AFTER a solid start to his AFL career, Development Coach Brad Ebert had nothing but praise for Alex Cincotta on ‘Coaches Corner’ this week.
Travelling an unusual road to the highest level, Cincotta played in the Geelong league and in the VFL for the Carlton Reserves before the 26-year-old got his chance on a list.
Since then, Cincotta hasn’t looked back, which Ebert notes is par for the course with everything that the defender does.
“I first met him at VFL training and you could see from the outset that he was diligent, hard working and he was really eager to learn and eager to improve,” Ebert said.
“You could see even in his mid-20s, he was still so diligent to his cause and to his goal, it was eventual formality that he would get his AFL chance.”
Ebert - a head-first footballer in his own right - appreciates Cincotta’s natural defensive ability, noting his speed, burst and kicking as just some of his best skills.
As well as being able to provide penetrating kicks with both his left and right feet, the defender can set up offensive plays downfield for his teammates.
“He does have a really strong defensive mindset where he’s able to get backwards speed, back to support his other defenders, but at the same time, he provides a lot of run, a lot of carry, has a really penetrating kick and he brings that real burst and energy,” he said.
“He’s really sound in those defensive one-on-one contests – his intent and his desire to get after the contest is really strong.”
Cincotta’s VFL form was what allowed him his first glimpse at the AFL level, with consistent performances being the key to his debut.
Ebert noted it would be difficult not to pick the 26-year-old at some stage in 2023, after what he'd been displaying at the state-league level week in and week out, with two 30 plus disposal games prior to his first game.
“You know you’re going to get the effort but it’s just that consistency in form that really put him to that level where it was hard not to pick him in the end,” he said.
“He was consistently winning his one-on-one battles, he was running off and creating for us offensively as well.
“When you can compliment that for a full four-quarter game, week in and week out, we had to give him his opportunity and he’s taken it with both hands.”
Cincotta certainly has taken his opportunity and ran with it, playing three AFL games where he’s been averaging 20 disposals, five intercepts and three tackles in some tough defensive outings for the Blues.
