LRT back on the park: Sydney Swans dual premiership player Lewis Roberts-Thomson made a successful return to the field in Sunday’s NEAFL Eastern Conference Grand Final win at Kippax Oval. The 30-year-old, who has not played since he suffered a knee injury in the Swans’ round four clash with Geelong, lined up predominantly in the forward line for the Swans reserves on Sunday, kicking two goals and playing a role in a number of other scoring opportunities for the team. Speaking to SwansTV following the Eastern Conference victory in Canberra, the versatile player said he had pulled up well from his first hit-out in more than four months. “I pulled up pretty well considering,” Roberts-Thomson said. “I played about 80 minutes of game time, so that was good to get a bit of game time under the belt. “It was a really, really good experience to play with the young guys and just to see how far they’ve come this year.” Swans reserves coach Jared Crouch said the 174-gamer was a wonderful addition to the Swans’ reserves side on Sunday, adding that Roberts-Thomson’s experience and on-field leadership played a big role in his team’s victory. “There was one old stager out there who has played incredibly well on the big, big stage,” Crouch said after the match. “LRT led the way and when we’ve got great senior leaders like that, the others jump on board.” With a number of key talls hit by injury this season, Roberts-Thomson’s return has come at an opportune time and he could be in the mix for this Saturday’s preliminary final against Fremantle in Perth. Roberts-Thomson said he wasn’t getting ahead of himself after just one game back and said he was just content to have finally returned to the field this weekend. “I’m not entirely sure (what my chances of selection are),” he said. “Obviously team selection and match ups come into it, but from my point of view I’m just so happy to play a game of footy again. “It’s been a long time and there have certainly been some highs and lows, but it’s good to get out there and the body felt great. “I’ll just have to wait and see.” Roberts-Thomson said he enjoyed playing with the club’s up-and-coming players and highlighted the Swans defence as well as leading goal scorer Tim Membrey as the team’s best in Sunday’s Grand Final. “They played exceptionally well across the board,” he said. “The defenders were really strong and they set the tone in today’s game. “I thought Alex Brown and Xavier Richards were exceptional down there with their rebound out of defensive 50. “Up forward I played alongside Timmy Membrey, who took a couple of strong contested grabs and that was really good to see. “The mids were good too led by Sammy Naismith in the ruck, so overall I think it was a wonderful team performance. “I think it was Swans footy at its best.”
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 17:27:49 +0000
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