A WIN is always celebrated, but to win interstate away from home brings out a bit more excitement from the boys. This was evident on the weekend. Losing the reliable LRT pre-game meant a few slight adjustments to the structure of the team, and we started well. Then to lose Nick “Smooch” Smith early on in the game meant further tweaking was required. Enter key forward Rhyce Shaw.

Rhyce Shaw now has another feather in his cap to go along with his defensive and midfield feathers which are already in this metaphoric hat of his. His ability to play in any part of the ground should justifiably warrant a status on his football card as a ‘utility’.

Growing up I never really understood what ‘utility’ meant in football terms. My knowledge of the term was derived from my experiences with Monopoly. Land on a utility in Monopoly such as  ‘Water Works’ and if someone owns it then it creates an argument as to how much you’ve got to pay.

When the game started and we needed the first goal, Shawy stepped up to get us on the board, only for Ben “The Gopher” McGlynn to typically bob up from nowhere to mark the ball in the goal square and tap it through.
 
Post-game some players pointed out the comparisons that Shawy has with small West Coast forward Phil Matera. Both are fleet of foot and buzz around in the forward line causing havoc for defenders, but the comparisons don’t stop there. They both have a similar build and hair “style”.

At the end of the game we thanked the Swans’ fans for the support, and it’s great to have Melbourne as a second home for us. Typically away team fans are grouped together and take up just a small section of the stadium. When we play in Melbourne we’ve got great numbers throughout the whole crowd. We’re back down in Melbourne this weekend and once again we’d appreciate the support.

Ted Richards