By his own admission, Thurgoona's Luke 'Kev" Gerecke felt he needed to drop a few pounds off his solid rig over the off-season.
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A regular defender at the kennel, Gerecke had ambitions of playing a midfield role if he could strip a bit of weight and add a bit of mobility.
Gerecke revealed he lost a whopping 11kg over the off-season, trimming down from 105kg to his present weight of 94kg.
"I actually lost 11kgs after I did a program under the watchful eye of Todd Miller who has got his own personal training business, MillerPT weight loss coaching," Gerecke said.
"Todd plays at the club and there are quite a few players who have followed his program and lost a fair amount of weight... Todd is very good at what he does.
"Most of it is diet related and you can train as much as you want in the gym and running... I've tried that.
"But you can't out train a bad diet and I learnt weight loss primarily comes down to food.
"What I eat and portion sizes are probably the two most important changes I made.
"I feel like I'm a lot more mobile now and playing better footy as a result."
Gerecke played juniors at Thurgoona and notched his 100th senior match at the kennel last year where he is a triple premiership player.
He spent 2021 and 2022 in the Hume league at Rand-Walbundrie-Walla who were coached by former Bulldog Lucas Mellier.
"I obviously came back to the kennel last year after a bit of a change for two years out in the Hume league with the Giants," he said.
"To come back to my home club and get to the 100 match milestone last year was a special moment for me.
"To get a new coach this year in D-Mac (McAlister) has been really good with a fresh voice and ideas and I'm really enjoying my footy at the moment."
Gerecke revealed he approached McAlister over the pre-season about a switch in roles from a key defender to a midfielder.
"I told D-Mac about my weight loss and that I wanted to have a crack in the midfield but he told me 'that won't be happening,'" Gerecke said.
"He was still keen for me to play in defence across half-back.
"Then a couple of weeks into the season D-Mac told me that he was going to try me as a forward and a bit of a marking target across half-forward.
"I was happy to play whatever role I could to help the team."
The move by McAlister proved to be a masterstroke against Kiewa-Sandy Creek last weekend.
Although the Bulldogs lost by three goals, Gerecke produced a best-on-ground display, booting a career-high six goals.
"Playing forward is a lot different... you go from chasing ass to having somebody chasing your ass," he said.
"I've found the work-rate and the running pattern the two biggest adjustments that I have had to make.
"I had a bit of luck last weekend when kicking six against Kiewa-Sandy Creek which is easily the most goals that I've ever kicked.
"I guess you make your own luck though and it has given my confidence a bit of a boost that maybe I can have an impact for the side as a forward."
McAlister's arrival has helped spark a revival at the kennel.
The Bulldogs can virtually guarantee themselves a finals berth this weekend for the first time since 2019 with victory over Barnawartha.
Gerecke said McAlister was a passionate coach who wore his heart on his sleeve and could deliver a fearful spray if required.
"D-Mac is really passionate and has been awesome to play under," he said.
"He attracted a lot of younger players as recruits over the off-season and he loves his footy and the playing group.
"D-Mac has delivered a few memorable sprays at different times this season and it just highlights how passionate he is about getting this club back playing finals.
"You just cop it on the chin and D-Mac moves on fairly quickly after delivering a few home truths.
"You just hope it isn't you when you are standing in the huddle but I stand at the back of the huddle now so it is harder to find me and someone else can cop it."
