With the success of the football club dependant on your choice, which player will you pick?
You’re the Football Manager at a highly successful football club and your Recruiting Manager comes to you with a dilemma;
“I have two players at the peak of their powers that I can’t split,” he says. “We have the option to get a proven superstar on to our list but I need you to cast the deciding vote on who we go for.”
He throws some names at you which almost cause you to fall off your chair. With the success of the club dependant on your choice, which way will you go? Who will you decide to invest your faith in with thousands of supporters ready to scrutinise your choice?
In this week's Shinboner Showdown, it's 2009 Syd Barker Medal winner Andrew Swallow up against 1996 premiership player Anthony Rock.
Choose between the Shinboner’s below, but be careful...the ultimate success is within your reach, but could depend on who you pick.
Andrew Swallow
Anthony Rock
Bio: Swallow burst on the scene in 2006 after being selected in the previous year's draft.
He played 12 games and then played every match in 2007 as the Kangaroos' made it to the Preliminary Final.
Swallow lead the club in tackles in just his second year of senior football, but his finest achievement was winning the Syd Barker Medal in 2009, a year in which he also polled seven Brownlow Medal votes.
Attracting more attention from opposition coaches in 2010, he was still able to have a big impact and was one of the most experienced players in a young midfield. He finished the season as runner-up in the Syd Barker Medal, and polled 11 Brownlow votes.
During 84 senior games, Swallow has quickly gained a reputation as an A-Grade in-and-under midfielder with a ferocious will to win the ball for his team.
He has also been able to slip forward and become a handy contributor on the scoreboard.
Bio: A tough and gritty rover, Rock came through the under-19s at North Melbourne and debuted in 1988.
Wearing number three in 1990, he averaged nearly 20 possessions a game as a 19 year-old and polled seven Brownlow Medal votes.
By 1991 he'd already earnt his first Victorian guernsey, and played for his state on three more occasions throughout his career.
He quickly became one of North's most important midfielders throughout the early 90's, but did face some doubt over his future after quieter seasons in 1994 and 1995.
A steely determination helped him fight back though and his crowning glory came in 1996 when he played an integral part in the club's third premiership success.
Throughout his eleven seasons at the Kangaroos', he amassed over 3000 disposals and was also a handy goal kicker.
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