Magpie Mihocek loves new role in AFL debut

Instead of the poacher turned gamekeeper, Brody Mihocek is more the other way around.

The Collingwood key position player has been a revelation in his debut AFL season, immediately settling into the Magpies attack and kicking 18 goals in 10 games.

But until this year Mihocek was always a defender, or gamekeeper. He had only played an occasional game in attack, instead forging his reputation as a courageous and strong-marking key defender.

Still, Mihocek had a good idea of what tricks he would need as the poacher, or forward.

"It's probably got to help me as a forward, with what I don't like and what I've seen as a backman," he said.

"You just try to take that into the forward line.

"I'm still learning the role and wondering what I need to do to play my best footy there.

"It's still a trial, so the more I play, it's only for the better."

Mihocek moved to Melbourne from Tasmania and eventually ended up at VFL side Port Melbourne, before joining the Magpies last year through the rookie draft.

Collingwood tried Mihocek in attack and the experiment clicked.

The 25-year-old debuted in round 11 and made an immediate impact, kicking four goals against Fremantle. His only goal-less game so far was the round 20 loss to Sydney, when Mihocek went down back after Darcy Moore suffered another hamstring injury.

"At the start of the year, I just wanted that (first AFL) game and I probably wasn't ready for it," he said.

"Probably a month before my first game, I'd been playing some pretty good footy.

"I knew the time was right and when the chance came, I took it."

Mihocek is part of an unconventional Collingwood attack that has flourished this year.

For all the talk about the Magpies' injuries, their forward line has developed nicely and players such as Mihocek, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Jordan De Goey have flourished.

Collingwood average 93 points a game and they're the third highest-scoring team.

They will give Port Adelaide's defence plenty to think about in their must-win game on Saturday at the MCG.

"It's definitely a good group there ... we're a pretty young group and pretty inexperienced when it comes to games played," Mihocek said.

"We just work well together and we enjoy the little things - a smother or a tackle.

"It doesn't matter who kicks four or five - everyone wants to share it."