The big man believes he’s “definitely” in the best position of his career to claim the No.1 ruck mantle, ahead of seasoned campaigner and 2010 All-Australian Mark Jamar, and beanpole ruckman/forward Max Gawn.
“You go into every year thinking that, but I’ve got a head start on the other two [ruckmen] with kilometres in the legs this pre-season,” Spencer told melbournefc.com.au.
“I think with the rotation rule changes – you’ve got to be able to move across the ground well and soak up a lot of game time – it’s going to be pretty important.
“I feel like I’ve got a pretty good base from the last seven weeks. I’m probably in the best position to have first crack at the No.1 [ruck] spot and if I can get my hands on it, I’ll be doing everything to hold onto it – that’s for sure.”
The Queenslander played eight matches last season, including the last five, giving him 24 career games. But Spencer, who made his AFL debut in round one, 2009 against North Melbourne, believes he’s set for a breakout season after overcoming a knee reconstruction in 2011.
“Last year was the fittest and strongest I’ve been. The end of the season probably came at the wrong time for me. It definitely felt like last year was a more consistent year. By then, it was the best I’d felt since the knee reconstruction,” he said.
“The body was really good and I’ve was able to back up from week to week and when Craigy (Neil Craig) took over as coach, he gave me a lot of confidence. He gave me the belief that I can become a good AFL player, along with [former midfield development coach] Aaron Greaves, who I worked with closely.
“It was a bit of a bugger that I couldn’t do a lot of contact because of the shoulder this pre-season, but I’ve definitely got the confidence.”
Spencer said his football journey had required patience so far, although it wasn’t a trait he had fully adjusted to.
“I’ve always wanted to be the best I could be early on, but being patient hasn’t always been my strong suit. It’s tough to be patient, but once you’ve done a lot more pre-seasons, you’re a lot more confident,” he said.
“You don’t think [when you start your career] that you’re not going to be a good player until you’re 24 or 26 – you try and work with what you’ve got along the way. It’s not all about strength – you look at [Brisbane Lion] Matt Leuenberger, who’s not the biggest or strongest guy around, but he knows how to use his body.
“It’s been a massive food bill trying to put on weight – that’s for sure.”
After undergoing shoulder surgery at the end of last season, Spencer has been able to complete all of the running this pre-season.
“I was pretty limited in terms of contact until the last week or two before the [Christmas] break, but I’m unrestricted now, so I’m looking forward to the next month,” he said.
“At the moment, I just really want games to come around. I’m sick of all of the running, so I’m pretty excited to get out there and play, and show the improvement I’ve gained in the last few weeks.
“We’ve got a few more weeks to learn the game plan and nail that, but I just can’t wait to get out there for the first praccy game.”
