Tweet
Not-so secret life of Jude
23 May 2003 Herald Sun
By NIKKI TUGWELL in Sydney
BEING Jude Bolton isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Just friends: Jude Bolton and Delta Goodrem at the premiere of Ned Kelly in Melbourne in March.
Fobbing off rumours of romance with pop princesses and being a Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist is clearly no walk in the park.
Then there's the footy.
His Sydney Swans are defying expectations with recent upset victories against Collingwood and Brisbane sandwiched between impressive wins against Melbourne and Geelong.
Suddenly the 2003 finals are a real possibility.
It gets better. The Swans have never had a "God" or a "King" ... just Paul Kelly.
It was "the next Paul Kelly" the Swans were trying to unearth at last year's national draft and it was whether "the next Paul Kelly" was inside or outside the club that coach Paul Roos wanted to determine after the Round 3 loss to Adelaide.
If you wear the red-and-white guernsey, there is no bigger compliment than the one thrown Bolton's way by teammate Adam Goodes.
Before Sunday's clash with the Cats, Goodes said of Bolton: "He is the next Paul Kelly. His attack on the ball, the way he trains, his professionalism ... the way he runs through packs and tackles is so like Paul Kelly."
He also predicted Bolton would be the next Swans captain.
Bolton was suitably humble about the comparison.
"'Kel' has been an inspiration the length of my career," he said.
"If I can be a quarter or a half of the player that Kel was, that would be fantastic."
No pressure, Jude. Roll the tape forward to the finish of the Geelong match and a 39-point win to the Swans. Scan the best players: J.Bolton, best on ground.
Maybe Goodes was on to something.
"That was a pretty big wrap from Adam," Bolton said.
"It's pretty good to be mentioned in the same sentence as Kel, and I've always had leadership aspirations. I think Adam's trying to deflect the attention off himself since he's a favourite for the Brownlow Medal."
Goodes has hogged the headlines this season, but the effectiveness of the less-conspicuous Bolton has both names mentioned in same breath in the Swans' inner sanctum.
The ability of the 23-year-old midfielder to provide the running link by hand or foot out of defence, along the flanks and constructively into the forward line, is one reason the Swans are potent inside 50m.
The Swans have been issued greater licence to back themselves under Roos than under former coach Rodney Eade. For Bolton, who reads the play well, this has translated into leading his opponent to the ball.
"This is a crucial season for me," he said. "With the loss of Kel and those sort of leaders in the past few years, there had to be guys like myself from this middle bracket coming forth.
"I've come off the back of two pretty ordinary years and this is my fifth season at the club, so it's crunch time for me in terms of development."
As for the whispers linking him romantically to Neighbours and recording star Delta Goodrem, well, it does seem the perfect match. The next Kelly and the next Kylie.
But Bolton goes about his business and really doesn't care for the showbiz celebrity circuit lifestyle.
"That Cleo thing's pretty embarrassing," Bolton said.
"I try to downplay that image. As for Delta, we're really close friends.
"We've been good friends for about four years now, but yeah, we're just friends."
23 May 2003 Herald Sun
By NIKKI TUGWELL in Sydney
BEING Jude Bolton isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Just friends: Jude Bolton and Delta Goodrem at the premiere of Ned Kelly in Melbourne in March.
Fobbing off rumours of romance with pop princesses and being a Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist is clearly no walk in the park.
Then there's the footy.
His Sydney Swans are defying expectations with recent upset victories against Collingwood and Brisbane sandwiched between impressive wins against Melbourne and Geelong.
Suddenly the 2003 finals are a real possibility.
It gets better. The Swans have never had a "God" or a "King" ... just Paul Kelly.
It was "the next Paul Kelly" the Swans were trying to unearth at last year's national draft and it was whether "the next Paul Kelly" was inside or outside the club that coach Paul Roos wanted to determine after the Round 3 loss to Adelaide.
If you wear the red-and-white guernsey, there is no bigger compliment than the one thrown Bolton's way by teammate Adam Goodes.
Before Sunday's clash with the Cats, Goodes said of Bolton: "He is the next Paul Kelly. His attack on the ball, the way he trains, his professionalism ... the way he runs through packs and tackles is so like Paul Kelly."
He also predicted Bolton would be the next Swans captain.
Bolton was suitably humble about the comparison.
"'Kel' has been an inspiration the length of my career," he said.
"If I can be a quarter or a half of the player that Kel was, that would be fantastic."
No pressure, Jude. Roll the tape forward to the finish of the Geelong match and a 39-point win to the Swans. Scan the best players: J.Bolton, best on ground.
Maybe Goodes was on to something.
"That was a pretty big wrap from Adam," Bolton said.
"It's pretty good to be mentioned in the same sentence as Kel, and I've always had leadership aspirations. I think Adam's trying to deflect the attention off himself since he's a favourite for the Brownlow Medal."
Goodes has hogged the headlines this season, but the effectiveness of the less-conspicuous Bolton has both names mentioned in same breath in the Swans' inner sanctum.
The ability of the 23-year-old midfielder to provide the running link by hand or foot out of defence, along the flanks and constructively into the forward line, is one reason the Swans are potent inside 50m.
The Swans have been issued greater licence to back themselves under Roos than under former coach Rodney Eade. For Bolton, who reads the play well, this has translated into leading his opponent to the ball.
"This is a crucial season for me," he said. "With the loss of Kel and those sort of leaders in the past few years, there had to be guys like myself from this middle bracket coming forth.
"I've come off the back of two pretty ordinary years and this is my fifth season at the club, so it's crunch time for me in terms of development."
As for the whispers linking him romantically to Neighbours and recording star Delta Goodrem, well, it does seem the perfect match. The next Kelly and the next Kylie.
But Bolton goes about his business and really doesn't care for the showbiz celebrity circuit lifestyle.
"That Cleo thing's pretty embarrassing," Bolton said.
"I try to downplay that image. As for Delta, we're really close friends.
"We've been good friends for about four years now, but yeah, we're just friends."
Comment