Draft talk for 2009

[liz]

Roos and the Swans recruitment team believe that you don't get value picking tall players at the top end of the draft, and you accumulate your talls through late ND picks, rookie promotions, overseas raids, and trades, the way that some people believe in God.

Except that there is some evidence that one of these is a reasonable belief to hold.

[Legs Akimbo]

Except that there is some evidence that one of these is a reasonable belief to hold.

Agreed, there is some reason to believe that you are better off using late picks on talls as they tend to mature later.

[Reggi]

Ten years ago get good talls earlier, but there are less strong marks than ten years ago, so they are not quite as valuable.

Definately we need skilled runners, don't know why talls would come up in this thread really, given how we have been demolished for lack of good runners in recent seasons

[hammo]

Ten years ago get good talls earlier, but there are less strong marks than ten years ago, so they are not quite as valuable.

Definately we need skilled runners, don't know why talls would come up in this thread really, given how we have been demolished for lack of good runners in recent seasons

Simon is right in that our draft strategy is there for all to see.

However, with the trading period addressing some key midfield concerns, it's reasonable to suggest we'd use 14 for a tall defender if one of suitable quality is available. This draft however that seems unlikely one will be available, so we'll likely go for another outside running player which in the modern game you can never have too many of.

[sharp9]

See Quayle's description of Ryan Bastinac (#17 in her list, which is her subjective ranking, not a mock draft). He hasn't been mentioned in connection with Sydney, but she makes him look like a (nouvelle) Sydney-all-over player. Excellent disposal, determination, willingness to run all day, solid inside. As far as Sydney is concerned, that's pretty much the list; any other issue is second-order.

As for the 'best available vs picking a KP defender for needs' debate-- we already know which side will win. The fact is, no insult intended to him, Lewis Johnston was drafted through gritted teeth... and would not have been drafted by us at #12 (i.e. would have gone elsewhere) if the Swans had known that Jesse White was destined to enjoy the 2009 he would go on to have (let alone us getting Bradshaw).

Roos and the Swans recruitment team believe that you don't get value picking tall players at the top end of the draft, and you accumulate your talls through late ND picks, rookie promotions, overseas raids, and trades, the way that some people believe in God.

Yeah, thank God we didn't waste a top 5 pick on Riewoldt (Nick), Ko@@@@zke, Roughead or that hack, Buddy Franklin!! Michael Hurley...what a shocker - can't believe these top end talls take so long to mature. Tayte Pears, anyone?

Seriously Simon, I think you are over-reaching. It's not that the Swans would never make those picks...but that it is much more difficult to know who will or will not be a very good player if that player is tall and only 18.

From where do you get this "gritted teeth" nonsense. Maybe you should be careful starting sentences with "the fact is...." when it is merely your opinion.

From what I saw prior to the draft there isn't a great deal to separate Jack Watts from our Johnstone. They even have the same colour hair!

To the real matter at hand. From all that I have read the player I would most like to see us get is Jake Melksham. Kicks like Daniel Rich off both feet, only taller and more athletic. Blonde, too!

I guess it's possible that Rohan could turn into Stevie J, or Alan Didak which could make us feel a little ill....but I think there are too many Sampis and Tamblings who "coulda been anythings" as well and I really, really want us to pick a certainty with our first pick. Gossip a couple of weeks ago was that we wanted Cunnington, then Rohan. I hope not. This is our real chance to recruit a top notch midfielder who is not blue collar....please, please, please. Fremantle need grunt, I would have thought.

[i'm-uninformed2]

To the real matter at hand. From all that I have read the player I would most like to see us get is Jake Melksham. Kicks like Daniel Rich off both feet, only taller and more athletic. Blonde, too!

.

I won't be one bit surprised if we do. If we are above all looking for skilled players with polish, he has it.

[giant]

Yeah, thank God we didn't waste a top 5 pick on Riewoldt (Nick), Ko@@@@zke, Roughead or that hack, Buddy Franklin!! Michael Hurley...what a shocker - can't believe these top end talls take so long to mature. Tayte Pears, anyone?

Which top 5 picks are you talking about? Don't believe we over-looked any of the players you've mentioned.

[jdow]

Yeah, thank God we didn't waste a top 5 pick on Riewoldt (Nick), Ko@@@@zke, Roughead or that hack, Buddy Franklin!! Michael Hurley...what a shocker - can't believe these top end talls take so long to mature. Tayte Pears, anyone?

Seriously Simon, I think you are over-reaching. It's not that the Swans would never make those picks...but that it is much more difficult to know who will or will not be a very good player if that player is tall and only 18.

From where do you get this "gritted teeth" nonsense. Maybe you should be careful starting sentences with "the fact is...." when it is merely your opinion.

.

I think you will find that Roos on more than one occassion has expressed that exact theory, maybe not with the "gritted teeth" bit but the whole talls lower down the order thing and you don't draft fullbacks you make them or something simaliar.

[RogueSwan]

I think you will find that Roos on more than one occassion has expressed that exact theory, maybe not with the "gritted teeth" bit but the whole talls lower down the order thing and you don't draft fullbacks you make them or something simaliar.

source?

[707]

The "thanks but no thanks" from Ablett means we now won't be "wasting" pick 55 and we've still got the option of the vets to move outside the list if we decide to have more than the Bradshaw pick in the PSD.

I notice Freo is saying Morobito isn't a certainty for them. I reckon they're just BS'ing but wouldn't that throw the draft into confusion if they did take someone else.

Will be an interesting three weeks until the PSD draft. I think someone else said it on here, I've never been so excited by the lead up to the two drafts ..... are we there yet?

[Darren Thomson]

Midfield pace all the way.

DST

Abslutely, forwards we got, backs we got stacks, quick midfielders, Kirk? Quick between the ears maybe, but lets face it, unless these two from Hawthorn fill that gap, we better get a couple quick boys, I know it's anothr thread but Vez in the backline, who are we leaving out? Bolts? LRT, Shaw? Teddy? or is Tighe playing midfield? Look for Grundy playing fullback this year, we got defnders coming out of our defendres, recruit running midfielders and stick Vez in there, of course get him fit for it first, or put him in a forward pocket, I love the way he gets excited when he puts one thru the middle

[Legs Akimbo]

Doing some last minute window shopping for Thursday.

This fella seems to have some seriously useful attributes for a kp defender. Fast and also has endurance plus pinpoint kick.


Sam Reid - AFL.com.au

[SimonH]

Yeah, thank God we didn't waste a top 5 pick on Riewoldt (Nick), Ko@@@@zke, Roughead or that hack, Buddy Franklin!! Michael Hurley...what a shocker - can't believe these top end talls take so long to mature. Tayte Pears, anyone?

Yeah, instead we got stuck with Jarrad McVeigh in our one-and-only, ever, top 5 pick under Roos. When we could have had Tim Walsh, had he not been unfairly stolen from us by the Bulldogs with pick 4. Sorry, what was yr point again?

Seriously Simon, I think you are over-reaching. It's not that the Swans would never make those picks...but that it is much more difficult to know who will or will not be a very good player if that player is tall and only 18.

As far as I can tell, you're re-making my point in different wording. As is Roosy himself here-- height and the complications it poses, just adds another variable, to a process that (he believes) already has too many.

From where do you get this "gritted teeth" nonsense. Maybe you should be careful starting sentences with "the fact is...." when it is merely your opinion.

6 years (2002-7) of the Roos Swans selecting a midfielder (or small-mid sized player) with our first pick in the ND, while trading in for Jolly, Richards, (ahem) Chambers, Everitt and Playfair, and developing (or trying to develop) the likes of White, Grundy, Campbell, Vogels, Barlow, Prior, Rowe, Murphy, Meiklejohn, Currie (x2) and Pyke from the dregs of the ND, the rookie draft or international rookie system, is enough to make my conclusion that the Johnstone selection was an anomaly that the club felt forced on them through circumstance, a wee bit more than merely my opinion.

[sharp9]

Yeah, instead we got stuck with Jarrad McVeigh in our one-and-only, ever, top 5 pick under Roos. When we could have had Tim Walsh, had he not been unfairly stolen from us by the Bulldogs with pick 4. Sorry, what was yr point again?

As far as I can tell, you're re-making my point in different wording. As is Roosy himself here-- height and the complications it poses, just adds another variable, to a process that (he believes) already has too many.

6 years (2002-7) of the Roos Swans selecting a midfielder (or small-mid sized player) with our first pick in the ND, while trading in for Jolly, Richards, (ahem) Chambers, Everitt and Playfair, and developing (or trying to develop) the likes of White, Grundy, Campbell, Vogels, Barlow, Prior, Rowe, Murphy, Meiklejohn, Currie (x2) and Pyke from the dregs of the ND, the rookie draft or international rookie system, is enough to make my conclusion that the Johnstone selection was an anomaly that the club felt forced on them through circumstance, a wee bit more than merely my opinion.

Nah, I reckon the EXACT opposite....picking Johnstone proves that we will only draft talls with early picks if we are really, really certain they will be the goods. My point about the top 5 picks is proven in that we would have taken all those players if we could have....so it's not that we WON'T as you suggest in your original post, merely that we are far, far, far, far more cautious than other clubs when using normal picks on talls.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Sydney still interested in Luke Ball ?

New Melbourne push to enter the Ball game - RFNews - theage.com.au