One of the pint sized midfielder’s biggest challenges was getting his body right and this year, he has not left any stone unturned.
“I went back home to Perth for a little bit and after coming back, hooked up with the boys and did some weights and got into training again,” Garlett told kangaroos.com.au after the final training session at Brigham Young University, before the team made its way back to Melbourne.
“I pretty much came to Aegis Park every second day and was doing a bit of work to keep my fitness up, so when it came time for the start of pre-season, I was pretty much right.”
Garlett’s hard work has yielded dramatic results and his running capacity has increased significantly.
“Definitely the best I’ve ever felt. I’m keeping up with all the boys and not lagging behind anymore. I’m actually sticking with them and am midway in the group so can’t really complain at the moment.
“There’s obviously a lot of pressure off me because you don’t get watched as much when you’re running up near the front of the group. It’s sort of seen as something good and the coaches know you’ve been working hard.
“I hope it will allow me to get to more contests and spread from the contest…give four-quarter, repeated efforts and all that sort of stuff.”
A proven ball-winner, Garlett hopes to close the gap between his performances at VFL and AFL level.
“During the year I felt like I was going okay but at AFL level, it was a completely different standard and I really need to be able to put in a consistent effort throughout the whole game. It’s not just about doing it for one or two quarters, you have to contribute when the game is in the balance and right to the final siren. When the fourth quarter is there, you need the fitness to run it out and can afford to start cramping or getting too tired.”
Aside from completing extra running in the off-season with Matthew Campbell, the 22-year old says he also changed his eating habits.
“That’s probably the main thing; diet. I didn’t go overseas or anything like that and stuck to a pretty strict diet and did all the running, stuck to my program and did all the core body work as well. That has all helped me get a good start to the pre-season as well as coming to Utah a week early.”
“Obviously I’ve lost a few kilos and I’m looking slimmer…they used to call me ‘dough-boy’ and now Matty (Campbell) calls me ‘pita bread’.”
