2007 AFL Draft Thread.

[Jeffers1984]

Adelaide just took the very big swans fan Tony Armstrong with pick 58.

[ugg]

Recycled players

Another Essendon person at Freo - Mark Johnson.
G-Train back at St Kilda.
Yet another Freo Bomber - Kepler Bradley.


GOK goes to Geelong.

[swantastic]

GOK goes to Geelong.

Ah well no ROK,DOK and GOK.Nowing our luck GOK will probably turn out better than ROK and DOK.

[Jeffers1984]

Here are all our young smalls on our list now.

Jack
Veszpremi
Braba
Thornton
Moore
Bird
Bevan
Schmidt
DOK
Merideth
N Smith

Young Utilities

Laidlaw
Barlow
Murphy

Young KPP
White
Faulks
Grundy

Ruckman
Currie
Orreal

[DST]

I would have liked a tall, but it's not surprising that we didn't take one.

Our current planning seems to suggest we draft young midfilders/utilities and either trade for or rookie more mature age KP players.

Irish, Playfair and Oreal have given us the height.

Expest to see us trade for a replacement for both MOL & Hall in the next couple of years.

DST

[Steve]

I would have thought it was always between Dangerfield and Veszpremi at No.11 - it seems a decent selection to me.

Despite the criticism we get re: drafting I think our strategy is logical - trades or Rookie List for KPP's and ruckmen has worked reasonably well for us.

Can any of the critics here list the superstars in either of those categories we have overlooked in a draft?

[lwjoyner]

Is leo going to go for a lot longer

Cant see why we have to continually draft midfielders particurly when we are crying for some young key postion players. All 3 small midfielders. Rance, Otten still available at our picks.

[sharp9]

The stupidity of this is that Veszpremi would have still been around second round and could have taken rance with first pick! and now Collier gone too. Well done Roos you @@@@ing idiot. Always has to be @@@@ing unconventional.

You have NFI LA. ALL talk was that V was a bolter. He was no chance to last past the top 20.

All recent draft talk had him as the top "quick dasher special midfielder/forwards" along with Rioli. Exactly the type of midfielder we need.

Personally I'm very surprised that we didn't see a KP defender (Rance/Collier) or Goal Kicker (Pears/Notte/Tarrant etc.) as a higher priority.

[sharp9]

Very, very obviously we wanted Tom Collier,who went the pick before.
This threw a spanner in the works as to whether to go "best available" (Meredith) or next best tall (Otten). Hence the 4 minutes.

Clips of Meredith on draft tracker make him look anything but a Ben Mathews type....strong, explosive, great kick for goal, mature body, ready to go.....apparently :-)

[hammo]

Our current planning seems to suggest we draft young midfilders/utilities and either trade for or rookie more mature age KP players.

Yes this is right. It probably makes sense as well unless you have a top 5 pick and can go for a guaranteed star like Kreuzer.

It's worth remembering that Dean Cox, who seems to be the prototype ruckman these days, came via the Eagles' rookie list. KPP develop much later than midfielders so the Swans' strategy, while different to most other clubs, is fine by me.

The one query I have is overlooking Rance when he was available (although I am very happy to land Veszpremi). I'd like to know who our next fullback will be and what Roos intends to do given Leo's time is about up.

[Donners]

Disappointed we didn't go with Grimes. I'd have thought a key back was a major weakness of the side, and he is touted as a future leader. Still, I'm sure they know what they're doing.

[liz]

Very, very obviously we wanted Tom Collier,who went the pick before.
This threw a spanner in the works as to whether to go "best available" (Meredith) or next best tall (Otten). Hence the 4 minutes.

Despite being 190cm+, many describe both Otten and Collier as more likely mids than KPPs. We already have arguably the best very tall midfielder in the comp who should be good for another 5 years or so. I really like what I've seen of Barlow (reserves as well as senior) but think he is much more likely to make it as a tall running mid than a key forward (has a lot to learn in defensive positions even at ACTAFL level). Plus there is everychance that Murphy - if he makes it - will become a mid.

While that places question marks over two of our taller youngsters filling the KP hole, it also means that yet another very tall midfielder would be one too many.

[Bas]

Knights to remember: one club's bumper crop in the AFL

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/knights-to-remember/2007/11/23/1195753308387.html

Very impressed after reading this article. Watch your spot Benny Boy!

[liz]

Disappointed we didn't go with Grimes. I'd have thought a key back was a major weakness of the side, and he is touted as a future leader. Still, I'm sure they know what they're doing.

Don't understand this post. Are you saying Grimes is a key back we passed up on? (He's a mid.)

[Claret]

In 2007, the areas in which we were most deficient were kicking efficiency and speed through the midfield.

The two best traits of both of these players seems to cover these areas.

I'm happy.