Tyrone Leonardis

[swansrob]

Interesting article about Leonardis' journey and struggle
Leonardis beats odds to reach AFL

[Triple B]

Fantastic story, what a courageous bugger he is.

Some people wanted to put the boot into him over the Goodes Facebook stuff, but that article puts it somewhat into context. The fact he only 'liked' the pages and didn't actually post (afaik) would be consistent with the gist of that story.

Good get Rob...

[Kumarangk]

Surely he can read and write now ?? Obviously if he reads facebook !

[Conor_Dillon]

He couldn't have come to a better club then RE personal development...he will be in great hands!

[Primmy]

Exactly Conor. the boys will look after him, and so will the coaches. AND we still have Rhyce on the books so its all good as far as getting around him goes.

He'll be fine.

[Mug Punter]

Surely he can read and write now ?? Obviously if he reads facebook !

I suspect if his writing skills were that bad that he would be facing a real struggle to get these skills developed so late in life given that football would be his obsession. Sounds like he has a loving family but in many ways had a very sad and tough childhood.

At the risk of sounding patronising he sounds like he probably has had some developmental issues and used sport as his escape so whilst I was most unimpressed with his facebook likes re Goodesy it doesn't surprise now and I guess compassion and education are what he needs now. If he is wearing red and white I'll be cheering him on...

Do you reckon this kid is high risk? On one hand he has shown poor judgement and may well have some other issues from the sound of so being away fro home would be incredibly tough for the kid. One the other hand this is pretty much all he has got, he has no Plan B, so he may be so obsessive about being successful that he does everything by the book.

You'd have to have a pretty hard heart to not wish the kid well....

[Auntie.Gerald]

Selection 51 - Tyrone Leonardis - sydneyswans.com.au

i didn't notice anyone else in any of the afl high lights that had such an attacking nice left foot kick

tyrone has the speed, aggressiveness, run and carry, handpass and kick that technically gives a great chance of being and afl snr player.............lets see how his fitness and game structure ability comes along

[southsideswan]

This is a little bit difficult to discuss openly as we are left to "join the dots". Somebody that has had learning difficulties and has become successful in some aspect of life (he is a success now as a footballer ... playing senior level AFL is just another step) has the ability to single mindedly apply himself.

The Swans would have checked him out and feel that he is worth the gamble (all draft picks are gambles). The facebook stuff is just a blip in my opinion and not worth discussing until his true character is shown.

There is always someone "smarter" then the next guy and always someone not as "smart". Intelligence is not an easy thing to quantify. Sometimes the true measure is how best you use with what you are given.

[Primmy]

There is always someone "smarter" then the next guy and always someone not as "smart". Intelligence is not an easy thing to quantify. Sometimes the true measure is how best you use with what you are given.

"Accent the Positive" isn't it? Give the kid a chance. the Swans have, and I'd rather their judgement than ours overall.

[giant]

Amazing story. Thanks for the link.