Secure: Mitch Rein is playing with more confidence. Picture: Andy Zakeli
A STAR-struck Mitch Rein is starting to feel at ease in his surroundings.
And his performances are starting to show. Rein, 22, said he felt uneasy in telling players he idolised what to do on the football field.
‘‘It’s intimidating coming in and being a bit younger and trying to tell the senior players what to do on the field,’’ Rein said.
‘‘It’s taken me a while but I’m enjoying the role of what I’m doing. Playing with them is a bit intimidating but I’ve been working on telling people where to go.’’
Since his debut in round one last year, the hooker has been among the Dragons’ most consistent players highlighted by being just one of three players (along with Ben Hornby and Jason Nightingale) to play every game
this season.
Now a permanent fixture in coach Steve Price’s 17, Rein said that support had helped his football blossom.
‘‘I get confidence from the amount of games I’ve been playing,’’ Rein said. ‘‘I grew up watching these blokes play footy and idolised them. It took me a while to find my feet.’’
Part of Rein’s transformation has been his running game. While he has been defensively strong throughout his 33-game career, his offensive has improved dramatically.
‘‘I think it comes down to [having] more
confidence,’’ Rein said.
‘‘I’m getting a sense of belonging in the team and that’s why I’ve been running the ball a bit
more.
‘‘Every team does video each week, so I’m sure teams will start to pick that up.’’
Long after training ended, Rein spent the next 20 minutes fine-tuning his skills — off the ground passing with support staff before
Jamie Soward intervened and told Rein to work on darting one way and passing the other.
‘‘I do a lot of passing at the end of each session,’’ he said. ‘‘But move and passing is a lot different from standing still and I am working on my kicking a bit more.