Gary Rohan says he wasn’t happy being traded to Geelong after nine years with Sydney Swans
GARY Rohan says his relationship with coach John Longmire remains strong despite admitting he was initially angry when the Swans proposed a trade to Geelong.
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GARY Rohan says his relationship with coach John Longmire remains strong despite admitting he was initially angry when the Swans proposed a trade to Geelong.
The Cobden boy and former Geelong Falcon became a Cat when they traded pick No.61 to Sydney for the athletic forward.
A frank Rohan told the Herald Sun it was a bittersweet move, as the Swans “shitted me off a bit” when it became clear they were happy to move him on.
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But after a tough year, where Rohan and wife Amie had twins but lost one to a rare disease, he is accepting of a decision which moves both of them closer to their families in Cobden.
He said they had been rewarded for their decision to go public with their heartbreaking scenario by an outpouring of support and awareness.
Willow died five hours after her birth with terminal condition anencephaly, but they will always cherish her memory and the time spent together.
Many families going through the same scenario found the courage to come out and explain what they were going through because of the Rohans’ admission.
Rohan will play as a mid-sized forward at Geelong and admits the past few weeks have been tough after initially wanting to stay at Sydney.
He agreed he would have stayed in Sydney if they had not come to him to discuss his future, with the Swans keen to clear cap space and move in another direction.
“It was pretty late, at the end of the season it kind of came up,” Rohan said.
“It was a bit of both ways in terms of me wanting to leave and the Swans shitted me off a bit.
“I was pretty keen to stay but keen to move as well. Either way I was going to be happy. But it was fine. I have had a pretty big year this year, so they were happy to help me out with anything I wanted.”
“Horse (Longmire) and I are great. I will always be mates with him. He got me through a lot of tough times - the broken leg and the death of my daughter this year so we have always had a good connection and always will.
“I have been here for nine years and Amie has been here for six, so we have built our families up here and it’s pretty tough with all the memories and friendships we have made, but we are also excited to go back home for family reasons.”
Rohan said his series of cryptic social media posts were designed to lighten the mood and throw some people off the scent as he was drilled by fans wanting to know where he was going.
He and Amie are considering whether to rent out or sell their two-bedroom house only 100m from Coogee Beach, likely to move down the coast to Ocean Grove while he plays at Geelong.
Amie gave birth to Bella and Willow and the parents spent five special hours with Willow before she passed away, the Rohans having explained the situation in an Instagram post months before.
“(That post) really helped me and Amie out. We will always be the parents of twins and when one is going to be lost, we could have that conversation earlier so it would be easier to talk about,” he said.
“We have had a heap of people contact us after we came out and said they have done the same thing.
“They came out and told their families and friends and they became better people within themselves. Things like that you never think of, but most people have never heard of anencephaly before so it gave them an awareness, which is good.”
Originally published as Gary Rohan says he wasn’t happy being traded to Geelong after nine years with Sydney Swans