The team was without All Australian defender Sean Wellman yesterday and Welsh said all the defenders were conscious of stepping up in his absence. ""Certainly missing Welly we missed that extra run and leadership down there. But all the boys worked really hard down there - McVeigh, Lucas and Dustin Fletcher. We still kept on the run without Sean out there which was good,"" the former Calder Cannons player said.
Welsh notched up 22 possessions yesterday and often ran off his opponent and gave the team drive through the mid-field. ""I was on Kane Petiffer early and he was doing a fair bit of running and I was lucky a few times to catch him out - he was running to dead space and i would be able to get the ball on the transfer. In the second half I played on young Marty McGrath and he got a couple of touches on me early. After that I really wanted to shut him down and run off him,"" Welsh said.
Despite playing all but one game this season, Welsh said he is still not a certain starter in the senior team. ""I have played 18 games this year and I still have to check if I am in the team. A couple of times I think I have nearly been out of the side so it is good to see my name there every Thursday,"" Welsh said. With only two games remaining in the home and away season, Welsh is hoping he can hold down his position in the team and have a real impact come finals time.""We are getting our best side out on the paddock and the guys have a new lease of confidence and we are really looking forward to the finals.""
