The trials and tribulations of lewis roberts-thomson

[Ken Oath]

Amusing to see all the LRT haters go silent after he missed the Geelong game.

No one ever said they hate him. He's a Sydney player who give it %110 every week and he does the gersey proud with his effort.
And yes, we do need him because we've no one better to do the job at the moment.
Doesn't mean he's the great player some of you are portraying him as. Forget the midfield, if you think LRT is our best player down back then it's no coincidence we're on the slippery slop down the ladder.

Having said all that, his awkward footy skills still make for some great entertainment.

[magic.merkin]

Forget the midfield, if you think LRT is our best player down back then it's no coincidence we're on the slippery slop down the ladder.

Playing right now I'd say he is our 2nd best defender behind Reg, this changes week to week, but overall I'd give the nod to Reg for all round skills. Eski, and co are backmen, but not true defenders.

[CJK]

Forget the midfield, if you think LRT is our best player down back then it's no coincidence we're on the slippery slop down the ladder.

Supporters opinions = ladder performance????

[Melbournehammer]

+2

Amusing to see all the LRT haters go silent after he missed the Geelong game.

If he really was such a useless hack, I wonder why numerous AFL clubs have in the past made serious offers for him....perhaps all those recruiters are stupid too????

With CBolts future in doubt, we need him more then ever.

Ohhh seriously come on. Geelong are the one team that plays three tall attackers. It was obvious he was going to be needed. That was said before the match !

As for the serious offers - I'd be pleasantly surprised if there has been more than one. But we bid for Paul Chambers. Does that mean recruiters are the best judges of talent ?

And we seem to be talking at cross-purposes. No-one is saying you are stupid (unlike those pathetic posts that play the man and not the ball) - and we are not saying he's as useless as tits on a bull. We're saying having a tall defender is important for structure. Hopefully you are not saying he's a world beater.

What we're saying is that he plays a role - not as well as some - as far as tall defenders go he is clearly behind reg and c bolton - but possibly better than anyone else on our list.

And of course with cbolts in doubt we need him - but as we've seen with bradshaw and playfair in doubt we suddenly need jesse white - and a week ago people were remarking how desperately he needed a run in the twos (which i didn't because providing a contest is what you want but i just wish he'd play in front a bit). AFL lists are pretty shallow and the modern game which emphasises 12-16 running types means that the kpp are in relatively short supply. But for crying out loud from my perspective he gets beaten far more often than anyone would like when he plays on key forwards and resting ruckmen.

[Go Swannies]

But for crying out loud from my perspective he gets beaten far more often than anyone would like when he plays on key forwards and resting ruckmen.

Does he? I had the idea he's done alright on some of the best forwards in the comp and kept them under their usual returns?

[magic.merkin]

Does he? I had the idea he's done alright on some of the best forwards in the comp and kept them under their usual returns?

My thoughts as well.

[Bloody Hell]

Playing right now I'd say he is our 2nd best defender behind Reg, this changes week to week, but overall I'd give the nod to Reg for all round skills. Eski, and co are backmen, but not true defenders.

To be fair he's our second and only defender behind Reg.

He plays FB - show me a FB who isn't important to the team structure. It doesn't make him the Messiah.

[pip_rex]

F@#$%^&**^%$#

This regular LRT bashing thread makes me think that a whole lot of people out there in RWO land really don't understand the game at all. His slightly awkward style and the occasional turnover under intense pressure makes the knockers exaggerate his negatives and somehow completely overlook his positives. That we are not winning the midfield makes our defenders job so much tougher. The amount and quality of ball coming is way makes his job extremely difficult. Anyone notice how Scarletts status has risen appreciably since Geelong started their stunning current era? I'm of course not saying LRT is Scarlet but if he was at CHB for Geelong he'd look a really good player.

Make absolutely no mistake, LRT is one of the MOST IMPORTANT players in our team and knockers are showing themselves to not be students of the game.

Completely agree. Well said.

If there's a statistic that can demonstrate the turnovers, then I'd like to see it too. Otherwise it's an unsubstantiated anecdote.

And yes, his haircut is ordinary. Having said that, he isn't in our 22 because of his "do" (which rhymes).

What hair could would work better? Perhaps we should send out some suggestions to him.
Yet as you said his hair has really nothing to do with it. As Swansrule100 said the proof is there when he isn't.

[magic.merkin]

To be fair he's our second and only defender behind Reg.

He plays FB - show me a FB who isn't important to the team structure. It doesn't make him the Messiah.

No, but it guarentee's him a game week in week out, and he does more than a good job with more heart than half of the team.

[Doctor]

LRT is a legend. From his first kick in senior football (a grubber along the western side of the SCG) to his Norm Smith medal winning performance in 2005 (we all know he should have won it) he's everything Sydney Swans football should be. My mates, my son and I call him Mr Football and not without good reason. He does everything and we'd be rudderless without him. The club needs an erratic genius and for us it's him.

[i'm-uninformed2]

I once started a thread on here called "LRT is a retard". It came after the shocking '05 game v St Kilda when Reiwoldt had about 14 million shots at goal and 17 millions marks and LRT was Worst On Ground.

Here it is, as part of my penance: LRT

Note: the title got changed as it was deemed offensive to retards or LRT, I'm not sure which.

Anyway, I've come to appreciate his wacky ways, his love of the bash and crash, his willingness to stick his body on the line in front of a pack. Yes, he makes an incredible, A grade, head slapping mistake now and then.

But I reckon there is no one else at the Swans to play his role and aside from the odd moment of stupidity, he's alright.

So you keep on keeping on LRT.

[Kirkari]

...And yes, his haircut is ordinary. Having said that, he isn't in our 22 because of his "do" (which rhymes).

Hush your mouth! I love his golden locks.

[laughingnome]

He was the first player my girlfriend could identify on the field because of his hair, and she affectionately calls him "Blondie". It's gotten so prevalent it's slipped out of my mouth on occassion

No matter what happens you know the guy will bounce back - he's incredible. We've seen some ordinairy performances over the years, but they are getting rarer and rarer because this is a guy who learns from his mistakes and improves, and doesn't get paralysed with frustration. He's taken over Leo Barry's mantle as Full Back in every way, from nullifying the Key Forward to making the SCG gasp as he runs the ball out of defence. He's the embodiment of all backmen: gets no credit when we win and gets dumped on when we lose, and through it all he keeps on with that brilliant blond hair.

LRT suits me just fine.

[ShockOfHair]

LRT has taken over Leo's role as our backline kamikaze. He might be gangly but he's our key man at the back. He's interesting to watch because like Leo you never know what he's going to do next.

He won us the game against the Bombers with those big marks. He's strong and mobile, knows where to run these days and can run off his man if allowed (he's not). Dunstall on MMM last week said he thought LRT broke even with Jack R. which he called a win.

After Kennelly retires he'll be the leader of the defensive group.

If LRT really couldn't play, we'd be leaking 15 goals a week.

[pip_rex]

Lewis Roberts-Thomson @ Text A Star