A NEW lease on his footballing life.

When Levi Casboult was swung down back prior to the Round 8 contest with Collingwood, few could have expected the immediate results which have transpired over the last month.

With 121 goals from his 108 career games, Casboult was thrown down back prior to the clash with the Pies. Whether it’s his intercept work or nullifying his direct opponent, the numbers say it all.

After being presented with the “new challenge”, Casboult attacked it as he always has — with both hands.

“It’s a good challenge, I’m enjoying it,” Casboult said.

“Who knows what the game throws up — I’m pretty happy at the moment.

“There’s a really good group of guys back there and they’ve really helped me out in terms of positioning and any lapses in concentration: they’re all over me and I’ll switch back on straight away.”

Casboult moved to defence over a month ago, where his undoubted marking ability has formed the foundation of a consistent run of form.

Since the move down back in Round 8, Casboult’s 25 intercept marks sees him lead the competition over the last six weeks, alongside Harris Andrews and Phil Davis.

Similarly, his no-nonsense approach sees him ranked second in the competition for spoils (45), albeit with one less game than Brisbane’s Andrews.

Arguably the most impressive stat, however, is Casboult’s work in the one-on-one contest.

Of the 24 one-on-one contests he has faced, he has either won or halved 20 of them. As the man himself puts it, his approach and mandate is a simple one.

“There’s no real technique to it: it’s just to do whatever I can to prevent them from marking it,” he said.

“I’ve never really been a good spoiler because I haven’t really done it. I feel like marking is something that comes naturally and I’ll continue to back myself in: I’ll spoil if I’m out of position.”

If Casboult ever needs any inspiration, he doesn’t have to look very far.

Two years ago, Liam Jones found himself in a similar position to Casboult now. Transforming from a forward to defender, his rise has been one of the great football stories of recent years.

And as Casboult looks to unfold on a similar path, he hasn’t had to look far for motivation and advice.

“‘Jonesy’ isn’t playing, but I’m watching a lot of vision with him and he has given me a lot of tips on how to play the guy I’m playing on,” he said.

“[With my] positioning as well, he’s been awesome from that perspective.”

BY THE NUMBERS

Rounds 8-13

Intercept marks: 25 (Equal No.1 in AFL)
Spoils: 46 (#2 in AFL)
One-on-one contests: 24
One-on-contests lost: Four