our last 4 top picks

[Auntie.Gerald]

2009 - Rohan : no 6
2010 - Lambie : no 21
2011 - Mitchell : no 21
2012 - Towers : no 22

so at the moment none of our top picks over the last 4 years feature in our Senior Team

obviously Rohan would be a shoe in if not injured.......... but where to from here for our top draft picks the last 4 years ?

do you see all of them as 10 year players in Seniors ala Jude, Macca, ROK, Jack, Goodes etc ?

In comparison did you rate Macca and the others mentioned above as 10 year players in their first couple of seasons in Ressies or Seniors ?

so far players who have level jumped them are:

Parker - yr 2010 pick 40
AJ - yr 2010 pick 57
Reid - yr 2009 pick 38
Jetta - yr 2009 pick 14

based on the trend of two players lower ranked can we expect 2 x 2011 and 2 x 2012 players come thru and level jump the top picks in 2011 and 2012 ?

[707]

I know you can't get a 100% strike rate with draft picks but it is just unbelievable how we can select gems later in the draft but get our first pick, which should have a high success rate, so wrong.

You can go back further than 2009 to find more clangers.

If half of the spuds we have selected with our first pick had been good we'd have great depth and a better 22.

Rohan is problematic after his leg although I'm hopeful he will return to his best and buck the trend. Barlow has taken two years to regain former form so we'll be patient.

Lamb is looking like a spud, sorry but by now he should be tearing it up in the NEAFL, and he's not.

Mitchell will debut just like Viney and Wines did on the weekend, hopefully all his ailments will pass and he can get a good crack at it. For those pushing the Lamb barrow, just see the kind of impact Mitchell had in his few brief appearances in the NEAFL, massive numbers.

Towers I fear may be one of those draftees we got a bit blinkered on (like we did Danial O'Keefe) where no other club rated him anywhere near where we did, and we might be proved wrong again :-( Not reading or seeing anything at this stage that makes me think he is going to be worthy of pickk 22. When you use your first pick on a 22yo, you want them to be close to ready, like Rampe who was a free pick.

Can any 2011 or 2012 lower picks jump up? No one is close from ressie reports.
Jake Lloyd looked promising in the NAB Cup.
But is the great hope Brandon Jack who looks to have potential to become an X factor player but a lot of development needed. Ooh, I really have my fingers crossed for B Jack.

[ugg]

Lamb has improved markedly since his return from injury midway last year. Named as an emergency for Round 1 and if there was a spot available through injury/suspension he would be selected in the team no problems. He hasn't be 'tearing it up' in the NEAFL but he has played some very good games.

Towers has been disappointing but I don't think we particularly overreached with our pick. I remember reading all the phantom drafts before the actual one took place, and most of them had him going in the 20s. Given that our next pick was in the 40s, we grabbed him as soon as we could.

[liz]

It is far too soon to say Towers has been disappointing. He shows flashes of his athletic attributes but at this stage is struggling to put it all together. He's being asked to play a specific role within the Swans' game plan and no doubt the role and the plan are different to what he's used to. Some players will adapt quickly. Some will look like a swan out of water for a while but then it will all click and they can start to use their athletic and ball skills to effect. Others will never develop. I don't think we can conclude that Towers will fall into the third category after just two reserves games and a tiny NAB Cup cameo (where he was far from the worst).

[Chilcott]

A bit harsh Auntie,

Rohan is a gun and just needs time to get over his injury. He will play 150+ games for the Swans.
Mitchell falls into the same boat as Rohan. He will need more time to get his body right, but will be one of our starting midfielders within the next year or two.

Have my doubts about Lamb. It's going to be tough to get into midfield with the likes of Jack, Kennedy, Hanners, Bird already established. Then we have Mitchell and Lloyd in the next bracket of youngsters.

I am prepared to give Towers at least a season before I make a judgement on him.

[barry]

Looks like we should always trade away our first pick then.

But seriously, what good have tankers who got lots for 1st round picks like St Kilda, Carlton and Melbourne ever acheived. ?

First round picks are still a lottery.

[Auntie.Gerald]

A bit harsh Auntie,

Rohan is a gun and just needs time to get over his injury. He will play 150+ games for the Swans.
Mitchell falls into the same boat as Rohan. He will need more time to get his body right, but will be one of our starting midfielders within the next year or two.

Have my doubts about Lamb. It's going to be tough to get into midfield with the likes of Jack, Kennedy, Hanners, Bird already established. Then we have Mitchell and Lloyd in the next bracket of youngsters.

I am prepared to give Towers at least a season before I make a judgement on him.

Chilcott - my message said Rohan would be a "shoe in" if not injured...........none of the others have i made a negative comment at all............i was asking others opinions as to where we are vs comparable

when i said none are in the Snrs Team i think that is an awesome thing right now as it show how good we are going and that these guys have time to develop and be truly ready when they start playing Snrs

[Jewels]

I know you can't get a 100% strike rate with draft picks but it is just unbelievable how we can select gems later in the draft but get our first pick, which should have a high success rate, so wrong.

You can go back further than 2009 to find more clangers.

If half of the spuds we have selected with our first pick had been good we'd have great depth and a better 22.

Rohan is problematic after his leg although I'm hopeful he will return to his best and buck the trend. Barlow has taken two years to regain former form so we'll be patient.

Lamb is looking like a spud, sorry but by now he should be tearing it up in the NEAFL, and he's not.

Mitchell will debut just like Viney and Wines did on the weekend, hopefully all his ailments will pass and he can get a good crack at it. For those pushing the Lamb barrow, just see the kind of impact Mitchell had in his few brief appearances in the NEAFL, massive numbers.

Towers I fear may be one of those draftees we got a bit blinkered on (like we did Danial O'Keefe) where no other club rated him anywhere near where we did, and we might be proved wrong again :-( Not reading or seeing anything at this stage that makes me think he is going to be worthy of pickk 22. When you use your first pick on a 22yo, you want them to be close to ready, like Rampe who was a free pick.

Can any 2011 or 2012 lower picks jump up? No one is close from ressie reports.
Jake Lloyd looked promising in the NAB Cup.
But is the great hope Brandon Jack who looks to have potential to become an X factor player but a lot of development needed. Ooh, I really have my fingers crossed for B Jack.

How can you say Rohan is problematic? He broke his leg, we are taking our time in building him up and getting him going again.
There are plenty of examples of players making successful comebacks after a broken leg, so perhaps we should let the poor bugger at least kick the footy again before we write him off or label him problematic.

[ugg]

My classification of Towers as 'disappointing' refers to his absence from the Round 1 team not to his prospects of succeeding at the Swans. As a mature aged recruit he should be right in contention for a place in the side, especially when there was an opening in the defence with AJ's injury.

[The Big Cat]

My classification of Towers as 'disappointing' refers to his absence from the Round 1 team not to his prospects of succeeding at the Swans. As a mature aged recruit he should be right in contention for a place in the side, especially when there was an opening in the defence with AJ's injury.

Does anyone actually believe that Towers has been disappointing because he didn't play Round 1? WE are the Premiers and had virtually everyone available. McGlynn was a shoo in to return and Armstrong was an emergency for last year's GF. Sydney just does not rush draftees straight in. They have to learn the trade in the Magoos. This makes Rampe's elevation all the more meritorious.

[ugg]

Does anyone actually believe that Towers has been disappointing because he didn't play Round 1? WE are the Premiers and had virtually everyone available. McGlynn was a shoo in to return and Armstrong was an emergency for last year's GF. Sydney just does not rush draftees straight in. They have to learn the trade in the Magoos. This makes Rampe's elevation all the more meritorious.

Not just that he didn't play round 1 but IMHO wasn't close to selection

[Swansongster]

Not just that he didn't play round 1 but IMHO wasn't close to selection

We should all know from past experiences that all players have to earn their spot through winning the confidence of their Blood Brothers. That does not happen out of a few pre-season kick-arounds. Give Towers a chance to learn the culture and win the respect of the senior players and coaching staff. As said before on this thread, he deserves almost a year before any judgement can be passed (Mitch Morton anyone?).

[Swansongster]

My classification of Towers as 'disappointing' refers to his absence from the Round 1 team not to his prospects of succeeding at the Swans. As a mature aged recruit he should be right in contention for a place in the side, especially when there was an opening in the defence with AJ's injury.

P.S. With all due respect to Ugg's powers of observation.

[BillyRayCypress]

We should all know from past experiences that all players have to earn their spot through winning the confidence of their Blood Brothers. (Mitch Morton anyone?).

No thanks, I filled up on Lamb earlier.

Morton missed out in Rd 1 and he played in the GF. Very harsh critics of the youngsters here. How about a revisit in Rd 12

[liz]

Jetta was a mature aged recruit too (and a higher draft pick than Towers). But while he did get senior games early in his career, it is questionable whether he was really ready at the time. He came into a less strong side that was clearly doing a mini-rebuild. He also brought something to the squad - namely outside run - that was severely lacking at the time.

Towers seems to be earmarked to take over a Mattner or Malceski type role. He's clearly not better than them at the moment. Potentially he could also fill a tall wing / half forward / utility role in the future, but for all his flaws, Everitt is clearly a more advanced prospect at the moment in that kind of role.

I think players like Crameri and Barlow have set unrealistic expectations for players who are making a significant step up to a higher grade of football, just as Judd and Selwood did for 18yos taken high in the draft. Most players, regardless of age, take a little while to adjust to AFL level football and I think expectations are set too high if a failure to dominate from day one makes them a disappointment. Bear in mind that someone like Barlow played several solid seasons of football at the second tier level, unlike Towers, whose rise through the VFL ranks was rapid and brief.