Swans content with youth.

[Syd]

Swans content with quota of youth
7:19:48 PM Tue 2 December, 2003
Karen Collins
afl.com.au
Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos feels the rebuilding process of his list is complete and the club may trade off draft picks next year for a key position player.

?(In the last couple of years) we have got a couple quality midfielders, we have got a tall ruckman, probably the only thing we don?t have is just a young key position player so we have really got to be careful next year going to the market,? Roos said at the unveiling of the latest draft picks on Tuesday.



?I don?t think we can afford to get another four young kids next year, we have got four last year, four this year which is eight on the list of 38 so it makes up a fairly big part of our list.

?So it allows us now to maybe sit back during the year and see who is out of contract at the end of next year and really possibly target a very good player going out the end of next year.?

Last month Sydney drafted midfielders Joshua Willoughby (selection No.16) and Tim Schmidt (No.29), ruckman Andrew Ericksen (No.47), utility Matthew Davis (No.59) and redrafted Amon Buchanan (No.45).

While acknowledging they lose experience following the departure of several senior players in Daryn Cresswell, Paul Kelly and Wayne Schwass, Roos feels they are filling in the gaps.

?With Cressa, Kell and Schwass (gone) we have (last year?s first round draft selection Jarrad) McVeigh, Josh and Tim Schmidt,? Roos said.

?Now there is no guarantee they are going to develop into AFL players but there is pedigree there in that area we really wanted to address so suddenly we have got three guys in the door over the last two years who we think are going to develop into good midfielders.

?Now we can change our tack a little bit depending obviously on what happens in 2004 in a team performance.

?But certainly at this stage we wouldn?t be looking at bringing in another four kids at the end of next year.?

After losing a preliminary final to premiers Brisbane, the 2003 coach-of-the-year believes there is still improvement in the player list.

?We are still waiting for the draft picks taken last year and the year before to step up to AFL football, like McVeigh, (Joshua) Thewlis, (Nick) Malceski, (Jarrad) Sundqvist, (Luke) Ablett, (Amon) Buchanan who we have drafted back.

?The other ones like (Stephen) Doyle and (Ben) Fixter who haven?t played. Mick O?Loughlin didn?t play the whole year. So we still think there is some development in the list.

?But I think what we have achieved now with this group is sort of rounded off our youth policy in a sense.?

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=128388

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Unfortunate Timing

So the Swans will be trying to sell off an early draft pick next year.
I can understand Roos' argument but it's a pity we didn't do it this year, which was considered to be a week draft and our first choice was in the teens anyway.

[liz]

Re: Unfortunate Timing

Originally posted by Ruckman
it's a pity we didn't do it this year, which was considered to be a week draft and our first choice was in the teens anyway.

What would we have got for it? Probably only Ray Hall, who most here seem glad we won't be getting for nought in the PSD.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Unfortunate Timing II

Actually I was more expressing my fears about trading draft choices in the future (we have had some extemely mixed results in the past) than bemoaning a lack of trades this year.

Although I think Ben Holland and Trent Croad may have been bargains.
Both had good games against us this year, both can play key positions at either end. Croad in particular at 24 years old looks a bargain for just a first round draft choice.

[Jeffers1984]

Re: Unfortunate Timing II

Originally posted by Ruckman
Although I think Ben Holland and Trent Croad may have been bargains.
Both had good games against us this year, both can play key positions at either end. Croad in particular at 24 years old looks a bargain for just a first round draft choice.

Croad a Bargin?! Pick 10 for an heavily underachieving former number 3 (?) pick? Hawthorn got rorted!

Plus i wouldn't think Freo would've accepted our first round (16) for Croad considering how much they paid for him in the first place. there is just too big a difference between the number 10 pick and 16

[DST]

Interesting comments by Roos and they back up the analysis I posted on another thread in regards to our young list.

We now have a very inexperienced list, but with plenty of raw talent to work with over the coming years.

It would seem that both Roos and club were pretty sure they were going to get Hall in either a trade or the PSD and they factored that mature KPP potential into their planning for the next couple of years.

With that out the window look for us to go very hard next year for someone like Brent Staker when he comes off contract at the Weagles, they will be willing to offer their first trade to do it (which will be number 16 )

DST

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Unfortunate Timing III

The value of Croad will be determined over the next 7 years. I think he may be one of those players unable to deal with being in fishbowl.

He is also most definitely one of the few players going around who takes contested packmarks (and that style would complement Big Barry's leads ~ something Roos realises in his desire to use Ball/Doyle in the forward 50)

It's all a moot point anyway, it didn't happen.


Who the hell is Brent Stoker??

[Nico]

Why do people dwell on past recruiting scenarios and so called blunders and what could have been and should have been.

There is a whole new Football Department regime at the club that has a set agenda for building the team into a power unit that will endure the test of time.

We came third in 2003 for goodness sake. They must be doing something right. We need to sit back and digest where we are at, and just hope that the youth that they have recruited produce the goods in the next few years.

One thing for sure is one or maybe more of the 10 mentioned in articles this week will develop into top footballers. We may even produce a superstar. And don't forget we will have a tail of youth a mile long when the Rookie Draft is over. It happens at every club, genuine talent will emerge every year. We will just have a few more possibles than most other clubs. Remember a bloke called Schneider.

[CureTheSane]

Yeah, I find all the speculatiojn pretty tiring most of the time.
Rather wait and see who is picked an dthen comment as a general rule.

I don?t think we can afford to get another four young kids next year, we have got four last year, four this year which is eight on the list of 38 so it makes up a fairly big part of our list

Interesting way of looking at it.

And teams like St.Kilda who have had extremely long rebuilding phases look a bit silly in that respect.

Now is the time to find the right mix of young experienced players and wise freash draft picks, and continue that way.

[footyhead]

Roosy's current musings may have no application this time next year, it all depends on what happens in the 2004 seasone, and what is available in the swap meat market next year.
I think Roos is beginning to prove himself a bit of a character and a master story teller of the AFL . A bit like a few other coaches, he doesn't mind a bit of a speculative wagg, but any fool can tell that only time will tell. I liked it this year when Roos was saying that the guys just needed to enjoy themselves againts brisbane, and the brisbane players and Mathews got all pissed about his musings then, saying that he was only trying to fool "himself' , well blow me down if sydney din't get up and win againtst the premeirs that week ! I wonder if Roosy's mouth had anything to do with it ??
I wonder if Roosy's mouth in that article might make any of the potential KPP work a little harder this preseasone ??