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I was puzzled why ex North star Laurie Dwyer was one of the few to pick Adam to win the Brownlow , this story shows the connection . As for Dwyer I remember seeing him play at the Lakeside Oval in the night series and absolutely ripping us apart . A great player with the ability to spot young talent.
How boyhood dreams of soccer stardom ended with a Brownlow
By Richard Hinds
September 24, 2003
It was late 1997 and Swans recruiting manager Rick Barham and consultant Laurie Dwyer had just completed an interview with prospective recruit Adam Goodes when the 17-year-old made an unusual request: "Come and have a look at my bedroom."
Barham and Dwyer were ushered into the small room, where Goodes had carefully displayed the many trophies, medals and ribbons accumulated on the soccer and Australian football fields, the athletics track and in just about any other sport to which he turned his hand.
"It was a bit like a Hindu temple," recalls Barham. "You could see he took tremendous pride in what he had done, which is pretty unusual these days. My own kids just chuck the ribbons away when they win them. It really meant something to Adam."
Goodes had already made a strong impact on the Swans' scouts, who'd been impressed by his skill and athleticism even before he kicked six goals for the Ballarat Rebels in the 1997 Victorian under-18 grand final. What impressed Barham even more was his strong character.
"We talked to a lot of people, junior coaches and people who knew him, and every one of them was glowing about Adam," says Barham. "He was just such an impressive kid, I can't emphasise that enough. I think people will find that in the next six months in the way he handles himself."
Yesterday, as Goodes and one of his co-Brownlow medallists Mark Ricciuto were paraded before Melbourne's business and sporting elite at the traditional Carbine Club grand final luncheon (the third co-medallist, Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley, was at training) Goodes's poise and dignity were apparent.
The eyes were slightly glazed. He had slept for just half an hour before rising for the first of his media commitments, and stolen another two hours' sleep before the luncheon. But his self-confident, articulate manner came to the fore.
Proudly, Goodes told how he had moved with his mother from Adelaide to Merbein in northern Victoria when he was 13 and found, to his dismay, there was no junior soccer team. "We looked over at the other [Australian football] ground and Mum said, 'Why don't you give that a go', and eight or nine years later here I am."
Goodes's natural ability made him an immediate standout as a junior. However, even in his early days with the Swans, his courage was sometimes questioned.
That was the major reason he was only the 14th 17-year-old (each club was only allowed one) chosen in the 1997 draft. "The general opinion was his upside was sensational but his downside was terrible," says Barham.
Former Swans coach Rodney Eade admits he was sometimes frustrated by Goodes's game. More than once he told him he was playing "like a Harlem Globetrotter".
"I was pretty hard on him," says Eade. "It was a matter of trying to get him to stick to the basics without taking the flair out of him. Adam said himself he didn't know much about the physical side of the game. Now he still has that flair but he's better in the contests."
If Goodes lacked a physical edge it may have been because he grew up dribbling rather than tackling. "I was thinking of Champions League goals, playing in Italy or playing for Man U versus Real Madrid," he says of his boyhood dreams.
Goodes says he has benefited from the way new coach Paul Roos has given "ownership" of the team to the players.
"Just the way the team's playing has been the best thing," says Goodes. "Paul Roos has also been a big help. To know that you mean something and you are part of an organisation and you are contributing, it makes you feel part of it."
As he sipped a beer in the VIP area at Crown Casino yesterday with retiring AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson at one arm and Ricciuto at the other, Goodes was now part of the AFL establishment.
And, wherever he now keeps that cherished trophy collection, his very own Brownlow Medal will take pride of place.
How boyhood dreams of soccer stardom ended with a Brownlow
By Richard Hinds
September 24, 2003
It was late 1997 and Swans recruiting manager Rick Barham and consultant Laurie Dwyer had just completed an interview with prospective recruit Adam Goodes when the 17-year-old made an unusual request: "Come and have a look at my bedroom."
Barham and Dwyer were ushered into the small room, where Goodes had carefully displayed the many trophies, medals and ribbons accumulated on the soccer and Australian football fields, the athletics track and in just about any other sport to which he turned his hand.
"It was a bit like a Hindu temple," recalls Barham. "You could see he took tremendous pride in what he had done, which is pretty unusual these days. My own kids just chuck the ribbons away when they win them. It really meant something to Adam."
Goodes had already made a strong impact on the Swans' scouts, who'd been impressed by his skill and athleticism even before he kicked six goals for the Ballarat Rebels in the 1997 Victorian under-18 grand final. What impressed Barham even more was his strong character.
"We talked to a lot of people, junior coaches and people who knew him, and every one of them was glowing about Adam," says Barham. "He was just such an impressive kid, I can't emphasise that enough. I think people will find that in the next six months in the way he handles himself."
Yesterday, as Goodes and one of his co-Brownlow medallists Mark Ricciuto were paraded before Melbourne's business and sporting elite at the traditional Carbine Club grand final luncheon (the third co-medallist, Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley, was at training) Goodes's poise and dignity were apparent.
The eyes were slightly glazed. He had slept for just half an hour before rising for the first of his media commitments, and stolen another two hours' sleep before the luncheon. But his self-confident, articulate manner came to the fore.
Proudly, Goodes told how he had moved with his mother from Adelaide to Merbein in northern Victoria when he was 13 and found, to his dismay, there was no junior soccer team. "We looked over at the other [Australian football] ground and Mum said, 'Why don't you give that a go', and eight or nine years later here I am."
Goodes's natural ability made him an immediate standout as a junior. However, even in his early days with the Swans, his courage was sometimes questioned.
That was the major reason he was only the 14th 17-year-old (each club was only allowed one) chosen in the 1997 draft. "The general opinion was his upside was sensational but his downside was terrible," says Barham.
Former Swans coach Rodney Eade admits he was sometimes frustrated by Goodes's game. More than once he told him he was playing "like a Harlem Globetrotter".
"I was pretty hard on him," says Eade. "It was a matter of trying to get him to stick to the basics without taking the flair out of him. Adam said himself he didn't know much about the physical side of the game. Now he still has that flair but he's better in the contests."
If Goodes lacked a physical edge it may have been because he grew up dribbling rather than tackling. "I was thinking of Champions League goals, playing in Italy or playing for Man U versus Real Madrid," he says of his boyhood dreams.
Goodes says he has benefited from the way new coach Paul Roos has given "ownership" of the team to the players.
"Just the way the team's playing has been the best thing," says Goodes. "Paul Roos has also been a big help. To know that you mean something and you are part of an organisation and you are contributing, it makes you feel part of it."
As he sipped a beer in the VIP area at Crown Casino yesterday with retiring AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson at one arm and Ricciuto at the other, Goodes was now part of the AFL establishment.
And, wherever he now keeps that cherished trophy collection, his very own Brownlow Medal will take pride of place.
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