After being dropped mid-season, Lachie Ash has embraced his new role as the Giants' midfield stopper.
"It was a shock when Leon called me in a couple of days before the Essendon game and said, 'We're thinking about playing you on Darcy Parish, what do you think?'," Ash said.
"He told me they liked my defensive mindset and that I'd continued to show that in the reserves.
"We've talked about me wanting to play onball in the next couple of years and Leon said this is a way to have a crack now. I just jumped at the opportunity."