2018 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[dejavoodoo44]

One article on the Swans website the other day that interested me, was on the number of academy kids, that have signed on with other NEAFL sides for the upcoming season. There were seven in total. Harrison Carr, Angus Baker, Jarrod Osborne and Luke Robertson have signed for Canberra. Sydney Uni have picked up Sam Barkley and Cooper Lee. While Will Gowers is off to Brisbane to play for Aspley.
Even though it would be nice if we produced more graduates worthy of inclusion on the Swans list, I still see this as a positive development. Firstly, producing kids that other teams want to sign, suggests that we are doing something right at the academy. Also, if our ex-academy players strengthen the NEAFL, then this should work to our long term advantage. Having a tougher week in, week out competition, should mean that any players promoted from our reserves, are more ready to make that transition. And if the other NEAFL teams do become more competitive, this may mean a few more people attending the games and maybe even a few more kids being motivated to take up the game.

[707]

Couple of pics on the Swans website showing McCartin taking strong grabs. I wonder if this is going to turn out to be an inspired choice.

Pick 33 this year (2016 ND) but if he'd been a year older may have been top 10, after all KPF are by a long way the most difficult players to get your hands on. Worth waiting the extra 12 months for, like we did with Hanners and Adelaide did with Dangerfield.

Melican was another player that, if we hadn't rookied him as a 17yo, would have played U18 again the next year and become a much higher pick.

[wolftone57]

Couple of pics on the Swans website showing McCartin taking strong grabs. I wonder if this is going to turn out to be an inspired choice.

Pick 33 this year (2016 ND) but if he'd been a year older may have been top 10, after all KPF are by a long way the most difficult players to get your hands on. Worth waiting the extra 12 months for, like we did with Hanners and Adelaide did with Dangerfield.

Melican was another player that, if we hadn't rookied him as a 17yo, would have played U18 again the next year and become a much higher pick.

While skinny, he looked very composed and strong in the marking contest in his video. He will develop a frame in the next two years and could become a very dangerous player. Look at him to kick a bag of goals this year in the Reserves. We will make him a target I think. Rose needs to develop a defensive mindset to match his attacking prowess and he could be a good player and a good second forward option to young McCartin. They could end up a prolific pair.

[bloodspirit]

So the big news is that Tippett has retired effective immediately!

The wider ramifications of this news is that it's kind of good, if not very good, for the club. I don't really know the situation with salary cap but to me Jake Niall's view seems to square more with my understanding than liz's. If this is right, there is a lot of upside to this development:

1. It's a position where we have good depth - we have two proven alternatives (Naismith, Sinclair) and a very promising understudy (Cameron) who could all play this year as required. As it was, at least two of those were going to miss selection and now they won't. They will have more opportunities (which they deserve) and will have more incentive to remain with the Swans and to develop into the best players they can be. And we won't be spending big $$ on them unnecessarily.

2. Tippett was the ruck who was chewing up the most salary cap. It may not make much difference to the salary cap this year (particularly given we can't recruit anyone else now anyway) but I think it will make a significant difference in the next 2-3 seasons. In fact there was no better way that we could have extricated ourselves from having so much salary cap tied up with him (assuming it is true that we are, at least to a substantial degree, extricating ourselves from this problem). Even if we had succeeded trading him (which was a long shot at best) we would surely have had to cover a chunk of his salary. Now I'm not so sure we will.

Instead, while I would think that our existing maturing list will require more salary to retain going forward, the departure of Tippett plus Macca this season has got to give us a fair bit of relief. Plus I figure that Kizza's salary must be tapering now too. Maybe it will even create space for us to chase a big name free agent - now that is exciting! Although Tom Lynch is probably just a bourne too far I won't give up hoping just a little bit until we know otherwise.

So, best wishes Tippett! and long live the Swans!

[bloodspirit]

Afl.com.au has posted latest update about top 2018 draft prospects: Superdraft or superhyped? Early view on 2018 - AFL.com.au.

[707]

Afl.com.au has posted latest update about top 2018 draft prospects: Superdraft or superhyped? Early view on 2018 - AFL.com.au.

The most relevant part of Twomey's article being "Blakey appears likely to be first picked from that bunch and could be an early selection, such is his height (196cm) and mobility"

A lot of water to go under the Harbour Bridge yet but if Nick does choose us it could cost us our first two picks, that would be our first (pick 18) and the Pies second somewhere in the 20s you'd reckon.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Yep that pies pick was so smart

[wedge.maverick]

Michael Agresta head hunted by Carlton. A massive loss to our recruiting team.

[bloodspirit]

Nice pick up, wedge. That is indeed a big loss: Two new additions to recruiting team - carltonfc.com.au.

Best wishes to Michael, it seems to be a promotion despite the fact he will be subordinate to SOS. I claim no direct knowledge but, given the success of our recruitment over Michael's tenure, you'd have to say he's done a good job for us.

[bloodspirit]

The 5 Swans players rated elite by Champion data have had their names published: Champion Data ranks your club?s list for 2018. Tom Papley is one of them! Along with Buddy, Hanners, Ramps and JPK. That is a stunning result for a young guy who has only played 2 years of AFL directly after being recruited as a rookie. What a recruiting master stroke! Thanks again, Kin and co.

Brodie Smith (free agent this year) is another elite-rated player. I don't know much about him would we be interested or do we have ample depth in that position? 5 clubs have only one elite rated player (and North Melbourne's is Todd Goldstein! And Bulldogs' is JJ ) The Swans, equal with Adelaide, Port and West Coast have the most elite rated players (6), although Adelaide had 7 until Jake Lever left. Apart from Papley, there are a number of suprising names rated elite (or perhaps that's just because I don't watch enough AFL not featuring the Swans) e.g. Aaron Hall, Tom Lynch (Adelaide), Ben McEvoy, Jack Crisp.

[stevoswan]

Nice pick up, wedge. That is indeed a big loss: Two new additions to recruiting team - carltonfc.com.au.

Best wishes to Michael, it seems to be a promotion despite the fact he will be subordinate to SOS. I claim no direct knowledge but, given the success of our recruitment over Michael's tenure, you'd have to say he's done a good job for us.

Well, given how SOS raided surplus young GWS talent, hopefully Agresta can keep his now 'Blue' hands off our young guys.......no doubt SOS will be in his ear for some potential pick-up's. They can bugger off!

[bloodspirit]

Well, given how SOS raided surplus young GWS talent, hopefully Agresta can keep his now 'Blue' hands off our young guys.......no doubt SOS will be in his ear for some potential pick-up's. They can bugger off!

Another valid point and scary thought. We have a lot of depth at the moment. Will be hard to keep all the ones that aren't playing firsts. Still we should have our pick of which ones we want. Was great that we signed up Dawson for two more years last year. Indeed, almost all the best fringe talent is signed up beyond this year already e.g. Melican, COR, Cameron, Florent. Possible targets include: Towers, Newman, Aliir, Marsh, Robinson, maybe Ronke/Fox/Foote. Provided we get a decent trade, we could afford for these players to leave. More importantly, I think we'll re-sign those players that we most want to keep before Carlton (or anyone else) circles too close.

[liz]

Has Carlton actually found anything of value by dredging through the Giants' surplus pool? Plowman is a decent, AFL standard player (though not worth the pick GWS originally used for him) but I am really struggling to think of anyone else they've taken from the Giants who is yet an established player in the Carlton senior team.

[bloodspirit]

Has Carlton actually found anything of value by dredging through the Giants' surplus pool? Plowman is a decent, AFL standard player (though not worth the pick GWS originally used for him) but I am really struggling to think of anyone else they've taken from the Giants who is yet an established player in the Carlton senior team.

I'd welcome Marchbank to our list and probably Kennedy and Pickett too.

[liz]

I'd welcome Marchbank to our list and probably Kennedy and Pickett too.

I knew there'd be one I forgot - Marchbank. Agree he is a quality player. But although he's ahead of Melican and Aliir, if he were in our squad he'd be taking the 3rd defender role that these two are currently fighting it out for, and I don't think we're losing much by not having him.

Kennedy could become a first 22 player for the Blues but he's got to actually do if first, and Pickett still has to prove it too. I don't think either would be best 22 for the Swans, even if they replaced players like Foote and Rose on our list (players of similar age / experience and non-best 22 status).