Hyphen

[footyhead]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,6440768%255E19773,00.html

Rugby runs second
16 May 2003 Herald Sun
By TIM MORRISSEY in Sydney

SWANS debutant Lewis Roberts-Thomson admits coming from a rugby union background means he's still playing catch-up.



Code-breaker: Sydney's Lewis Roberts-Thomson.



But making the transition from schoolboy rugby to the AFL has its advantages.

"Rugby has made me a little bit tougher. My tackling technique might be better, I think, than a couple of other players," Roberts-Thomson said.

The 19-year-old ruckman will be the fourth player blooded by the Swans in eight rounds when Sydney hosts the bottom-placed Cats at the SCG on Sunday.

And although the former Shore School first XV second-rower is still considered a project player by Swans coach Paul Roos, he has earned his promotion from the Sydney reserves playing in the ACT competition.

"He's definitely still got a lot to learn," Roos said. "But one thing we are pretty clear on is that we just aren't handing out senior games to players because they're young.

"It's really important to note that Lewie (Roberts-Thomson) has really earned his spot."

The fact that Sydney's other debutants - Adam Schneider, Mark Powell and James Meiklejohn - have all held their own has given the Swans' newest rookie confidence that he can compete at the elite level.

"I'm very excited. When Paul Roos spoke to me at training on (Wednesday) I almost didn't know what to say," Roberts-Thomson said.

"My form in the Canberra league has been relatively consistent and I just saw myself doing the the little things the coaches want to see, the one-percenters.

"Taking the football, clean hands and stuff like that, I focused on those things and improved on them. I saw a couple of young guys get games (in the seniors) just based on those areas."

Despite being educated at a traditional schoolboy rugby union stronghold, Roberts-Thomson said the decision to choose the AFL was an easy one in the end.

"I suppose it's just a love for the game and desire to play at the elite level," Roberts-Thomson said.

"Rugby had been great to me, but there's something about Aussie Rules that grabbed me; it's more of a free-flowing game."

However, when it came to which code was tougher, Roberts-Thomson couldn't choose.

"It's a different soreness after the game," he said.

[penga]

cant wait to see him play!