NEAFL players to watch: Dan Robinson

Dan Robinson arrived at the Sydney Swans at the end of last year as a NSW Scholarship player, fresh out of high school and thrust straight into life as a professional footballer.

But if the now-19-year-old has been overawed by the experience, he hasn’t let it show, as one of the Swans reserves’ most consistent players in the midfield across their NEAFL season.

“It’s been a pretty interesting change coming straight out of school and it’s almost a full-time job,” Robinson said.

“It’s been amazing, a really steep learning curve but you’re learning from the best in the business, you get to learn all their tricks and how the club goes about it.

“It’s definitely taught me a lot and I’ve been over the moon to have had the opportunity.”

While the injury woes of the Sydney Swans side have been well documented, it’s also had a flow-on effect to the reserves side with the team at some points made up of more top-up players than listed AFL stars.

“We played the AFL sides a lot so depending on our numbers, sometimes we’d struggle to field a full team,” Robinson said.

“I think our form has fluctuated so against the AFL sides one week we might do all the things we want to do and then the next week we might have a lapse of concentration and not play to the standards we want to uphold.

“It’s pretty interesting, players coming in and out, you’ve just got to communicate and that’s the key to keeping consistent in there.

“I think overall it’s been a good learning for our reserves because we’re quite a young side and I think we’ve performed pretty well with a couple of blips on the season but I think it’s been a  pretty good season overall.”

The Swans had an influx of players for the 2013 season with 10 new faces on the list, all learning to play together for the first time.

Robinson has slotted straight into the midfield and missed just one reserves game for the season.

“I think as the season’s gone on I’ve sort of settled in a lot better, really learnt my role and I feel that as the season’s progressed, I’ve found a bit of form,” he said.

“I think the second half of the season I’ve played the way I want to play and hopefully it will help me get a game in the seniors one day.”

After finishing on the top of the NEAFL Eastern Conference ladder on percentage, the Swans reserves enjoyed a week off last week and will have the home ground advantage when they take on Belconnen in Blacktown this weekend for a spot in the Eastern Conference Grand Final.

“It’s a really good challenge for our boys,” Robinson said.

“Obviously they’re the top side in the Eastern conference, other than ourselves, and we always like to challenge ourselves to keep our standards high no matter who we’re playing.

“They’re going to be really physical with us, we’re quite a young side and they’re going to look to impose their presence on us.

“But it’s a challenge on our boys to really step up and play how we want to play and keep the standards high.”