Marcus Herbert is keeping his mindset simple during the 2024 football season in an effort to enjoy himself.
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The South Warrnambool export is fresh from a career-best VFL season with Geelong, playing 13 games and averaging more than 22 disposals while playing as a playmaking defender.
He played two games with his aligned club Leopold in the Geelong league and likely would have played more VFL but for a few injuries throughout the campaign.
The prolific ball-winner wants to "play consistently good footy" in 2024 whether that be at Geelong or Leopold.
"Ultimately when you're playing consistent good footy you're just enjoying yourself a lot more," he told The Standard.
"I don't really want to get in the headspace of 'if I'm not playing there this week I won't enjoy it'. I just want to play good footy and if that's at Leopold or Geelong it doesn't really bother me."
Herbert, a former draft prospect who played 21 games for Greater Western Victoria Rebels between 2019-2021, conceded he'd been too preoccupied in the past with where he was playing week-to-week.
"I've always been aligned with two clubs," he said.
"Whether that being with the Rebels or Geelong. And I've just always thought to myself, especially when you were trying to get drafted, you were worried about so many things but you've just got to eliminate those and try and enjoy yourself."
Herbert, at 21 with 24 games and three seasons under his belt, is one of the more experienced VFL-listed Cats in a new-look side.
He is unsure how often he will play and what his role for the team will be this season.
"There are a lot of boys, especially the new draftees, that play that high half-back role that I was playing last year and obviously the AFL boys get first dibs on selection," he said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if I'm back at Leopold a bit more often this year just because of their draftees and how many they recruited."
Herbert has confidence in his ability at the state league level but said there was still a lot of room for improvement.
He hopes to improve on his 2023 campaign which saw him finish seventh in the Cats' best and fairest.
"(Hopefully I can string) a few more games together and stay injury-free and hopefully I can just take it up a notch again," he said.
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
