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Round 16 – Sydney v Gold Coast: All aboard the Rohan Express

 

All Aboard the Rohan Express

Sydney versus Gold Coast

4:35pm, Saturday 08 July
SCG, Sydney

Daniel Saunders (age 15)

 

I woke up on Saturday morning to the woefully annoying yelling of my 12-year-old sister. Every passing minute, her voice cranks up the amplitude, and she will just never shut up. I guess she has a cue to be excited, though.

 

No, she is not excited about the game. Neither am I, though I am going tonight. The real reason behind her excitement is the fact that we are off to the skydiving centre in Penrith, where adults and children of all ages get a taste of what it feels like jumping out of a plane. She had received a ticket to go there on her birthday in January this year. So as much as I wanted to go, I was forced to accept the fact that it wasn’t my present.

 

So happy belated birthday to my sister. After three hours of waiting, we finally got to watch her skydive. It looked like a lot of fun; probably more fun that I was in for that afternoon.

 

After these non-stop moments of complete and utter boredom, we finally leave the home of the Panthers, to make the long journey home. After a ‘quick’ stop at the shops, we finally reach home. My sister is thrilled with what she got to do today. Unfortunately, as I am writing this, she is sitting in her bedroom, sniffing and abusing the tissue box on her bedside table. Talk about bad karma. Anyway, my dad and I hit the road to go to the footy.

 

I don’t expect it to be a great game. During the week, I would have given us a 70-30 chance of victory, purely based on form. The loss of Ablett probably made it 85-15, but in this even season where no team will always have their way, us Swans fans know what happens when we get too big for our britches. Then when we get to our seats, a nice old man sitting next to me tells us that we have lost JPK to a quad complaint. I guess that squared the ledger a little bit, but I was still fancying our chances.

 

My optimism was given a real test when Gold Coast were leading at quarter time. Lynch was at his fine best, and his Suns were capitalising on our sloppy kick-outs from defence and being unable to hit our targets. But that is where it ends for the team who ‘never say die’. Anyway, we really crank it up in the second term. Rohan is our target man and gives us several moments of deja vu, as he kicks four sausage rolls, and most of them from his favourite goalsquare. Remember Essendon?

 

It carries on in the third. Buddy goes bang, and Rohan gets his career high fifth goal, and once again, from a free kick in the goalsquare. He is a wonderful player, and he has all the skills. When he lines up from 60 out, the crowd start cheering him on, although he misses. Taken a long time, but he is showing what he is really made of. Towers has been instrumental today; it will be tough for Cunningham to work his way back once he is fit. 21 touches at 81%, with 2 goals to boot.

 

The game is quite boring; Gold Coast have not scored a goal since the opening term, and it takes them until midway through the last until they do. Towers and Rohan set up Papley in the first 23 seconds, and our new fan favourite in Lewis Melican hammered home his first career goal. The Pelican will grow to become a great rebounding defender; just wait and see. Who needs Josh Kennedy? He may have to come back through the twos!

 

The siren sounds on a regulation win. Much needed percentage in that. My dad and I nod our heads, and walk back to the car through the pitch black Centennial Park. We go to Ippudo for a late-ish dinner. It boasts the best ramen in the country. It makes my mouth water with delight.

 

About the game; it was a contest that from quarter time was dominated by one team. Franklin was great all day, even though his radar is still missing. Jack was back to his best, the Great Dane was a brick wall against Lynch and Wright, and Lloydy, Heens and Parksy ran riot through the midfield.

 

But at the end of the day, there was one man who dominated the day. He is a cult hero with his red hair, his electrifying pace, which gives him bragging rights as, according to Fox Sports, the fastest man in the league. He is a last-minute hero. Sealed it against the Tiges, and won it against the Dons. Let’s all give a cheer cheer to the one and only: Gary Rohan.

 

SYDNEY              4.3    10.5    14.10    17.16    (118)
GOLD COAST     5.2     5.6       5.6        7.9       (51) 
 

 

GOALS
Sydney: Rohan 5, Franklin 3, Hewett 2, Towers 2, Jones 2, Reid, Papley, Melican
Gold Coast: Lynch 3, Martin, Swallow, Ah Chee, Wright 

 

BEST
Sydney: Rohan, Rampe, Parker, Franklin, Lloyd, Grundy, Jack
Gold Coast: Swallow, Miller, Lyons, Sexton, Witts

 

UMPIRES: Margetts, O’Gorman, Nicholls                                           CROWD: 32,987

 

OUR VOTES: Rohan (Syd) 3, Parker (Syd) 2, Rampe (Syd) 1

 

About Daniel Saunders

Yes, that's my Swans hoodie. Yes, those are swans in London. If you're reading this, I hope you enjoyed the ramble.

Comments

  1. Mathilde de Hauteclocque says

    Boring!? Your ‘boring’ is my pleasure Daniel. Nice for a change to watch them with the time and space to work on structure and movement. Nice to see all 22 getting involved. Nice to sit back and enjoy without the blood pressure spiking. Enjoy it my friend, we could be back to the tight ones for the next few weeks!
    The Rs were super in Rohan and Rampe. And I loved Towers’ game too.

  2. Keiran Croker says

    I have seen us play poorly and win by 10 goals, though I reckon after quarter time this one was a solid and impressive win. Lots to be happy about .. Rohan & Towers showing consistent form, the mid field pumping without Joey, the defence led by Ramps tight as. Some tough games to come, so you’ve got to enjoy it when we win easily with little stress.

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