ASSISTANT coach Justin Plapp says he’s relishing his new role as midfield coach, although it’s a far different scenario to his previous position as Casey Demons senior coach.

Plapp, the former Tiger and Saint, coached Casey Demons to three consecutive finals series, including the 2016 minor premiership and VFL Grand Final.

This weekend, he has ventured to Brisbane, for his first home and away road trip with Melbourne, when the Demons take on the Lions at the Gabba.

He said the opportunity to build on his coaching career, and travel to interstate matches as a coach was part of his development. The Tasmanian had a taste in the JLT Community Series, when he returned to his home state, as the Demons played the Kangaroos in Hobart in February, but this round will be his first for premiership points.

“It’s another new part of my experience. It’s exciting to do that with the players and see them in a different environment. It’s good for them and me, particularly around organisation, staying engaged and having downtime,” Plapp told Melbourne Media.

“That’s part of the job that’s new to me. It’s good to spend time with the people you work with – and I see that as another opportunity.”

Plapp said his focus had changed considerably since switching roles, with Jade Rawlings moving from the Melbourne coaching staff to senior coach of Casey Demons.

“Having a job analysing one area of the ground is different from Casey Demons. It’s hard shifting away from watching the whole game, and being in a position to have your opinion around a fair bit of the whole game,” he said.

“But I absolutely love my new role and it’s a great opportunity – you’re honing in on one area, so there is pressure there, but my job is to analyse what our players are doing around the midfield with Benny Mathews.

“I’ve probably been less emotional – I know at VFL level I coach with a fair bit of emotion. That’s the first thing I’ve noticed that’s gone out of my coaching this year, because you’ve got your head in the computer and you’re analysing the midfield.

“You’ve got to stay level-headed for Simon [Goodwin] and for what he needs, so it’s been a massive shift, and although it’s been a challenge, it’s one that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.”

Plapp said he loved working with his midfield group, and was rapt with the performance of his charges, including ruckman Max Gawn against Geelong in round one.

“Max’s game was a reflection of his preparation and the way he’s pushed himself in the summer. He won the hit outs convincingly and I was really pleased for him,” he said.  

“The one thing about our midfield is that they’re young, developing and growing. We used last weekend as an opportunity – we liked a lot of things, but there are areas that they can grow from.

“This week has been about learning and grasping those opportunities.”

But Plapp said it was critical to keep the rapport and development with the emerging midfielders coming through Casey.

“It’s important keeping up relationships, with the likes of Oskar Baker, Lochie Filipovic, Mitch King and Harley Balic – these first, second and third-year players,” he said.

“The relationships are critical. You’re across their footy, but you’re also checking in with them, because Jade Rawlings, Matthew Egan, Mick Stinear and others are now heavily involved with them from a day-to-day perspective.

“We work well together and there is a lot of crossover, but the main thing for those younger players is having a consistent message – and we don’t stray from that. I think we’re doing that pretty well with those kids at the moment.”

Looking ahead to Easter Saturday’s clash against the Brisbane Lions, Plapp said it was a great chance for the side to rectify areas from last week’s three-point loss.  

“After a pretty close loss last weekend, it’s an opportunity for our players to reset themselves pretty quickly,” he said.

“The Brisbane Lions were pretty good for the majority of the game last week, so we know that we’re coming up against a team that’s good around the ball and relies on a lot of forward pressure.

“The players are pretty keen to be getting into this weekend’s game, and they’re keen to rectify a few things from last week.”