Is Lewis Roberts Thompson the greatest swan ever?

[TheBloods]

Love LRT. Had a few beers with him back in his playing days, called me a bad influence and an hour later was getting Tadhg involved ! Great sport and solid player

However he should not be within a ten mile radius of the greatest swans ever conversation , that is just an insult to Bobby , Bedford, Kells and Goodsey . Obviously forgotten the work PK did to get us to that GF in 96 , LRT was also not the only one to play in both flags and do a great job , Jude , ROK also ,

its just silly talk . He deserves his own thread but hes not the greatest !

[bloodspirit]

We have a whole thread devoted to debating who is the greatest ever Swan and I don't think LRT rated a mention. It is not a serious suggestion. He is just one of our many favourite sons. We love him precisely because he was so good but also not an out and out star like those other names and he flew under the radar and remained perpetually humble.

[barry]

All depends on how you define 'great'.

His uniquely Sydney recruitment path, his rapid development, his achievements, his respect. By my definition of greatest, the complete package, he is.

[stevoswan]

I think bloodspirit nailed it....he one of our 'favourite sons'.....but not the greatest Swan player, by a long way.

[Aprilbr]

I think bloodspirit nailed it....he one of our 'favourite sons'.....but not the greatest Swan player, by a long way.

Yes, definitely a favourite son. I think he either lives or works around the Paddington area as I have see him at a popular Cafe there a couple of times in the past.

[Industrial Fan]

Quite probably the greatest ever swan in finals. Definitely in the running for that.

Was immense in the entire 2012 finals series.

Our bay used to refer to him as BLT and we had loads of songs for him. Footys not really been the same since he retired.

[Jimitron5000]

In terms of skill and ability, no.
In terms of lovability, he's right up there.

[barry]

Quite probably the greatest ever swan in finals. Definitely in the running for that.

Was immense in the entire 2012 finals series.

Our bay used to refer to him as BLT and we had loads of songs for him. Footys not really been the same since he retired.

That is another sure sign of greatness. How many players evoke a comment like "Footys not really been the same since he retired".
I did forget to include "cult hero" as part of his many accomplishments.

[barry]

In terms of skill and ability, no.

2 premierships in the last 90 years suggests skill and ability are not what great swans are about. Objectively speaking.

In terms of lovability, he's right up there.

yes, greatness is more than footy stats.

Is Jeff Bezo's the greatest human based on his wealth? No. Stats are only a part of the equation.

[Velour&Ruffles]

The fact that he is one of such a select club - dual premiership Swans - means he must be in the conversation.
The fact he was good enough to be selected across eight seasons in our most competitive line up - in the most competitive lineups we've had in the last 72+ years - means he must be in the conversation.
These are objective facts.
He was tough. He was versatile. He was fair. He never did anything dirty. He always gave 100%. He never showed any fear. He never shirked anything. He was a tremendous tackler. He became a much better marker than I thought he could ever be.
These are my subjective judgements.
Between the objective facts and my subjective judgements, he is certainly in my favourite handful of Swans ever. I will always love the big galoot.

[goswannies]

That is another sure sign of greatness. How many players evoke a comment like "Footys not really been the same since he retired".
I did forget to include "cult hero" as part of his many accomplishments.

Move over Pratt & Nash, gotta make some room for Troy Luff and Sanford Wheeler!

[dimelb]

I'll never forget LRT throwing Luke Hodge to the ground in the 2012 GF. Worth a cheer of its own!