Throughout his 122-game AFL career, Andrew Raines has regularly had to adapt to new surroundings.

So when new Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch advised that his game plan did not include a designated shut-down role, Raines simply changed his style of play to better suit the new vision.

It’s nothing new for the 29-year-old, who has played under seven Senior Coaches at two different clubs since he started in 2004.

“I’ve been hit with a lot of challenges in my career, whether it be injury, new coaches, or positional changes,” Raines told Dom Fay and Michael Whiting in the latest Fancast.

“I saw (the latest change) as just another challenge.”

After finishing in the top 10 in last year’s Merrett-Murray Medal count, Raines spent the start of his 2014 campaign in the NEAFL.

He was determined to ‘shake the tag’ of being a pure shut-down player, and prove that he can be an attacking weapon as well.

Raines eventually earned his place back in the senior side for the team’s Round 6 match against St Kilda in Wellington, and was among the Lions’ best in their first win of the season.

He credits an open dialogue with Leppitsch as one of the main drivers behind his re-birth as a player.  

“I just said ‘if that’s not part of the plan, what can I do to bang down the door?’”, he said.

“(Justin Leppitsch and I) had a great conversation, and he’s been great in communicating what he wants out of me.

“We have constant conversations about what I need to work on and what I need to bring to the side.

“I think it’s been good for me to release that and show him my flexibility, and that I can play an offensive or defensive role.”