Kolby Heiner-Hennessy enjoying his football at Holbrook after leaving Albury

The ex-Albury forward joined Holbrook in the summer and arrived in the sort of physical condition which made it hard for his new team-mates to keep up.

Heiner-Hennessy, 21, was among a plethora of new arrivals at the flag-chasing Brookers and creating synergy among that unfamiliar talent took more than a click of the fingers.

But nine games later, the former St Pats junior is repaying coach Matt Sharp's faith by consistently displaying the sort of form which made him such an attractive proposition in the first place.

"Kolby has impressed me heaps," Sharp said.

"He had a really good pre-season, he presented himself in a really good way and he just runs all day.

"I've never seen anything like it.

"If you line up on him, you're in for a long day and he's starting to get some reward on the scoreboard as well, which is pleasing.

"He started the first two rounds a bit slow but then I think he got a bit of an understanding of what the football's about.

"With a lot of new faces, we probably weren't as predictable to each other as we'd like to have been but now that we're starting to be a bit more predictable, him and Luke Gestier are working together closely and they've worked out a pretty good partnership down there.

"They've got each other's backs at the minute with who plays a bit higher and who plays a bit deeper.

"With our ball movement a lot more consistent, he's probably getting the rewards of it because he works hard to find space and he puts the kilometres into his legs.

"The more times he touches the ball, it's no fluke because he's working his backside off.

"We've been hit a little bit with height for a couple of weeks so it'll be good to keep him down there.

"We tried him in the ruck a little bit but he's more suited to centre half-forward."

Heiner-Hennessy kicked six goals in his first four games for the club but has booted 22 in his last five as Holbrook have extended their winning run to eight.

"I've really enjoyed it," he said. "It's been great fun, a good change-up from the O and M and I'm starting to enjoy my footy again.

"Culture-wise, I've noticed a difference; there's a real family environment.

"I've been playing centre half-forward, as a lead-up option and that's different to what I was playing at full-forward at Albury but I've been learning more.

"That's why I came out here, to grow as a player and to get some opportunities.

"I won a thirds premiership with Albury and played a couple of senior games there but, as you know, it's a hard team to crack."

While the intensity of the Hume league might be a couple of notches down on the Ovens and Murray, the skill level has impressed Heiner-Hennessy.

"It's taken a while to get used to the comp," he said.

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"The first couple of games I struggled but I feel like, lately, I've been getting chemistry with the other players and finding my role in the team.

"There's no egos at the club, everyone gets along and it's a really good environment to be part of.

"I look forward to training and it's a happy place to get away from work.

"You want to get the best out of yourself and you want to get the best out of everyone around you and I feel like we're doing that at Holbrook.

"At full strength and getting to know each other, building that chemistry, I feel like we can compete with Osborne.

"We're going to have to be at our best because they are a very talented group of players but there is belief within the group that we can win."

Heiner-Hennessy is feeling the benefit of his burgeoning partnership with Gestier.

"He's been great, a good role model," Heiner-Hennessy said.

"He's a bit older than me and he's played footy at a couple of clubs so he's offered a lot of advice and he's helped me a fair bit.

"We started off the year a bit slow and I felt like it was always going to take a couple of weeks to get to know how everyone plays but those relationships are crucial.

"We're clicking a bit more now, as you can see with our record, eight wins in a row, so the proof is in the pudding."

Holbrook hosts the rematch with Osborne on July 2.

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