Lewis Roberts-Thomson

Lewis Roberts-Thompson
Personal information
Full name Lewis Roberts-Thompson
Date of birth 8 September 1983 (1983-09-08) (age 28)
Place of birth Sydney
Original team NSW/ACT Rams (TAC Cup)
Draft #29, 2001 National Draft, Sydney
Height/Weight 194cm / 92kg
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current club Sydney
Number 30
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2003– Sydney 148 (26)
1 Playing statistics to end of 2011 season .
Career highlights

Lewis Roberts-Thomson (born 8 September 1983 in Sydney) is an Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League.

He was drafted by the Swans from the NSW-ACT U18s with the 29th selection in the 2001 AFL Draft. He is colloquially known to fans and commentators as either "LRT" or "Hyphen" or "Hyphenator".[1]

After being injured for most of the 2002 season,[1] in 2003 he was awarded an AFL Rising Star nomination in his tenth game, after making his debut in Round 8.[2] He was then injured again for most of the 2004 season with thumb and Achilles injuries.[3]

Often criticised for poor performances early in his career,[1] his performance as a key defender in 2005,[4] including his exceptional performance in that year's Grand Final against the West Coast Eagles, Roberts-Thomson has secured a permanent position in the Swans' players list.[1]

After an injury riddled 2008 season, Roberts-Thomson not only re-solidified his place at CHB in the Swans' defence in 2009, he improved vastly through the season playing on some of the best forwards in the AFL. His defensive skills one on one in marking contests and contested marking ability really started to shine through and, along with Craig Bolton and Heath Grundy, he formed a solid defensive spine for Sydney.

In 2010, Roberts-Thomson continued his strong form and with Craig Bolton suffering a serious achilles injury early in the year, he and Grundy stepped up manfully to take on the brunt of the defensive work. Unfortunately, he injured his hamstring about halfway through the year and was forced to sit out the rest of the season.

2011 was an up and down year for Roberts-Thomson as injury and the rapid improvement from Ted Richards and Alex Johnson didn't allow for him to take up his normal position as a tall defender. Consequently, he was used mostly as a 2nd ruckman and tall forward when in the senior side. Illness to Grundy allowed LRT to take up a position in the backline late in the year however, a role that he would fill well for the Swans' run into the finals.

Roberts-Thomson is a rarity in AFL as he grew up playing rugby union as a contemporary of Wallaby Phil Waugh at Sydney Church of England Grammar School.[4][5] Having only taken up Australian rules football at age 14, he had played less than 40 Aussie rules matches when he was drafted in 2001,[6] although he had already been named in the 2001 under-18 All-Australian team.

His father Barry has played in the Victorian Football Association for Sandringham and also captained the Queensland representative side.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Sygall, David (9 April 2006). "Hyphen joins big names". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/afl/hyphen-joins-big-names/2006/04/08/1143916766279.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
  2. ^ "Roberts-Thomson earns nomination". The Age (Melbourne: Fairfax Media). 4 August 2003. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/04/1059849336045.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
  3. ^ Lovett, Michael, ed (2005). AFL Record Guide to Season 2005. Melbourne: AFL Publishing. pp. 284–285. ISBN 0-9580300-6-5. 
  4. ^ a b Cowley, Michael (2 July 2005). "Roberts-Thomson climbs AFL's stairway to heaven". Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). http://www.smh.com.au/news/afl/robertsthomson-climbs-afls-stairway-to-heaven/2005/07/01/1119724815389.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
  5. ^ Brown, Alex (15 May 2003). "Joining Swans spells success for The Hyphen". Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/14/1052885295524.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
  6. ^ Tugwell, Nikki (31 August 2007). "Welcome return for LRT". Fox Sports Australia (News Corp). http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22337871-23211,00.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
  7. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2002). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (4th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 724. ISBN 1-74095-001-1.

External links

Sydney Swans – current squad

* denotes Rookie Listed players