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Congratulations Brett kirk on the outstanding home and away season of any player in the AFL.
As an old Albury boy, you have done me proud son !!
Keep up the good work next year and you could be anything.
Kirk's clean sweep
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
8:26:28 PM Sat 30 August, 2003
Sydney?s super tagger Brett Kirk has done the seemingly impossible ? completing a clean sweep of his run-with assignments for 2003 to establish himself as one of the AFL?s best ever stoppers.
The scrupulously fair Kirk was at again at the MCG on Saturday ? helping himself to 20 possessions while keeping highly-rated Demons? star Adem Yze to just 10 touches.
Kirk?s efforts were instrumental in the Swans? 34 point win, which ensures Sydney will enter the finals series next week in no lower than sixth position.
A proud Sydney coach Paul Roos said Kirk, who was little known in AFL circles outside of Sydney at the start of this season, had now done what he considered to be impossible at the start of the season ? beat his man in all 22 games this season.
Roos then remarkably reeled off the names of the opposition players that Kirk has kept under control this season to emphasise the enormity of the young Swans? achievement - and it was a rollcall of some of the AFL?s biggest names.
With a copy of this year?s fixture in front of him, Roos reeled off the names of Scott Camporeale, Des Headland, Simon Goodwin, Simon Cox, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Buckley, Nigel Lappin, Corey Enright, Adam Simpson, Kane Johnson, Jason Johnson, Scott West, Nick Stevens, Ben Cousins, Lenny Hayes, Camporeale again, Peter Bell, Mark Riccuito, Shane Crawford, Simon Black, Buckley again and finally Yze as the players whose normal influence on an AFL game had been quelled by the super-fit Kirk this season.
It was almost as impressive an effort by Roos as it is from Kirk, as his claims to an All-Australian berth continue to strengthen.
When asked after the win over Melbourne if Kirk had failed in a single task this season - Roos replied: ?I asked him to get my lunch yesterday and he didn?t come back.?
?But seriously, he has been terrific,? Roos said of Kirk.
?I?ve found over the last 15 years that the guys who tag players usually get towelled up every fourth or fifth game because mentally it?s such a hard job to do,? he said.
?But his ability to do job week in, week out is just remarkable.?
?I?ve kept expecting him one week to get towelled up and his opponent to get 30 possessions but it just hasn?t happened.?
Roos said the fact Kirk has not had to resort to the much-despised off the ball holding tactics of some other AFL taggers makes his effort even more commendable.
?He is obviously a guy that respects the rules of AFL football completely and he just goes out and beats his man,? Roos said.
Now all that remains is to see whether the greatest tagging performance in a single season in probably the history of the game is enough to see Kirk win a place in the AFL?s team of the year next month.
As an old Albury boy, you have done me proud son !!
Keep up the good work next year and you could be anything.
Kirk's clean sweep
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
8:26:28 PM Sat 30 August, 2003
Sydney?s super tagger Brett Kirk has done the seemingly impossible ? completing a clean sweep of his run-with assignments for 2003 to establish himself as one of the AFL?s best ever stoppers.
The scrupulously fair Kirk was at again at the MCG on Saturday ? helping himself to 20 possessions while keeping highly-rated Demons? star Adem Yze to just 10 touches.
Kirk?s efforts were instrumental in the Swans? 34 point win, which ensures Sydney will enter the finals series next week in no lower than sixth position.
A proud Sydney coach Paul Roos said Kirk, who was little known in AFL circles outside of Sydney at the start of this season, had now done what he considered to be impossible at the start of the season ? beat his man in all 22 games this season.
Roos then remarkably reeled off the names of the opposition players that Kirk has kept under control this season to emphasise the enormity of the young Swans? achievement - and it was a rollcall of some of the AFL?s biggest names.
With a copy of this year?s fixture in front of him, Roos reeled off the names of Scott Camporeale, Des Headland, Simon Goodwin, Simon Cox, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Buckley, Nigel Lappin, Corey Enright, Adam Simpson, Kane Johnson, Jason Johnson, Scott West, Nick Stevens, Ben Cousins, Lenny Hayes, Camporeale again, Peter Bell, Mark Riccuito, Shane Crawford, Simon Black, Buckley again and finally Yze as the players whose normal influence on an AFL game had been quelled by the super-fit Kirk this season.
It was almost as impressive an effort by Roos as it is from Kirk, as his claims to an All-Australian berth continue to strengthen.
When asked after the win over Melbourne if Kirk had failed in a single task this season - Roos replied: ?I asked him to get my lunch yesterday and he didn?t come back.?
?But seriously, he has been terrific,? Roos said of Kirk.
?I?ve found over the last 15 years that the guys who tag players usually get towelled up every fourth or fifth game because mentally it?s such a hard job to do,? he said.
?But his ability to do job week in, week out is just remarkable.?
?I?ve kept expecting him one week to get towelled up and his opponent to get 30 possessions but it just hasn?t happened.?
Roos said the fact Kirk has not had to resort to the much-despised off the ball holding tactics of some other AFL taggers makes his effort even more commendable.
?He is obviously a guy that respects the rules of AFL football completely and he just goes out and beats his man,? Roos said.
Now all that remains is to see whether the greatest tagging performance in a single season in probably the history of the game is enough to see Kirk win a place in the AFL?s team of the year next month.
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