PRESSURE. 

After 17 rounds of the home-and-away season, it should be no surprise that that was the first requirement from incoming AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss to his small forward brigade. 

Approaching the summer with a clean slate, positions were up for grabs all over the ground, which Corey Durdin duly capitalised on. 

Missing just one game this season due to AFL Health and Safety Protocols, Durdin has been a mainstay in Voss’ side since the season opener. 

The South Australian credited the impact that Voss has had on him individually since the coach walked through the IKON Park doors, with Durdin relishing his consistent spot in his second year at Carlton.

“Through pre-season, [Voss’] go-to for every small forward was that pressure was the one thing that would get you into the team,” Durdin said on RSN.

“I really focused on that during the pre-season and I suppose I earned my spot through that. 

“I’m pretty grateful for the opportunity that he has given me early.”

It’s often stated in football circles - and even by Voss himself - that the role which Durdin plays amid a burgeoning Carlton ‘mosquito fleet’ can be among the toughest in the game. 

There are occasions where you get the tangible rewards on the scoreboard. Durdin himself kicked two first-half goals on the weekend, while he also received a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in Round 9.

However, it’s not always easy to get that payoff every single week. But with a message to ‘control what you can control’, putting the heat on the opposition is something that Durdin prides himself on. 

“It’s pretty hard to measure. I think you get a general feeling for how well you’ve gone after the game,” he said.

“It’s your intensity, your repeat efforts and you can throw tackles, spoils and perceived pressure in there. It all combines and you have a general idea of how well you went.”

That was evident on the weekend, with an urgent Durdin enacting a spoil on the edge of defensive 50 when the game had already been iced in the Blues’ favour.

And Durdin would be lying if he said there wasn’t a sense of competition among the small forward brigade. 

“It’s more so an individual thing, but I feel like just quietly, we all compare how well we do it,” he said.

“I know between Jesse Motlop and I, we have a little thing going between how many goals and how many tackles we can get.”