2024 VFL thread

[i'm-uninformed2]

Is Snell another Alex Johnson?

Don’t. Still my greatest lament re an individual player in 30 years of watching the Swans. He was going to be seriously elite too. The sight of him bouncing out of defence in the first half of the 2012 GF was something to behold. I’m still not over what happened to him.

But, if Snell is half as good, he will make it. Did I read somewhere we traded back into the draft to get Snell based on Mark McVeigh’s insights on him from coaching the Allies?

[neilfws]

Don’t. Still my greatest lament re an individual player in 30 years of watching the Swans. He was going to be seriously elite too. The sight of him bouncing out of defence in the first half of the 2012 GF was something to behold. I’m still not over what happened to him.

You're not alone in that lament - I finally got around to reading Brandon Jack's "28" recently. It has a couple of pages on AJ. A few quotes:

"Without playing a game, AJ stayed on the Swans list for five years because he instilled in the team something that no one else could. His nickname was 'The Megaphone' and he was the most competitive human being I've ever met."

"From day one he was the loudest bloke at the footy club and every year young players would come in and start to mimic his yell and over-the-top screams while training."

"Kieren always told me that AJ directed the premiership winning backline as a nineteen-year-old, and that he was going to be captain of the club one day. Had it not been for his injuries then I could've seen that happening, but I guess we will never know."

[Kafka's Ghost]

AJ and Jamie Lawson; two players so cruelly cut down without even reaching their prime. Heartbreaking stories the both of them.


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[Dow]

AJ and Jamie Lawson; two players so cruelly cut down without even reaching their prime. Heartbreaking stories the both of them.


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I was at the movies with a girlfriend and brought the first edition Sunday times (on Saturday night) and still remember reading the back page saying Lawson will never play again after breaking his leg (I drove her home in silence ???? she probably thought she’d done something wrong, I was just so distressed he was my favourite player)

[i'm-uninformed2]

You're not alone in that lament - I finally got around to reading Brandon Jack's "28" recently. It has a couple of pages on AJ. A few quotes:

"Without playing a game, AJ stayed on the Swans list for five years because he instilled in the team something that no one else could. His nickname was 'The Megaphone' and he was the most competitive human being I've ever met."

"From day one he was the loudest bloke at the footy club and every year young players would come in and start to mimic his yell and over-the-top screams while training."

"Kieren always told me that AJ directed the premiership winning backline as a nineteen-year-old, and that he was going to be captain of the club one day. Had it not been for his injuries then I could've seen that happening, but I guess we will never know."

I hadn’t read the book but had a chance to interview Horse at a corporate event a few months after the GF. I asked him about AJ while we were chatting before we went on stage and he basically said the same thing re his leadership and direction down back. You could tell Horse was a bit in awe of what he did as a 20yo.

[Sandridge]

I was at the movies with a girlfriend and brought the first edition Sunday times (on Saturday night) and still remember reading the back page saying Lawson will never play again after breaking his leg (I drove her home in silence ???? she probably thought she’d done something wrong, I was just so distressed he was my favourite player)

If I remember rightly, the injury was compounded by a botched operation meant to fix it?

[Sandridge]

AJ and Jamie Lawson; two players so cruelly cut down without even reaching their prime. Heartbreaking stories the both of them.


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Both were devastating losses. At least AJ has a Premiership medal to show for his career and we have the memory that the last possession in the 2012 GF was an AJ clearance out of defence!

[liz]

You can add Heath James to the list of highly promising players cut down before they got started. Though he never got a chance to put any runs on the board (or barely any) so we can only guess at what he might have been capable of.

[Sandridge]

You can add Heath James to the list of highly promising players cut down before they got started. Though he never got a chance to put any runs on the board (or barely any) so we can only guess at what he might have been capable of.

It was knee to the throat from Simon Madden, wasn't it, in what was legal ruck work at the time?

[liz]

To James? Don’t think so. Wrong era. James was a series of hamstrings and then a major knee rupture.

[Sandridge]

To James? Don’t think so. Wrong era. James was a series of hamstrings and then a major knee rupture.

Aaah, yes. You're right! It's just occurred to my old and slow working brain cells that it was another son of a great Swan who copped it from Simon Madden. Gareth John, son of Graeme, was the one injured in a ruck contest against Essendon.

[Mel_C]

It was knee to the throat from Simon Madden, wasn't it, in what was legal ruck work at the time?

That was Gareth John. From Wikipedia ????:
"John had his larynx crushed in a ruck duel with Simon Madden and almost died. Remarkably the young player walked off the field with blood pouring from his mouth, when the Swans medical team could not locate their stretcher. He was rushed by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital and given an emergency tracheotomy in order to save his life. A degree of controversy over the incident would later surface with questions asked over the style of ruck play that was considered safe at centre bounces. The following season the AFL introduced new rules for ruck play at centre bounces."

[Sandridge]

That was Gareth John. From Wikipedia ????:
"John had his larynx crushed in a ruck duel with Simon Madden and almost died. Remarkably the young player walked off the field with blood pouring from his mouth, when the Swans medical team could not locate their stretcher. He was rushed by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital and given an emergency tracheotomy in order to save his life. A degree of controversy over the incident would later surface with questions asked over the style of ruck play that was considered safe at centre bounces. The following season the AFL introduced new rules for ruck play at centre bounces."

Thanks for the added details, Mel. I knew it was serious. Didn't realise it was THAT serious!

[dejavoodoo44]

The team for Sunday morning's match against the Suns. Buller and Sheldrick are back.

B: W. Kelly (49), W. Edwards (28), P. Snell (41)
HB: C. Vickery (25), J. Hamling (29), J. Magor (32)
C: Co. Warner (37), C. Cleary (33), I. Kirk (31)
HF: J. Konstanty (18), A. Francis (10), B. Edwards (50)
F: J. Buller (39), L. McAndrew (46), P. Moi Moi (56)
R: P. Ladhams (19), A. Sheldrick (12), C. Mitchell (35)
INT: M. Geddes (61), J. Bartholomaeus (53), J. Endemann (57), W. Green (45), J. Lugsdin (67)
EMG: L. Cabor (63), T. Longmire (58), Ham. Morrison (62), T. Gander (65)

IN: J. Buller, J. Hamling, J. Lugsdin, C. Mitchell, A. Sheldrick, Co. Warner.

[MattW]

The team for Sunday morning's match against the Suns. Buller and Sheldrick are back.

B: W. Kelly (49), W. Edwards (28), P. Snell (41)
HB: C. Vickery (25), J. Hamling (29), J. Magor (32)
C: Co. Warner (37), C. Cleary (33), I. Kirk (31)
HF: J. Konstanty (18), A. Francis (10), B. Edwards (50)
F: J. Buller (39), L. McAndrew (46), P. Moi Moi (56)
R: P. Ladhams (19), A. Sheldrick (12), C. Mitchell (35)
INT: M. Geddes (61), J. Bartholomaeus (53), J. Endemann (57), W. Green (45), J. Lugsdin (67)
EMG: L. Cabor (63), T. Longmire (58), Ham. Morrison (62), T. Gander (65)

IN: J. Buller, J. Hamling, J. Lugsdin, C. Mitchell, A. Sheldrick, Co. Warner.

Strong team! Good to see Buller and Sheldrick back.