2025 List Management

[The_Budds]

I can't believe we got Hetherton as a Cat B rookie. One, because I didn't know that rule (that we can sign undrafted NSW players even from outside our academy) and two, because he's a super talent. Some draft watchers had him in to 25-40 range.

Add to that Phillipou + the academy boys and wowee! What a draft haul!

[lwjoyner]

maybe mills should have been the 1 swapped for curnow. BUT now with his injuries should he still be captain. I dont think so

[goswannies]

Makes sense to me wiith the recruitments of the general defenders, considering veterans Rampe, Lloyd & Cunningham are nearing the end & need to transition our backline. Francis & Hamling are stop gap measures, with the latter yet to play and as KPF in the Ressies.

Riak Andrew, Patrick Snell & Will Edwards as our up & coming KPDs.

Quesion remains whether if all will cut it as senior players.

Francis will be a stop gap measure in the SANFL - we delisted him

[Thunder Shaker]

Guernsey numbers are out: 2026 guernsey numbers unveiled (sydneyswans.com.au).
In alphabetical order:

Noah Chamberlain: 42
Billy Cootee: 25
Charlie Curnow: 35
Jesse Dattoli: 9
Liam Hetherton: 39
Max King: 31
Harry Kyle: 32
Jevan Phillipou: 18
Malcolm Rosas jr: 10
Jai Serong: 13

[Thunder Shaker]

A discussion on Billy Cootee: Sydney draftee's resilient journey to the AFL (sen.com.au).

[Thunder Shaker]

not quite a fit here but wanted to comment on jumper numbers. Wht is wrong with 38 must be a jinx or something. My records say no one hasplayed for us using this number since Mike Pyke, not a bad international via rookie list.

Higher numbers over about the mid-30s tend to be a bit hit and miss. Players allocated these numbers are fringe players. Players with these numbers will get lower numbers if they become established. A few exceptions exist, such as 39 (several good players going back to Capper), 40 (Smith), 42 (Fox), 44 (Lloyd).

So it's not that 38 has had few good players since Pyke, it's a number in the "fringe player" range. I claim that it's the lowest such number at Sydney.

[mcs]

Yes, and there's also this story from the AFL site, that discusses how Jai Saxena became the second person of Indian heritage on an AFL list. Presumably it's on the AFL site, because they think it reflects well on the NGA system, but to me, it demonstrates just how irrelevant the Collingwood NGA was in the process.

He was given a Hawthorn jersey by his footy mad parents for his third birthday. He started in the Auskick under 8s, and then made rep sides throughout his junior career, before being noticed by Collingwood, when he was starring for the Oakleigh Chargers. So, there seems to be little or no reason, for him to be tied to Collingwood, rather than going in the open draft.

New Magpie eyes AFL history after realising his draft dream - https://www.afl.com.au/news/1455264

Yep its absolute garbage - exactly what the NGAs should not be being used for.

[Auntie.Gerald]

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BompYoyCD/

let’s be real about this
we have done our digging and we have heard nothing about Max

wow that was a was a tough escarpment with Max and our draft picks
turned out amazing as such a late pick as we were committed no matter

[dejavoodoo44]

not quite a fit here but wanted to comment on jumper numbers. Wht is wrong with 38 must be a jinx or something. My records say no one hasplayed for us using this number since Mike Pyke, not a bad international via rookie list.

Colin O'Riordan played in 38 until the end of the 2022 season.

[lwjoyner]

not quite a fit here but wanted to comment on jumper numbers. Wht is wrong with 38 must be a jinx or something. My records say no one hasplayed for us using this number since Mike Pyke, not a bad international via rookie list.

[dejavoodoo44]

Situations like that is where the NGA continue to be an absolute joke.

Yes, and there's also this story from the AFL site, that discusses how Jai Saxena became the second person of Indian heritage on an AFL list. Presumably it's on the AFL site, because they think it reflects well on the NGA system, but to me, it demonstrates just how irrelevant the Collingwood NGA was in the process.

He was given a Hawthorn jersey by his footy mad parents for his third birthday. He started in the Auskick under 8s, and then made rep sides throughout his junior career, before being noticed by Collingwood, when he was starring for the Oakleigh Chargers. So, there seems to be little or no reason, for him to be tied to Collingwood, rather than going in the open draft.

New Magpie eyes AFL history after realising his draft dream - https://www.afl.com.au/news/1455264

[Auntie.Gerald]

Interestingly we were keen on https://sanfl.com.au/draft-pick/blake-thredgold/

we went into night two keen and n Thredgold and Javen and prepared to match on King

[MattW]

The club has published an Inside Sydney episode based on behind the scenes footage of the two nights of the national draft. Key points:
- the recommendation was to match Kyle from pick 10 onwards;
- they rated Phillipou in the first round.

http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/video/1935395?playlist_id=1915298

[mcs]

Only 51 weeks to the 2026 draft. Rookie Me have got the ball rolling, by naming their best 26 prospects for 2026.

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2025/11/24/26-in-2026-a-look-ahead-to-next-years-top-prospects/

I'm also mildly amused that Dougie Cochrane and Cody Walker are rated one and two. Cochrane is the son of former Port player, Stuart, who didn’t play enough games for Dougie to qualify as a F/S. However, late last season, the family did discover that they had some indigenous heritage. Now Port are trying to have him tied to the club as an NGA prospect. Which begs the question of; has Port really played a big enough role in his development, to justify any sort of privileged draft access?

Situations like that is where the NGA continue to be an absolute joke.

[BFG]

Yeah, I listened to that. Quite interesting, but the thing that I was most interested in, wasn't included. That is, how did our room react, when the Bulldogs made a bid on Carmichael?

Doubt it was a surprise as they had a fair idea the Dogs were after a skilled HBF and top of their list Lindsay had just been taken by WC. So not surprised but pizt off, same way they felt at pick 14!

A lot of water to flow under the bridge yet, but reckon we did really well after the pair of too high bids on Kyke and Carmichael