Player Watch #8 James Rowbottom

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James Rowbottom

The Sydney Swans recruited James Rowbottom with their second selection at the 2018 AFL Draft and the midfield bull impacted from the get-go. The Oakleigh Chargers product made his AFL debut against Richmond at Marvel Stadium in Round 5, 2019 and finished the season with 12 senior games beside his name. Rowbottom also led the NEAFL MVP voting when it was hidden from the public after Round 12. The young Swan is a ball magnet, explosive at the stoppages, an outstanding tackler and a clean user of the footy.

James Rowbottom
DOB: 19 September 2000
DEBUT: 2019
DRAFT: #25, 2018 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: Camberwell (Vic)/St Kevin's College (Vic)/Oakleigh U18

 
Jul 20, 2001
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A long road to travel yet but you don’t put a square peg in a round hole, it just doesn’t fit. Try them in their natural positions first, if then it doesn’t work, tinker away. As we know, some of the most successful players at our club played outside of their natural, recruited positions...but they started there (and they weren’t bad either, just not consistent/needed elsewhere).

Let’s hope the kid prospers, 24 possessions but had still went missing a bit...probably on the bench with leather poisoning!

According to the AFL app, he only played 52% gametime!!

(61:40/117:55)

Quite possibly the highest possession per minute of game time.
 
Nov 20, 2007
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Mick Oxlong you were right and I was wrong about this one. And very happy to be wrong, because he is more than up to the level at this stage. It’s actually awesome to see an 18 year old starting at centre bounces for us. Typically with our young mids we’ve eased them into senior footy by giving them different roles and positions, like Hewett, Dawson, Florent, Heeney, Jones, Mills etc., some I’ve agreed with, others not so much. I actually can’t remember the last time we backed a first year midfielder in to play in the guts so early in his career. Mitchell maybe? I can’t remember. But it says a lot about the faith our coaching staff must have in Rowbottom (he helped his case by bulldozing the door down in the NEAFL week in, week out.)

Mick Oxlong has a uncanny ability of being right alot.
 
Jun 14, 2011
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Jan 13, 2007
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Thanks H2F...I wish my school teachers agreed back in the day! What is a surd anyway?

It's a number that must be retained in its root form to express its exact value.

How can you not know this?

What are you? Stupid?

EDIT: Sometimes irony is lost in the written form so I would like to make it clear that I’d never heard of a surd and I looked it up. Any maths beyond the basic +-*/ fries my brain.
 
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Hope he goes head to head with Walsh. Should make for an interesting contest.

The most natural match up we have for Walsh would be to bring Clarke back into the side (Has the endurance to go with him).

Personally I hope they let Rowbottom go about his own thing instead of worrying about a direct match up, it worked well last week.
 
The most natural match up we have for Walsh would be to bring Clarke back into the side (Has the endurance to go with him).

Personally I hope they let Rowbottom go about his own thing instead of worrying about a direct match up, it worked well last week.

I did not mean Rowbottom should tag, more that they could go head to head at stoppages, with both doing their own thing.
 
Has improved out of sight since his debut.. realised what was required at the top level and got to work in the neafl.. going to be fun watching him develop

His debut was actually a pretty good match as well, was very composed for his first game.
 

Mick Oxlong

Cancelled
10k Posts
Oct 27, 2007
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12 tackles and the most pressure acts of any Swans player on ground. Didn’t get as much of the pill today but he has set the benchmark for off the ball efforts. Horse should make him an example for some others..
He probably had the ball more too, I reckon you could credit him with another 6 ‘possessions’ at least before he was tackled immediately. 7 tackles to 1/2 time but that’s what you do as a midfielder, great get!
 
He probably had the ball more too, I reckon you could credit him with another 6 ‘possessions’ at least before he was tackled immediately. 7 tackles to 1/2 time but that’s what you do as a midfielder, great get!

The great advantage he has is he is now playing in his natural position. Try as they might I can't see him being a back pocket or a crumbing forward.
 
Oct 2, 2016
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Speaks and presents himself very, very well for a 19 year old.

Throw on top of that how steadily he is improving in his first 18 months at the club, I cannot see a future where he isn't a captain or vice-captain of the club.

3 years time, once Rowbottom is tearing it up and in the AA squad. His uncle starts saying how Rowbottom grew up a massive Essendon fan, next thing Essendon are banging down the door. Rowie requests a trade to the Dons who offer us some samboy and a 3rd round pick. Media campaigns how aweful we are unless we trade out Rowbottom to the Dons. We bow down for a second round and a swap of third round draft picks.
 
What a goal this was. Made three awkward handball receives look easy, kept running, then had the composure and awareness to kick on the outside of his boot when he wasn't directly facing the goals.

Also notice how hard he hits that tap on from Blakey... comes charging out of nowhere wanting to attack. You love to see it.

 

rubbers0ul

All Australian
Sep 14, 2005
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Great awareness to ‘shank’ the kick out to the flank in front of heeney, Richmond would have immediately cleared it otherwise.

Henney did well 1 on 3 too.




Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
 

kaistar

Team Captain
Jul 31, 2014
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Gday guys,
Tagged this bloke in under 14s during our season and grand final. Bloke was a freak and the silkiest player I’d ever played against. Always knew he was an AFL talent. Played against Bailey Smith in the same division for years and always thought Rowbottom was better and silkier. You have a blooody beauty on your hands for the next 15 years.
 
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