There's being thrown in the deep end, and then there's lining up on an AFL premiership player in your fifth senior game.
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Fresh from his best outing so far, Launceston 18-year-old Zach Morris has been given the mammoth task of minding Lauderdale recruit Allen Christensen in Saturday's Windsor Park clash with Lauderdale.
Retiring from a 133-game AFL career last year, Christensen has played just two games in the TSL after suffering a hamstring injury in round two and will be out to help break Lauderdale's run of four losses.
Morris said he was excited to test himself against one of the league's highest-profile players.
"He [Blues coach Mitch Thorp] just threw it at me last night in the team review," Morris said on Thursday.
"I was a bit gobsmacked when he told me I was playing on him but it's good, I'm looking forward to it.
"I probably won't change too much, I think I'll just go into the game like I do every other game but he's a pretty good player.
"I'll give him the respect he deserves but try my best to get the job done."
Debuting in the round one win over North Launceston, Morris has missed just one game so far this season due to Tasmania Devils duties.
The St Patrick's College student and former East Launceston junior looked comfortable in last round's win over Clarence, snapping up several intercept marks and providing some spring from defence.
"Probably going into the Clarence game I felt like my confidence was up and it felt like any other game really," Morris said.
"I pride myself on my one-on-ones with players and my contested work and stuff like that, I like getting a challenge.
"Playing on a guy like Ollie Preshaw was pretty good for my confidence as well and I thought I did an alright job on him."
Saturday's game starts at 2pm.
LAUNCESTON 'AS GOOD AS I'VE SEEN': WILLING
Launceston is setting a new benchmark for the TSL, says Lauderdale coach Daniel Willing.
Five games in, the Blues have an average winning margin of 94 points and have made light work of nearest rivals Clarence and North Launceston.
Lauderdale has welcomed back Allen Christensen in time for Saturday's 2pm clash, but will need to be at their best to compete with the reigning premiers.
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"To be honest I haven't seen anything like it in terms of how they prepare, how fit they are and how strong they are and how hard they work on the ground," Willing said of the Blues.
"That's probably as good as I've seen in the TSL, so credit to Mitch [Thorp] and to the football club for the things they've got in place to be able to allow Mitch to have the program that he's got.
"It's the toughest task in footy - particularly going up to Windsor Park, they're always hard to beat there anyway and they'll be even harder now they're in such good form."
Willing said while his side's contested work had been good so far, execution by foot and hand would be the key factor against Launceston.
"We need to make sure that we're much better with the footy so that when we get the ball forward we're able to put some scoreboard pressure on," he said.
"They've been so good defensively right throughout the year that no team has really been able to do that [scoreboard pressure] so that will be a big thing for us."