Player Watch #8 James Rowbottom

[Kennedy Parker]

James Rowbottom

The Sydney Swans recruited James Rowbottom

8

James Rowbottom

Age

24

Ht

186cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.0

4star

K

8.1

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

2.2

2star

T

4.3

5star

CL

2.0

4star

D

14.6

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.6

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

3.4

4star

CL

2.5

4star

D

14.4

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.6

5star

CL

1.2

4star

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

8

James Rowbottom

Age

24

Ht

186cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.0

4star

K

8.1

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

2.2

2star

T

4.3

5star

CL

2.0

4star

D

14.6

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.6

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

3.4

4star

CL

2.5

4star

D

14.4

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.6

5star

CL

1.2

4star

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

James Rowbottom | AFL

Follow James Rowbottom's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[Deccas]

Yeah, but I was more talking about Stalin as the person rather than the ideology. His whole leadership was built on revisionist history.

Anyway this is getting pretty off topic now (my fault originally).

Looking forward to Rowbottom's Norm Smith

Haha our boy James is gonna do it a dozn tackles and a dozen clearances.

 

[The King!]

not saying he was great, but at least he put his body on the line a few times and had a crack

 

[Maximumlnsanity]

not saying he was great, but at least he put his body on the line a few times and had a crack

Yeah he lost the 20+ disposal streak he had going but it's not like he played that bad. It's weird that Chad, Parker, and Rowy all played fine (or better in the case of Chad) but we got completely and utterly bodied in the midfield

 

[Kapers]

Looked out muscled, but wasn't out tried.

IMO he was affected by Parker and Mills not holding their end of the bargain, was basically a 21 and a 22 year old vs the Geelong midfield.

 

[melbournehammer]

Yeah he lost the 20+ disposal streak he had going but it's not like he played that bad. It's weird that Chad, Parker, and Rowy all played fine (or better in the case of Chad) but we got completely and utterly bodied in the midfield

in 2016 Kennedy played a blinder and Mitchell was very very good and we still got belted in midfield and we were basically kept in the game by Grundy and rampe

we have to dominate in clearances and possession against better teams because we rarely seem to get reward for effort

 

[SwansProudly]

All of James highlights in the one place

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

All of James highlights in the one place

Nice work caesar88

 

[The King!]

wasting him, wheres caesar88 ....

 

[Ed_Gein]

I absolutely love his endeavour and the way he digs in and has a crack, but I don't think I've seen a worse kick of the ball at the club since Dunkley. Never seen him try to pick out a teammate up field. Every single time he just jams it on the boot and hopes for the best, even when he's in an acre in space. Needs a lot of work in this area...

 

[bloodsbigot]

I absolutely love his endeavour and the way he digs in and has a crack, but I don't think I've seen a worse kick of the ball at the club since Dunkley. Never seen him try to pick out a teammate up field. Every single time he just jams it on the boot and hopes for the best, even when he's in an acre in space. Needs a lot of work in this area...

Guess he's dizzy after crashing into the packs.

 

[Nuggetz]

I absolutely love his endeavour and the way he digs in and has a crack, but I don't think I've seen a worse kick of the ball at the club since Dunkley. Never seen him try to pick out a teammate up field. Every single time he just jams it on the boot and hopes for the best, even when he's in an acre in space. Needs a lot of work in this area...

So you want him to hit a targets after calling him the worst kick since Dunkley...that makes sense

 

[Ed_Gein]

So you want him to hit a targets after calling him the worst kick since Dunkley...that makes sense

I just want him to show a bit of composure - if it permits - to at least have a look up field and try to kick the ball to the advantage of a teammate.... Sometimes it feels like its of no consideration, that his only ambition is to quickly jam it on the boot to get the ball up field. Would like to see some better game smarts in knowing the situation in when to clear the ball and when he has time to try and at least kick to the advantage of a teammate

 

[The King!]

Thought he was outstanding in the coal face last night

 

[MF]

Thought he was outstanding in the coal face last night

Seems to have improved over the past month.

And it's easy to forget he's only 22 since he's been in the team for so long. Probably has a couple of levels to go to yet.

 

[Deccas]

Started slow and came home with a wet sail last year. Reckon it might just be his way. It's a real relief to see his form starting to turn around.

 

[wills2g]

Why cant Rowbottom be unleashed early on in the season? He wins so many of the hard balls for us and runs two-ways if he did this early on we'd bank way more wins

 

[Callipygian]

Horse summed up Rowy succinctly at the post-match presser on the weekend:

"He puts the opposition under enormous pressure and that's his role in the team and he does it really well."

Most of the time Horse plays down the impact of players or is a bit generic e.g. "yeah, he's pretty good isn't he, he's an important player for us". This feels considerably more emphatic. Also described him as "outstanding" and "awesome".

 

[MF]

I don't have a problem with Rowbottoms somewhat negative role in the team. He's not a great user of the football and is a brilliant tackler so it's playing to both his strengths and weaknesses. We really need to be seeing more for the guys who's job it is to hunt and extract the footy though. I thought Papley was great on the weekend and he seems to thrive under a decent tap ruckman. Parker and Mills still a bit of a concern in the middle though.

Who knows. With the improvement we've seen from Rowbottom and also Gulden going into the middle (both still very young), with a fit ruck and a fit Parker and Mills we might actually have the makings of a good midfield next year. Who knows though, we may also still have the same old problems with contested ball.

 

[grimlock]

No doubt he had a great game when he was on the field, but I find it interesting he was basically on for 50% in the second half (qtr by qtr TOG was 73% 84% 54% 50% for overall 65%). Was it a rotations thing (like trying to get Errol off his tag), an injury thing, or using him in bursts of high impact ?

 

[Millky95]

No doubt he had a great game when he was on the field, but I find it interesting he was basically on it for basically half the time in the second half (qtr by qtr TOG was 73% 84% 54% 50% for overall 65%). Was it a rotations thing (like trying to get Errol off his tag), an injury thing, or using him in bursts of high impact ?

Think he got a small niggle late, not sure what but did go to the bench and got it massaged at least

 

[the hypnotoad]

I don't have a problem with Rowbottoms somewhat negative role in the team. He's not a great user of the football and is a brilliant tackler so it's playing to both his strengths and weaknesses. We really need to be seeing more for the guys who's job it is to hunt and extract the footy though. I thought Papley was great on the weekend and he seems to thrive under a decent tap ruckman. Parker and Mills still a bit of a concern in the middle though.

Who knows. With the improvement we've seen from Rowbottom and also Gulden going into the middle (both still very young), with a fit ruck and a fit Parker and Mills we might actually have the makings of a good midfield next year. Who knows though, we may also still have the same old problems with contested ball.

papley might just be our best at reading a ruck tap, and when he gets it right and takes possession at that speed of his, he puts us straight into scoring positions

 

[MF]

papley might just be our best at reading a ruck tap, and when he gets it right and takes possession at that speed of his, he puts us straight into scoring positions

Agreed. No idea what his clearance numbers are but I reckon they'd be better since Hickey has been back in the side. He absolutely tore out of the centre square a few times on the weekend.

 

[the hypnotoad]

Agreed. No idea what his clearance numbers are but I reckon they'd be better since Hickey has been back in the side. He absolutely tore out of the centre square a few times on the weekend.

and has done several times this season ...
i'm not sure how we use him, and he needs to be more consistent, but he's a genuine weapon at centre bounces

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Apparently Rowy just set a new record for number of tackles in a season by a Swan.

 

[Olian]