Sydney young gun Ollie Florent feels a part of Swans now, and can’t wait to take on the Crows
SYDNEY young gun Ollie Florent plays on instinct, and that’s unlikely to change and in his second season is feeling more confident in his ability and it’s paying dividends.
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SYDNEY young gun Ollie Florent plays on instinct, and that’s unlikely to change.
The talented wingman-forward provided a near-perfect example last Saturday when he marked in the dying seconds of the clash with the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
Instead of propping and slowing the game down with only 35 seconds left with the Swans a point in front, he immediately played on.
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He took a bounce and tore down the field — albeit looking back several times at Tim English in hot pursuit — before kicking the match-sealing goal.
It was the moment of one of the games of the season to date.
His hero moment, as good as it was, brought some criticism from Paul Roos, who said the young Swan made the wrong play, and should have stopped and run down the clock.
Florent was just as quick on his feet on Wednesday when his coach John Longmire posed a question to him at training: “If we are up by a point, what are you going to do next time you are in the same position?”
He looked at Longmire with a smile and said: “I would do the same again.”
Florent was refreshingly honest too this week when speaking to the Herald Sun about balance between playing on instinct and having a more measured approach.
It’s something he admits he is still coming to terms with in his second AFL season, though his teammates know his speed and his foot skills are two of his best assets.
“Last year I was really worried about where I was standing and questioning (where I had to be) in the structures,” Florent said.
“I am feeling more comfortable with that now, so I can play a bit more on instinct.”
“He (Roos) was probably right. But I didn’t know how long was left.
“All I could see ahead of me was space and I just thought I might as well run into what I thought could almost be a certain goal. But I was really nervous because Tim English was running me down. I looked back at him multiple times to see if he was getting closer.
“When I kicked the goal, it was an amazing feeling. But it might have been a different story if I had missed it.”
Florent and Longmire had a good laugh about it at training this week.
The coach, who has been a significant factor in the former Mentone Grammar student settling in so well in Sydney, loved the flair and dare he had shown, but told him: “Just hold it up next time”.
They both agreed it would depend on the set of circumstances if it unfolded again.
“I would love to just be in that position again in my life,” Florent added.
While last Sunday wasn’t quite his arrival as a player — he knows he has got a lot of hard work ahead of him — it gave a glimpse of just how exciting the 19-year-old could be.
His teammates knew it, and celebrated accordingly. One of his mentors, Dan Hannebery, said on radio it was “ right up there with one of the better moments I’ve been part of, that bit of play, it was unbelievable.”
Part of that has to do with Florent’s backstory, as much as how well he has settled into the club since being chosen as pick No.11 in the 2016 draft.
His father, Andrew Florent — an Australian doubles tennis star who won three ATP doubles titles and reached a career-high doubles ranking of 13 — passed away from bowel cancer, aged only 45, in August 2016, just three months before Ollie was drafted.
Some wondered how Florent might handle having to move away from his mother Rachael and his 17-year-old brother, Jai, who is now playing with Sandringham Dragons.
But he has flourished, and the Swans put their collective arms around him.
“Landing in Sydney was probably the best result for me,” he said. “It was like flipping a page in my life and a new chapter was there.”
“I miss my family, but I am always texting and calling them. Mum has come up a fair bit, but my little brother finds it hard doing his schooling and playing with the Dragons.
“The club has been amazing and I feel really comfortable living in Sydney now (with housemates/teammates Joel Amartey and Ben Ronke).”
His father’s message to him throughout his illness remains with Ollie to this day.
He tried to get across to me when he was passing away that he will always be proud of me,” he said. “He said he’d be happy with whatever I ended up doing.”
Florent played the first four games of 2017 — losing all four — before managing another five games later in the season.
“Probably the main lesson I learnt last year was that you have to work for everything,” he said. “I was in and out of the team last year so I just went back to the NEAFL and found my form. I had to earn my spot back.”
“The other thing (he learnt) was how much passion there is within the team. When we were losing at the start of last year, you could just see how much it meant to the older players. It is such a passionate club.”
The first four weeks this year have been a vastly different story after three wins and a loss.
“I didn’t feel 100 per cent comfortable out there last year, but now after doing a second pre-season and getting some confidence in the JLT Series, I feel a lot better about it,” he said.
“I’m playing mainly on the wing now more so than forward. My role hopefully in the future will be as a hybrid midfielder, inside and outside, and maybe going forward, but I am happy to play where John Longmire wants to play me.”
Florent has been working closely with Hannebery as well as Kieren Jack and Dane Rampe, saying they have played a big role in his improvement.
He can’t wait to take on Adelaide at the SCG, mindful last year’s grand finalist will hit back hard after last week’s loss to Collingwood.
“We know they will come out hard,” Florent said. “But we will be ready for it. It’s on our home deck, and we love playing our football there.”
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Originally published as Sydney young gun Ollie Florent feels a part of Swans now, and can’t wait to take on the Crows
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