2019 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Mr Magoo]

I think Flanders is a higher risk, higher reward prospect than Stephens. I'm not sure we should write a player off based on how he wears a baseball cap. I am amused he was sent to the Gold Coast and said: "I'm just rapt. It will be tough to move away from the family but I'm excited and stoked." The 2019 NAB AFL Draft - Top 21 picks

Not writing him off but just know how Swans academy views such things.

I also noted the "tough to move away" thing but you are looking mostly at kids that have just finished high school in many cases. If we value well adjusted kids who have already started uni (I realise not all kids that are at uni are well adjusted but they will have had at least a year out of high school) then we should just lift the draft age to 19 so that all of them have had a year out of high school and not just those old enough to have turned 18 very early in the year when they may have completed high school a year earlier.

[Ludwig]

I think Flanders is a higher risk, higher reward prospect than Stephens. I'm not sure we should write a player off based on how he wears a baseball cap. I am amused he was sent to the Gold Coast and said: "I'm just rapt. It will be tough to move away from the family but I'm excited and stoked." The 2019 NAB AFL Draft - Top 21 picks

The go home factor might have been decisive here. Our recruiters must have a reasonable idea of who the high risk players are from interviewing the player and family visits. Maybe we learned a bit from the Papley situation as well.

Well, I am pleasantly surprised. Both with the 'event' and with our pick.

I had never been that keen on Flanders until I made peace with the idea of recruiting him in the last day or so. I didn't expect us to draft Stephens because he had been in the conversation for our pick until just recently. Also, I am surprised we picked such an outside player when the perception is that we need more contested ball winners. I guess that could be a combination of things:

> a vote of confidence in Parker, Hewett, Rowbottom and maybe even JPK, Heeney and Mills - and Ollie

> changing game style - it seems we are less focused on being a contested ball winning side than once upon a time

> factoring in that Campbell and Goulden can win contested ball and are coming?

> confidence that we can get another inside mid further back in the draft

> the silk that Stephens possesses is rarer and harder to get than grunt?

(I still think we might have bid on Green if we knew we would get him.)

Anyway, that was fun, but tomorrow is probably a bigger night for us with three players (at least) likely to be coming in the door (a fourth might be an upgrade of Bell).

First issue is: should we trade up? I think we will get decent players with the picks we have but might be worth trading up if we could get Port's next pick and we want Dev Robertson who would give us ball winning and character and leadership (perhaps with some go-home factor). How much would we have to pay? I would pay picks 25 & 44 in a heartbeat for Robertson and would consider 25 & 32.

Failing that, I think we have 6th pick tomorrow although a bid for Maginness should come and push us back one and possibly another for Mead. Players left apart from Mead and Maginness of interest include:

1. Robertson
2. Bianco
3. Rantall
4. Gould
5. Schoenberg
6. Worrell
7. Rivers

(not necessarily in that order)

If we can't get Robertson, I'd love Schoenberg to complement Rowbottom and Hewett as an inside mid going forward. Interesting that Philp, Dow and Cooper Stephens all gone ahead of schedule.


For our third pick there are players like: Williams, Taheny, Taylor are all notable sliders and others like Jones, Rivers and Ralphsmith. Maybe we don't need to trade up?

Looking forward to getting two more good players and another decent prospect. Suprisingly pleased with Stephens.

Great post. Hit all the key points.

[dejavoodoo44]

Interesting so far for me that WA has had so few draftees despite winning the championships this year.

Two who played plus Georgiadis who didnt.

You would think when the dust settles that a few who were expected to go much earlier will go early in the second round eg Robertson.

Maybe the reverse go home factor of a few WA players in recent years is now turning interstate clubs off recruiting them?

Very surprising that Deven Robertson hasn't been picked yet. Larke medallist and All Australian captain. The previous Larke medallist was Sam Walsh. He's also considered to be a natural leader.

I really hope that he's somehow still available when our next pick rolls around, since he's a contested ball winning inside mid, and I do think that we still need to add to our inside mid stocks. If he's not available, there's a couple of others that I like. Harry Schoenberg, who apparently did a really good job, playing alongside Stephens in the S.A. side. There's also Jay Rantall, who topped the combine in a few categories, and who was spending more time as an inside mid, as the season went on.

[Auntie.Gerald]

we all know that what makes an effective team has so many layers to it

certain players you want because they are all class and they bring people to the game and if they have good character then they are a given

other players allow you to be able to play a certain style of footy ie when needed or when you must be flexible against an opponent who can negate you teams natural strengths

coaches as we hear from Alistair Clarkson are always tinkering with the top down and bottom up approach

top down the blue print / game plan for what works effectively in the current and future rules of the game......... and bottom up what players will fit the blue print

it appears Dylan Stephenson is a very promising link in the chain player that like a Gaff or maybe like a Trent Cotchin enable the team to function very effectively...........but may have not been on our radar as much as supporters because we tend to see and remember players with big impact on only a 90 second video clip

[bloodspirit]

I think Flanders is a higher risk, higher reward prospect than Stephens. I'm not sure we should write a player off based on how he wears a baseball cap. I am amused he was sent to the Gold Coast and said: "I'm just rapt. It will be tough to move away from the family but I'm excited and stoked." The 2019 NAB AFL Draft - Top 21 picks

I was watching the AFL livestream and that's not what he said to start off with, when interviewed by Mitch Cleary. I'm pretty sure he said something like "it's okay" about going to the Suns. Me and my mate who were watching both raised our eyebrows. I saw on the Suns site he has another interview where he has brushed up and says he is "over the moon" but I don't believe it. He didn't seem that pleased (maybe also because he was disappointed to slide out of the top 10 picks).

[Melbourne_Blood]

I was watching the AFL livestream and that's not what he said to start off with, when interviewed by Mitch Cleary. I'm pretty sure he said something like "it's okay" about going to the Suns. Me and my mate who were watching both raised our eyebrows. I saw on the Suns site he has another interview where he has brushed up and says he is "over the moon" but I don't believe it. He didn't seem that pleased (maybe also because he was disappointed to slide out of the top 10 picks).

I heard that to. Probably a slip but honestly, getting drafted to the suns is getting the @@@@ end of the stick. That will hopefully change but if we are being fair dinkum it’s the last place any draftee would want to go ( unless they were drafted from the Gold Coast area).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Markwebbos]

The quote is from SEN. it would be even more amusing if he was less than rapt.

- - - Updated - - -

Didn’t realise there’s a pick swap trading window from 4-6pm today.

Cmon Swannies!

[bloodspirit]

Phantom draft prediction for the rest of the draft updated after last night: AFL draft 2019: AFL phantom draft, Josh Worrell, Deven Robertson, Matt Balmer | Fox Sports. Geez I hope they're wrong. They have us taking Elijah Taylor, Flynn Perez and Ben Johnson - missing Dev Robertson by one pick (why is it every phantom draft I see has Geelong taking someone I'd love us to draft the pick before us?!) ignoring Jeremy Sharp, Trent Bianco and Jay Rantall in favour of Taylor. Please no.* I would so much prefer us to give up 27 & 44 to move up even just as far as pick 24. I wonder if Brisbane might trade pick 23 & 63 for 27 & 44? Happy to throw in one of our 60s picks too if they want it. They would lose their best pick but be left with 4 picks inside the second round.

* I reserve the right to change my tune if this is what happens.

[Markwebbos]

Phantom draft prediction for the rest of the draft updated after last night: AFL draft 2019: AFL phantom draft, Josh Worrell, Deven Robertson, Matt Balmer | Fox Sports. Geez I hope they're wrong. They have us taking Elijah Taylor, Flynn Perez and Ben Johnson - missing Dev Robertson by one pick (why is it every phantom draft I see has Geelong taking someone I'd love us to draft the pick before us?!) ignoring Jeremy Sharp, Trent Bianco and Jay Rantall in favour of Taylor. Please no.* I would so much prefer us to give up 27 & 44 to move up even just as far as pick 24. I wonder if Brisbane might trade pick 23 & 63 for 27 & 44? Happy to throw in one of our 60s picks too if they want it. They would lose their best pick but be left with 4 picks inside the second round.

* I reserve the right to change my tune if this is what happens.

1. No one has explained why we'd draft Taylor in their phantom drafts, so I think its about as reliable as the Flanders to Swans prediction.
2. There's a time today for clubs to swap picks. The Swans declared yesterday they are interested in trading the pick formerly known as pick 25 up. And I've heard that Port may be open to it. But nothing announced until 7pm tonight.
3. I think being a good club to deal with (unlike a certain red and black Melbourne club) might pay dividends today.
4. I don't like the sound of any of those
5. Bring on at least one of Gould, Robertson, Rantall, Bianco, Schoenberg and a sliding tall - Taheny?

- - - Updated - - -

Its bad enough as a fan watching other clubs take players.
Imagine how hard it must be as a recruiter seeing a player you really rate and have put tonnes of work into get snaffled by another club?

[Markwebbos]

From Knightmare's twitter (he's got Byrnes pretty high):

My 10 best remaining AFL Draft prospects from my Power Rankings: Deven Robertson (7), Will Gould (14), Harry Schoenberg (15), Jeremy Sharp (16), *Haw F/S Finn Maginness (17), Ryan Byrnes (18), Trent Rivers (20), Josh Worrell (22), Bigoa Nyuon (23), Dylan Williams (24)

[liz]

I wondered a few days ago if those two last picks might be of value to a club consigned to the end of the draft. St Kilda is the obvious one, but they’ve also traded away most of their future picks, round 1 aside. And they are not allowed to trade that. I think the Saints have one of our future picks but I don’t think you can trade a pick back from whence it came. It would have to pass through another club first.

Port can’t take multiple picks for their points value. They have already forfeited two late picks that had some points attached because they didn’t have the list spots to carry them into the draft.

[Markwebbos]

I wondered a few days ago if those two last picks might be of value to a club consigned to the end of the draft. St Kilda is the obvious one, but they’ve also traded away most of their future picks, round 1 aside. And they are not allowed to trade that. I think the Saints have one of our future picks but I don’t think you can trade a pick back from whence it came. It would have to pass through another club first.

Port can’t take multiple picks for their points value. They have already forfeited two late picks that had some points attached because they didn’t have the list spots to carry them into the draft.

Are you saying that if Port are going to use their 4th pick on Mead, they can't use the points from later picks, so they have little or nothing to gain by doing a pick swap with anyone? Would it be better for them to use a higher pick on Mead than their current 55, so as to have a lower potential deficit?

[bloodspirit]

1. No one has explained why we'd draft Taylor in their phantom drafts, so I think its about as reliable as the Flanders to Swans prediction.
2. There's a time today for clubs to swap picks. The Swans declared yesterday they are interested in trading the pick formerly known as pick 25 up. And I've heard that Port may be open to it. But nothing announced until 7pm tonight.
3. I think being a good club to deal with (unlike a certain red and black Melbourne club) might pay dividends today.
4. I don't like the sound of any of those
5. Bring on at least one of Gould, Robertson, Rantall, Bianco, Schoenberg and a sliding tall - Taheny?

I agree with all of that.

Its bad enough as a fan watching other clubs take players.
Imagine how hard it must be as a recruiter seeing a player you really rate and have put tonnes of work into get snaffled by another club?

rofl

[KSAS]

I also find it great news that he's proven himself capable of moving out of home and functioning. Also that he's already undertaken some tertiary education. The last thing any interstate team needs is a want away Melbourne milk-sop (I think I referred to them earlier as U18 hot-house flowers, but I'm feeling cranky today) who spends all his down time playing video games and updating his social media.

PS I'd love to know who his maternal grandfather is/was. Any clues?

Not sure if the grandfather played any senior footy (mentioned that he'd played in the 50's or 60's). According to a book i have by Jim Main (Plugger and the Mighty Swans) there is a chapter at the end listing every senior player to have played for the club at time of printing (1996). The only "Stephens" listed played 3 games in 1948 for 3 goals but no Christian name or initials is available. There is a Jack Stevens who played 3 games in 1953 for 1 goal, but surname is spelt differently. Hence why i'm unsure.

[sharp9]

Not sure if the grandfather played any senior footy (mentioned that he'd played in the 50's or 60's). According to a book i have by Jim Main (Plugger and the Mighty Swans) there is a chapter at the end listing every senior player to have played for the club at time of printing (1996). The only "Stephens" listed played 3 games in 1948 for 3 goals but no Christian name or initials is available. There is a Jack Stevens who played 3 games in 1953 for 1 goal, but surname is spelt differently. Hence why i'm unsure.

Maternal grandmother....hence not knowing his name