assures he is still “fighting for his spot”.
“Competition is good,” Keays told media on Thursday.
“I still try to treat it like I’m fighting for a spot… everyone is.
“It’s the old cliche, new year and a new season. I don’t ever want to stagnate and I always want to keep getting better.
“I’m up for the fight, that’s always been me.”
On Thursday, it was confirmed Adelaide Oval would be allowed up to 40,000 fans under SA Health guidelines.
Since joining the Club, Keays’ largest Adelaide Oval crowd was 17,710 in Round 18 against Richmond.
“I’m up for the fight, that’s always been me."
“We’re really excited to get the fans there,” he said.
“I love Adelaide Oval, it’s the best place to play footy. That was my opinion before I got to the Club as well.
“Now it’s going to be even better with the Crows army behind us.
“I know we’ll fill it up to whatever the capacity is."
Adelaide will face Geelong in its opening match of 2021 at Adelaide Oval on March 20.
Lachlan Gollant instantly became the “skinny kid at the Club” when he arrived at West Lakes in December 2019. Despite standing at a similar height to fellow forward Taylor Walker, Gollant was 28 kilograms lighter than the former Crows skipper when Adelaide called his name at pick No.48 in the 2019 AFL Draft. The lightly framed teenager admitted to receiving a few blank looks when others first laid eyes on him, wondering how long it would take to develop a body ready for the rigours of AFL football. However, with the support of teammates, coaches and the Club’s high-performance staff, Gollant has undergone a significant and visible physical transformation. “Everyone got around me pretty early and said, ‘look if you put in the work, you’ll see the rewards’,” Gollant told AFC Media.In the space of 13 months, Gollant has added 13 kilograms to his frame, a reward for his consistent diligence and hard work. The Calder Cannons product said there is no real secret behind his increase in
Gollant has been directed by the Club’s dietician, Brie Salagaras, to eat as much as he can, and as often as he can, with the 19-year-old aiming for six meals per day. “What I’ve been told by Brie and everyone else is just keep eating,” he said. “The first few weeks were a bit difficult; you feel a bit sick after every meal, but you get used to it pretty quickly. “You’ve just gotta stay consistent with that and just keep eating. "I aim for six meals a day and they’re proper meals. “The rule with Brie is that you try and get protein and carbs in every meal. “I’ve got a bit of a license to have a few cheeky treats every now and again, but it’s usually just the healthy protein, carbs and just get in as much as you can for every meal.”
In addition to getting his food intake right, Gollant’s extra work in the gym has been another major catalyst behind him packing on the size. The forward is looking to emulate the likes of Taylor Walker and ruckman Reilly O’Brien with their habits in the weights room. “We usually try to hit three upper body and two lower body sessions a week,” Gollant said. “I try and get an extra upper body session on my day off, or on the weekend sometimes, so I’ll come in with the gym coach and we’ll go through that with a few of the other boys as well. “I really enjoy the gym, so it’s really easy for me. I just get in, get the work done, and you start to see the rewards. “There’s plenty of guys in the team that are really good in the gym. “Reilly O’Brien’s another one – speaking to him, getting tips and tricks in the gym, how to stay consistent and things like that, so they’re really good to look up to.”
Second-year Crow Lachlan Gollant speaks to AFC Media about his progress since being drafted in December 2019.
Published onOne week into January’s pre-season, Gollant said he is feeling far stronger in the contest. “Playing in the forward line, you’re one-on-one with your defender a fair bit, so recently I’ve felt like I’ve been able to compete with them and even win a few contests which is a good sign,” Gollant said. “It means I’m able to access different parts of the game, which previously I haven’t been able to. “Things like bodying up on my defender, pushing off and making a lead, so yeah, you notice differences but there’s still a long way to go.”
Gollant is determined to continue developing and impressing his teammates and coaches with his output on the training track. His end goal is to put himself in the mix for senior selection and a dream AFL debut. “Coming in I was pretty raw, so I’ve put on the weight, my running has gotten a lot better, but I just gotta keep building,” Gollant said. “I think if I do that and start to put out some good performances on the track, hopefully a debut this year. “That’s the goal for everyone who hasn’t played a game, so that’s my goal for this year.”
Second-year Crow Lachlan Gollant speaks to AFC Media about his progress since being drafted in December 2019.
Gollant is determined to continue developing and impressing his teammates and coaches with his output on the training track. His end goal is to put himself in the mix for senior selection and a dream AFL debut. “Coming in I was pretty raw, so I’ve put on the weight, my running has gotten a lot better, but I just gotta keep building,” Gollant said. “I think if I do that and start to put out some good performances on the track, hopefully a debut this year. “That’s the goal for everyone who hasn’t played a game, so that’s my goal for this year.”
Gollant is determined to continue developing and impressing his teammates and coaches with his output on the training track. His end goal is to put himself in the mix for senior selection and a dream AFL debut. “Coming in I was pretty raw, so I’ve put on the weight, my running has gotten a lot better, but I just gotta keep building,” Gollant said. “I think if I do that and start to put out some good performances on the track, hopefully a debut this year. “That’s the goal for everyone who hasn’t played a game, so that’s my goal for this year.”
Gollant is determined to continue developing and impressing his teammates and coaches with his output on the training track. His end goal is to put himself in the mix for senior selection and a dream AFL debut. “Coming in I was pretty raw, so I’ve put on the weight, my running has gotten a lot better, but I just gotta keep building,” Gollant said. “I think if I do that and start to put out some good performances on the track, hopefully a debut this year. “That’s the goal for everyone who hasn’t played a game, so that’s my goal for this year.”
Gollant is determined to continue developing and impressing his teammates and coaches with his output on the training track. His end goal is to put himself in the mix for senior selection and a dream AFL debut. “Coming in I was pretty raw, so I’ve put on the weight, my running has gotten a lot better, but I just gotta keep building,” Gollant said. “I think if I do that and start to put out some good performances on the track, hopefully a debut this year. “That’s the goal for everyone who hasn’t played a game, so that’s my goal for this year.”
Gollant is determined to continue developing and impressing his teammates and coaches with his output on the training track. His end goal is to put himself in the mix for senior selection and a dream AFL debut. “Coming in I was pretty raw, so I’ve put on the weight, my running has gotten a lot better, but I just gotta keep building,” Gollant said. “I think if I do that and start to put out some good performances on the track, hopefully a debut this year. “That’s the goal for everyone who hasn’t played a game, so that’s my goal for this year.”
Gollant is determined to continue developing and impressing his teammates and coaches with his output on the training track. His end goal is to put himself in the mix for senior selection and a dream AFL debut. “Coming in I was pretty raw, so I’ve put on the weight, my running has gotten a lot better, but I just gotta keep building,” Gollant said. “I think if I do that and start to put out some good performances on the track, hopefully a debut this year. “That’s the goal for everyone who hasn’t played a game, so that’s my goal for this year.”
The Adelaide Football Club acknowledges the Kaurna people as the Traditional Custodians of the Adelaide Plains Region. We also acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia as the Traditional Custodians of their country and their ongoing connection to the land, sea and waters.
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