SANFL Grand Final 2016: Angus Rowntree finally gets his premiership chance with Woodville-West Torrens
ANGUS Rowntree remembers feeling helpless during last year’s SANFL grand final.
ANGUS Rowntree remembers feeling helpless during last year’s SANFL grand final.
His Woodville-West Torrens team-mates were on their way to a surprise 30-point loss to West Adelaide and the hard-nosed midfielder could do nothing about it.
Instead, he was in the stands nursing his second serious knee injury, sustained during the second semi-final victory over the Bloods a fortnight earlier.
“You sit there and you feel pretty helpless,” Rowntree, 25, recalled.
“I couldn’t even walk down there at quarter-time or couldn’t even go down into the rooms at half-time because I was only a week and a bit out of knee surgery.
“To have such a good year, clearly be the best team in the competition last year and have it (the season) end like that was disappointing for everyone.”
Twelve months on, the Eagles are back in a grand final at Adelaide Oval on Sunday and this time Rowntree will be on the field.
His body — also victim to a knee reconstruction in 2013 — is “holding up well” since making his comeback in the reserves against Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on July 17.
He has played a further six games — two in the seconds and four in the league team, including the second semi-final triumph over Sturt.
“We planned for me to come back early enough so I’d get enough games in to be fit and ready for finals,” Rowntree said.
“I’m pretty blessed at the Eagles to have such great support staff and the club has supported me coming back from the knee injury.
“In that first game, I was blowing hard.
“You can do all the running you want in pre-season but it does not compare to match fitness.”
The chance to play in a SANFL grand final has been a long time coming for Rowntree.
When the Eagles won their most recent flag in 2011, the Ardrossan product was not selected because he had missed two weeks with pneumonia and the club did not want to change a winning line-up.
“I think 2011 was probably worse because I was fully fit and able to play but (Eagles coach Michael Godden) stuck by his side, which is understandable,” he said.
Rowntree, an Eagles player since 2008, says seeing West Adelaide’s colours on top of their own still haunts his club so it is desperate to make the most of this year’s opportunity.
On a personal note, finally getting to the SANFL’s biggest stage means a lot.
“The club’s stuck by me and supported me the whole way and all I want to do is play some good footy and win a premiership for the Eagles,” he said.
“I couldn’t have prepared any better.
“I’m more ready than ever.”