Leading role: Carlton's Bryce Gibbs kicks the ball before Ryan Crowley can tag him. Source: Getty Images
IT'S a bit like asking Brad Pitt to play an extra in a straight-to-DVD flop.
But, for the first six years of his AFL career, it's the analogy that best illustrates the instructions given to Bryce Gibbs.
Carlton's once-coveted No.1 draft pick has a showreel that reveals roles like "lock-down defender", "pinch-hitting forward", "run-with onballer" and, the most common, "sweeper".
As a result the 23-year-old has been unfairly typecast in stadiums around the country as a soft, stand-off player who prefers to walk off neat and tidy rather than rolling his sleeves up.
But director Mick Malthouse has finally offered Gibbs a lead role - "ball-winning midfielder" - and he is delivering what the critics always knew he could.
Gibbs's contested possession, clearance and tackle numbers have shot through the roof in the NAB Cup as he relishes consistent time at the coalface.
The message is clear - he was recruited as a midfielder and is now playing as one.
Using his career game time average of 107 minutes as a base, Gibbs has gone from averaging 6.7 contested disposals from 2007-2012 to 16.2 in this NAB Cup. His tackle numbers have also climbed from 3.6 to 5.6.
But most startling is the leap in clearances. Gibbs averaged 2.3 clearances a game in his first half-dozen years at Carlton.
That has soared to 13.4 this year. Clearly he won't average 13 clearances during the home-and-away season, but statistics show he has already cleared the ball from 19 stoppages in the pre-season competition.
Rewind to the 2006 under-18 championships and Gibbs ranked No.1 of all division one players for contested possessions (equal) and tackles.
He was ranked second for clearances and his disposal efficiency was categorised as elite.
All signs pointed to Gibbs further developing his midfield craft at AFL level. But circumstances conspired against him. Denis Pagan used him as a defender to further his "education".
Brett Ratten was initially encouraged to use him as a Mr Fix-It as Carlton underwent a slow rebuild.
But on a quiet Monday morning in November, Malthouse used his first official day in charge at Visy Park to utter magic words: Gibbs and midfield.
"I'd like to think he's going to be playing in the middle ... he certainly has to come up that next level," he said.
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