Bentleigh Greens forward Chris Lucas kicked off his 2016 campaign in stunning fashion, plundering four well-taken goals in the 6-1 obliteration of newly-promoted Richmond on Friday night.
The diminutive marksman also managed to add an assist, picking out fellow Queenslander Tyson Holmes for the final goal of the game with a precise cutback.
Profligate on occasion in the 2015 season, Lucas has markedly improved just two rounds into this year’s campaign after spending pre-season in his favoured central position.
“I like getting a lot more balls in behind so I utilise my pace more so it’s probably better for me to play in the centre,” the former Palm Beach Shark remarked in his post-game press conference.
However, the return of another Queenslander in the form of star striker Matt Thurtell is likely to force Lucas back onto the left flank – a role which Lucas failed to fulfill to the extent he would have liked.
“Last season I set my goal at 20 goals and I was unfortunate not to reach it (16) so this season I’ve set it again. It will be good to see Matty back on the pitch after unfortunately losing him last season.
“Once he gets some minutes in him I think I’ll be playing in a wider role and Matty will slip back into the centre forward position.”
On the theme of failing to live up to hype, Lucas said his side was motivated to make amends for last year’s premature FFA Cup exit after a Semi-Final berth in the competition’s inaugural season.
“It was a bit of a disappointment with the boys losing to Ballarat – so we’re looking to go a lot further this season in the FFA Cup with a strong squad.”
The aforementioned squad is built on a core of Queensland products including Liam McCormick, Tyson Holmes, Troy Ruthven & Thurtell, part of which Lucas attributes last season’s Grand Final success to.
“I hadn’t played against the boys in Queensland but it was definitely good moving down with Troy [Ruthven] last season – it’s good to be around all the Queensland boys, it just makes it a stronger squad to be honest.”
The Greens’ acid test now comes against in arguably the match of the round away to Hume City, a club on the rise after equaling Bentleigh’s FFA Cup achievements last season.
Both sides collected a maximum of six points from the opening two rounds in impressive fashion with new recruits already looking well-settled.
One of said recruits is Daniel Visevic who helped the Greens to their 2015 Grand Final win before shifting across to ABD Stadium.
However, the attacking midfielder faces a race against the clock to achieve full fitness and make the starting XI after a dislocating his shoulder in the 2-1 win over Avondale FC.