Brothers lift Swans
TWO brothers, both fearless in the heat of a contest, have guided Curra to a bounce-back victory. But it is their commitment off the field that has coach Jamie Fogg marvelling at what they bring to the club.
Swans’ Mcdonald duo Adam and Jack responded emphatically to last week’s shock defeat, with Adam dominant in a four-goal performance.
Their physicality was crucial in a tight midfield tussle in the 15.6 (96) to 7.5 (47) victory over University Hawks – efforts that required unrivalled dedication away from the game.
With Adam working in Brisbane, he makes the flight to Townsville each week to don the Curra jersey, and Fogg said his sacrifices were not lost on the rest of the team.
He said the brothers complemented each other superbly, and the way in which they approached each clash had rubbed off on the squad.
“I don’t think this club would be where it is without people like Adam and Jack who are willing to put their hands up,” Fogg said.
“He (Adam) has got a couple of clubs (in Brisbane) who would really like him to be playing for them, but full credit to him and his loyalty to (us).
“The club and players are aware of the sacrifices he makes with his work down there. He’s coached this club, captained this club and won a league medal – he’s given a lot to footy in Townsville.
“Neither of them will shy away from a contest. Especially Jack, he’s hard and in and under. Adam won’t shirk the issue either, but he’s really good on the outside. With four goals playing out of the midfield I thought he was the standout player.”
The Swans unbeaten run, which stretched back to the start of 2020 came to a halt last week when they were finally defeated by Hermit Park.
But Fogg admitted it was ultimately a blessing in disguise – “it was a monkey off our back”.
Talk of where and when Curra would fall had been floating around the club for some time, and now they have had the reality check needed to reassess and mount a case for back to back RMS Engineering Townsville AFL premierships.
If the Mcdonalds were the aggressors of the pack, young recruit Ty Auton was the finesse out wide.
The Tasmania product has regularly been one of the Swans’ best each week, with his skills with the Sherrin impressing the competition.