Roberts-Thomson played half a game in last Saturday’s practice match against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, but the dual premiership player is confident he will be ready to go for the Swans’ opening round clash with GWS in ten days’ time.
“I’ll be right for round one, but it’s just a bit of a niggling calf that I’ve carried for the last week-and-a-half to two weeks and the medical staff thought it was best that I just stopped at half time,” Roberts-Thomson said.
“I got half a game under the belt, so the fitness was pretty good there, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about moving into next week and into round one.”
Speaking to SwansTV this afternoon following the launch of the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ at Jubilee Park in Glebe, Roberts-Thomson said the Swans couldn’t wait to take the field at ANZ Stadium next Saturday afternoon.
“I think everyone is looking forward to round one,” he said.
“We’re hoping to get a big crowd out to Homebush and from the players’ point of view we just can’t wait to get started.”
Despite defeating cross town rival GWS on both occasions in 2012, Roberts-Thomson said the Swans would not be taking their cross-town rivals lightly this season.
“I think we got a firsthand look at them in NAB one and we saw that they have come a long way in the last 12 months,” he said.
“They are very competitive and if you look at their playing list they have put on a bit of bulk and a bit of size, and I think their fitness has really improved and they are running out the games quite well.
“It’s going to be a big challenge for us in round one, and they have recruited really well and have got a lot of young guys and have also added a couple of established players who will make a big difference.”
Roberts-Thomson added that the recent NAB Cup loss to GWS would have instilled some confidence in their young opponents heading into the season opener.
“If you look at that game, they beat us, but over their whole pre-season they have won a couple of games and have come really close to winning games, and have only been pipped on the line,” he said.
“They are going to draw a lot of confidence from that going into round one, so we’ve certainly got to be on our guard and be ready for everything they throw at us.”
In the absence of injured Swans defender Alex Johnson, Roberts-Thomson’s versatility is likely to be drawn on again when the regular season begins.
The 29-year-old said he expected to be utilised in a number of positions this season, but conceded that Johnson will be a big loss for the Swans’ defensive structures.
“First of all, it’s really disappointing for AJ, who had such a great year last year and his pre-season this season looked like he was going to build on that,” he said.
“I think structurally for the team, missing AJ leaves a big hole there, but we’ve got a lot of young guys like Dane Rampe coming through who has shown he can play as a tall defender.
“Moving forward, where I’ll play this year will be a similar role to last year, which will be forward, back and possibly in the ruck, so it will be across the board in terms of all positions.
“I’ve played as a defender for quite a few games in my career, so I think playing alongside Heath (Grundy), Teddy Richards, Marty Mattner, Nick Smith, Rhyce Shaw and Nick Malceski, they’ll certainly help me out down back.”
