Backing local champions. - neafl

neafl article
By Matthew Tucker
If football is a game
broken down into three basic
components; winning the ball,
using the ball, and getting it
back – then Dane Keenes is
doing it all.
He isn’t intimidated by
anyone, nor is he easily
flustered or concerned about
how he’s viewed. He’s just
a country kid eager to play
footy each week.
Keenes’ football
features some of
the best elements of
the Australian game
– aggression, skill,
strength and class
flowing through it.
It is credit to
20-year-old Keenes
that, in the past few
months he has let
his football do the
talking.
Quiet and reserved off the
field, Keenes’ persona change
once he runs onto the ground
is dramatic; morphing into the
hard nut midfielder he is now
known to be.
Keenes is the sort of player
whose genius lies in his
ability (and courage) to find,
win and then dispose of the
ball.
He can push a contested ball
into space for Eastlake’s
swarm of runners to pounce,
like a bloke opening a bag of
helium balloons and watching
them head skyward.
Such players make the
biggest difference.
He became the sort of player
who reads the game, works
the angles, finds space and
hunts the ball. And through
his hard work ethic, has
becoming better at performing
the skills he needed to be
that sort of player.
Keenes’ role at Eastlake has
been critical to its improvement
over the second half of
the season. He is an extractor
at stoppages, a clean centresquare
player who can also
force the ball forward under
pressure. He would keep his
feet in a raging river and his
tackles stick.
Although everyone
knows that winning
centre clearance is
critical, particularly
with the forward
press capable of
trapping the ball
inside 50, those who
are specialists
inside that space are
pivotal.
Still only young, Keenes
has played the majority of
the season in the seniors,
and is one of many players
responsible for securing
Eastlake a spot in the finals
come September.
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