Ainslie’s Big Man Andrews
by
Sarah Browne
Reprinted
from the AFL Canberra Record Round 10, Sat 26th June.
Ainslie
big man Rowan Andrews is enjoying an excellent third year at Ainslie this
season.
The
25 year old ruckman was drafted to the Adelaide Crows as a youngster, and has
been playing for Ainslie since being involved in the AFL Canberra competition.
Coach
Chris Rourke said Andrews was playing some of his best footy this season.
“Rowan
has been very good for us this year. He had a huge pre-season and it is showing
in the way he is playing so far this season.”
Originally
from Tasmania,
Andrew’s footy career has taken him to many different locations. He had to relocate
to Adelaide to
take up his position on their rookie list. After his time at the Crows ended,
he moved to Tasmania
to play for their VFL side. When Tasmania
was dropped from the VFL competition he had to make a decision about his
playing future.
It
was a recommendation from a friend that eventually brought Andrews to Canberra
“A
mate in Tassie told me about Ainslie and said I should check it out before I
made any decisions, luckily I came up and had a look and I fell in love with
the place”
“The
people were really good and I had a great feeling about the place” he said.
Rourke
said that Andrews had evolved over his time at the club.
“He
was very quiet when he first came, but he is immensely popular with the boys
and has developed into a very good leader both on and off the field.”
Andrew’s
season got off to a good start, with Rourke stating a moment in the first game
of the season as one of the most prominent
“His
first mark in the first game of the year where he ran back with the flight of
the ball and took a great mark, it set the standard for the rest of the team”
Ainslie
will face Eastlake
this Saturday and will be hoping to continue their late charge up the ladder.
If
Ainslie are to make the Grand final again this season, Rourke is confident
Andrews will be a big part of the side’s success.
“His
biggest strength is that he is a fierce competitor who is super fit and loves
the physical side of the game, last year his kicking was poor but he worked hard
on his kicking over summer and now his kicking is very good.”
Photo by Travis Longmore