Geelong recruit Josh Caddy is keen on putting his best foot forward at the Cattery. Picture: Stephen Harman Source: Herald Sun
JOSH Caddy is adamant he won't let external pressure affect him, even though he knows some people will always link him to Gary Ablett.
Geelong's high-profile recruit insists he wants to live up to his own expectations rather than ones that might come from outside of the club.
Caddy spent two years learning from Ablett on the Gold Coast before his trade to Geelong -- with the same compensation draft pick the Cats secured from the Suns for the Brownlow medallist.
"It's a bit ironic that it ended up being the pick they got for Gaz,'' Caddy said of his move to Simonds Stadium.
"When I was playing with him, I took on board everything that he was saying.
"But the way I look at it now is, if Gaz hadn't gone to the Gold Coast, I probably would never have gone to Geelong.
"Externally, there might be more pressure. When you put yourself on the open market, you have to live with that.
"But I don't think that means I will put any extra pressure on myself.
Caddy was one of the most sought-after players during last year's trade period, with a host of Victorian clubs chasing the inside-midfielder who was intent on moving back to his home state.
His form in the final practice match against Collingwood last Friday showed why _ he was near best afield in the Cats' big win.
Caddy chose Geelong for two reasons -- the club remains well placed to play finals football and, importantly, he knows he can learn so much from the Cats' experienced midfield brigade.
A meeting with Cats captain Joel Selwood and Jimmy Bartel during the trade period was critical to his decision.
Geelong recruit Josh Caddy has been in sizzling pre-season form. Picture: Mike Dugdale Source: Geelong Advertiser
The pair made it clear they saw a key role for Caddy.
"It is very humbling to be told by Jimmy and Joel they want you to come to their club,'' Caddy said.
"I am not a superstitious person, but I just got a really good feeling from Geelong as soon as I walked into the club.
"I felt as if I wanted to be a part of the footy club and they had the ammo to be able to get the trade done as well.
"I watched the VFL grand final (last year) and Geelong's style of play and playing list really appealed to me.
"And I thought I can end up probably the best player that I can be by learning off those great midfielders.''
But Caddy is taking nothing for granted in terms of his status within the team, despite the high rating he has from those within the club and his performance against the Magpies.
"Like everyone, my goal is to be playing Round 1 against Hawthorn,'' he said.
"I make no secret that I want to be staying in the senior side. I don't want to be playing VFL footy.
"But I also understand that it is not going to be given to me. I have to earn that.''
Caddy makes no apologies for his desire to return to Victoria, though he feels a little guilty about leaving the Suns after two seasons.
"I do feel a little guilty because they had invested an early draft pick into me (pick 7, 2010 draft), so I felt as if I had let them down a bit,'' he admitted.
"But I wanted to make sure that Gold Coast was fairly compensated.''
He regrets a comment he made after the trade, suggesting he had not reached his potential at Gold Coast because his ``heart wasn't in it.''
"That was taken the wrong way,'' he said. "No matter who you are playing for, as soon as you run out to play, you put your heart and soul into it.
Recruit Josh Caddy (right), kayaking with Shane Kersten, has impressed the Geelong crew since joining the club. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun
"What I meant by that comment was that deep down, I really wanted to be living in Victoria.
"When I was drafted, I was grateful to be picked up, but I think I underestimated how much I love being in Victoria.
"I'm a footy nut. I love the atmosphere and the whole footy feel, even at local level.''
After his first season with the Suns, an injury-interrupted 2011 that produced two games, Caddy was linked to Essendon during the trade period.
A complication to living in Queensland was the fact that his father, Adrian, had a heart condition that made it difficult for him to fly to the Gold Coast to watch his son play.
Gold Coast rejected Essendon's offers and Caddy ended up playing 22 games last year.
"My dad was a bit crook at the time, but it was blown out of proportion that I wanted to return to Melbourne for that reason,'' he said.
"Dad had open heart surgery last year and all went fine, so everything is OK with him now.''
Put simply, Caddy's desire to play AFL football in the game's heartland proved too strong.
He now feels very much at home in Geelong _ he shares a place with Billie Smedts and Mitch Duncan _ and manages regular trips up the highway to see his family in the north-eastern suburbs.
"I'm really loving it down there,'' he said.
"We've got a really good spread of young guys and middle-aged guys and we are lucky enough to have all those experienced players to learn off,'' he said.
"I've been able to learn off a number of different players _ guys like Jimmy Bartel in a contested side of things and at the stoppages, and James Kelly in terms of running patterns and reading where the next kick might go.
"Then there's Joel Corey, Joel (Selwood), 'Stevie J' (Johnson) and 'Chappy' (Paul Chapman). It's great to be able to learn from so many good players.''
Caddy is looking forward to meeting his former teammates -- Ablett included -- in the Round 10 clash at Simonds Stadium, which will be a showcase first night match in Geelong.
"There is going to be great rivalry between the two clubs, with Gaz going up there, with the first game at Metricon (in 2011) and now the first game under lights at our home ground,'' he said.
"At least the support will be with us this time around.''
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