Prestigiacomo

[Dantheman]

This is from the AFL website:

Prestigiacomo stuck on bench

Tuesday, May 15, 2001

SIMON PRESTIGIACOMO could score a hat-trick against Port Adelaide this week.

The Collingwood defender could go three matches without spending a minute on the ground.

In the past two weeks "Presti" has managed just 25 seconds ground time.

Against Carlton he sat the entire game on the bench.

And on Sunday he was there again for virtually the whole first-half before finally the call came down from the box to get stripped.

After two weeks he was ready. He ran on to the field and barely had time to raise a canter, let alone a sweat, when the halftime siren blew.

After halftime it was back on the pine.

"It's not by design, he just has not been required, obviously," football manager Neil Balme said.

"He is very much a key back-up to full-back and centre half-back and on a tall and we've done OK and it hasn't been necessary.

"I mean it's disappointing for him, but he's still part of the game."

Balme said Prestigiacomo is forced to train hard all week to maintain fitness, while team-mates spend the week recovering.

"It's not ideal and obviously it can't happen forever because you need match practice, but he came on at the weekend and then the circumstances changed," Balme said.

"I guess what it does say is we have been reasonably happy with what Richardson and Wakelin and, probably James Clement, have done on the taller forwards. "

"And even Ryan Lonie on the tall players, and obviously Ryan has got a bit more run than Simon has."