JOSH Wagner says his backline coach Troy Chaplin has been pivotal to his early season form.

Wagner said Chaplin had been a strong mentor to him over the pre-season and credited the assistant coach for playing a big hand in his start to 2018.

“Chappy was really good with me over the summer. He sat down and said to me that it was OK to be yourself off the field, because I’m a pretty laid back, chilled out dude,” he told Melbourne Media. 

“But as soon as I go to training or play, I have to switch that aggressive mindset on, so that’s what I’ve been working on – building those habits, once I get on the training track or field.

“It’s coming naturally now.”

Wagner said it was akin to acting and something he had to manufacture, but he said building those habits were now ingrained in his style of play.

“I do enjoy being that intense, aggressive person sometimes,” he said.

“I did every session in the pre-season and that also really helped me get selection for round one, so I’m enjoying it.

“It’s unreal playing for Melbourne.”   

Nevertheless, Wagner said he enjoyed keeping a lower profile.

“I feel like I fly under the radar and I just go out there and try and do my job – that’s all I’ve got in my head,” he said.

“I don’t think about what other people are saying.

“I’m enjoying my role. If Sammy Frost or Jakey Lever goes off the field, I might have to go back and play deeper, but if not, I play up the ground a bit, so I’m a bit of a swingman at the moment.”

But speaking on Inside Melbourne, Chaplin said Wagner had been the player to impress him the most this pre-season.  

“Wags has been very, very good this year,” he said.

“A lot of people probably don’t realise what he does, because it doesn’t always come down to stats, but he’s probably been the most consistent defender across the three games so far.

“The way we want to play and the system – he hasn’t let us down at all. His best two games have been the Kangaroos and Geelong game. He was a standout for us and it’s been recognised internally, but probably not externally at the moment.”

Away from the game, Wagner loves escaping for a surf.  

And although he doesn’t have the Queensland beaches as readily available as he once did, he’s relished getting among the waves on the Victorian coast, particularly around the Surf Coast Shire.  

“I like getting down to Torquay or Fairhaven. I also like camping too around the area,” he said.

“I haven’t been out in the surf a lot lately, but I’ll have to get in there soon, before it starts getting too cold.

“But I might take up golf this winter – we’ll see how cold it gets.”

Spending time with family and close mates are also a priority for Wagner, and he recently moved in with his young brother, Corey, who is now with Casey Demons, after playing eight games with North Melbourne from 2016-17.

“Corey’s really enjoying it at Casey. [Casey coach] ‘Twig’ (Jade Rawlings) has been really good for him, along with [head of player development] ‘Ego’ (Matthew Egan),” he said.

“Me and Mitchy King have just moved in with Corey, so it’s been really good.

“Dec Mountford, Corey’s mate from North Melbourne, also lives there, so there are four of us.”

And playing his first AFL match in front of his family and friends back in round two, when Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions recently played at the Gabba, was also a big thrill.

“I was more nervous going back up to Queensland the other week, because I don’t get many chances to play in front of them (my family),” he said.

“I didn’t really want to stuff up, but it was really good.

“I get really excited when I get to play in front of my family and mates.”