THIS week on Coaches' Corner, Daniel O'Keefe analyses the recent form of Josh Honey in his role at half-forward.
Slotting five goals in the first three games of the VFL season, O'Keefe is eager to see stronger consistency in Honey's goal-kicking game.
"Something that we’re working on is his goal kicking from a consistency point of view," O'Keefe said.
"He’s kicking two or three goals most weeks but he’s still getting two or three points as well, so we could hopefully turn that into five-goal games pretty quickly."
Perhaps the most pleasing part of Honey's game has been his physicality around the contest, with his bull-like strength posing a serious threat for opposition sides.
Totalling 12 tackles over the first three games, O'Keefe has been impressed with the power Honey has displayed.
"His physical pressure: he’s a strong boy which is where the power in his legs come from, but he can still use that power in his legs and his upper body to make big crunching tackle," he said.
"He’s not only getting his five or six tackles a week, but the tackles he’s giving us are super energising for the rest of the group and they’re seriously hurting the opposition so it’s great to see he knows his physical capability now and he’s continuing to be that bull inside the contest for us."
Nine AFL-listed players took the field in our VFL win over Essendon.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) May 5, 2021
See how Daniel O'Keefe broke down their performances. ??
Honey's speed has been another weapon on display, with O'Keefe impressed by his 'scary' talent.
"When he gets space in the game, I’ll go on record and say no one can go with him, it’s scary," he said.
"He just needs to use his bursts of speed for a good 20 metres and he’s already puts meterage on his opponents: this is how he’s getting himself extra looks on goal now."
O'Keefe is pleased with Honey's development, noting that consistency will be the key difference for Honey as he continues to grow.
"We're just working on consistency with his weapons that he has, so his speed, his bursts, his running patterns," he said.
"As long as he brings that physicality and the way he brings that manic pressure, there’s no doubt we can see him as an AFL footballer."
