2019 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Markwebbos]

A couple of (short I promise) points from the Age's draft guide:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/club-by-club-guide-to-the-2019-afl-national-draft-part-two-20191122-p53d0u.html

They only list 3 key defenders: Brand, Pelican, AA (so we are definitely in need of more)
They say: With "Nick Smith’s career ended through injuries, the Swans have also indicated that they are on the look-out for a lock-down half-back."

They've suggested we might draft Brock Smith and another ruckman Nick Bryan or Henry Crauford.

[Legs Akimbo]

I'm particularly wary when the media make comparisons of draftees to current/past "A" grade players. Seems to me a tactic to justify their draft predictions, which isn't necessarily warranted to do so. It adds expectations on draftees who may find it a burden to live up to. In the end the draft is a lottery as there is no guarantees a player will fulfill their seemingly early potential. I'm ok with anaylsing their strengths & weaknesses, but it's a bit of a stretch & sell to liken them to a fully developed A grade player from the get go. What is the percentage of 1st round draftees who go on to have a substantial AFL career?

Yeah. This cracks me up. Looks like x plays like x means is another x. I think in some peeps minds Jackson is the next Brodie Grundy. Like for reals. Pure hype.

[stevoswan]

I pretty much agree with barry here. What I DON'T want is the kind of relationship between WC and Freo, or even more to the point, Crows and Port. We can be civil to GWS without being buddies, and it's in the interest of both clubs to have at least a working relationship: we have a common enemy or two.

I agree that there's no point in upsetting them just for the sake of it.....but I still say we owe them nothing. What have they ever done for us....besides vexatiously bid for Blakey? I hardly think GWS are making it a priority to be friends with the Swans!

[stevoswan]

Yeah. This cracks me up. Looks like x plays like x means is another x. I think in some peeps minds Jackson is the next Brodie Grundy. Like for reals. Pure hype.

I think it's more 'has the potential to be'.....and that is good enough for some.

[Blood Fever]

A couple of (short I promise) points from the Age's draft guide:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/club-by-club-guide-to-the-2019-afl-national-draft-part-two-20191122-p53d0u.html

They only list 3 key defenders: Brand, Pelican, AA (so we are definitely in need of more)
They say: With "Nick Smith’s career ended through injuries, the Swans have also indicated that they are on the look-out for a lock-down half-back."

They've suggested we might draft Brock Smith and another ruckman Nick Bryan or Henry Crauford.

So Rampe is not a key defender despite being All Australian? End of credibility right there.

[Ludwig]

A couple of (short I promise) points from the Age's draft guide:


They only list 3 key defenders: Brand, Pelican, AA (so we are definitely in need of more)
They say: With "Nick Smith’s career ended through injuries, the Swans have also indicated that they are on the look-out for a lock-down half-back."

They've suggested we might draft Brock Smith and another ruckman Nick Bryan or Henry Crauford.

This is somewhat of an undercount, O'Connor will be trained up as a defender and we are likely to rookie draft Maibaum, I think long term we would like to play McCartin as a forward, but should be counted as a key defender if needed. I would think that McLean with be tried as key defender in the NEAFL next year; it could be easier than trying to make it as a forward. But it is true that we need have at least one of key young key defenders step up. I think Melican be okay, in due course. He's not that far off. That said, we probably will go for a key defender with one of our picks.

I don't think a club should go out and draft a lock down defender. These kind of players just start as small defenders and become so good at the defensive side of the game that they become a defensive taggers, giving away the offensive part of their game. It's definitely worth it if your guy can stop players like Rioli and Betts. I'm not sure you can find those types of players as 18 yo. We've got a lot of small/medium defenders in our youth brigade. Stoddart, Ling, Foot and McInerney could all play that role.

For us, it's more about finding out which defenders are going to make it. The list is long. We can add Thurlow and Reynolds to defenders under a microscope for 2020. We would have to be unlucky for them all to fail.

As for our first pick, I figure we'll end up with Flanders. He should be okay. He's kind of player we need and should make a nice duet with Rowbottom, looking a bit down the future. The other main contenders seem good as well.

[Ralph Dawg]

This is somewhat of an undercount, O'Connor will be trained up as a defender and we are likely to rookie draft Maibaum, I think long term we would like to play McCartin as a forward, but should be counted as a key defender if needed. I would think that McLean with be tried as key defender in the NEAFL next year; it could be easier than trying to make it as a forward. But it is true that we need have at least one of key young key defenders step up. I think Melican be okay, in due course. He's not that far off. That said, we probably will go for a key defender with one of our picks.

I don't think a club should go out and draft a lock down defender. These kind of players just start as small defenders and become so good at the defensive side of the game that they become a defensive taggers, giving away the offensive part of their game. It's definitely worth it if your guy can stop players like Rioli and Betts. I'm not sure you can find those types of players as 18 yo. We've got a lot of small/medium defenders in our youth brigade. Stoddart, Ling, Foot and McInerney could all play that role.

For us, it's more about finding out which defenders are going to make it. The list is long. We can add Thurlow and Reynolds to defenders under a microscope for 2020. We would have to be unlucky for them all to fail.

As for our first pick, I figure we'll end up with Flanders. He should be okay. He's kind of player we need and should make a nice duet with Rowbottom, looking a bit down the future. The other main contenders seem good as well.

I agree with you. I feel you can develop your lockdown defenders, whether they be big or small. Barry and Grundy started as KPF. Smith as a midfielder. Anyone we draft to play these rolls will take time anyway so why not continue to work with what we have. McLean showed overall promise last year and we have a fleet of young guys who could take on the small defender position.
What is harder to develop from a low base are your creative halfback rebounding / midfield / forward types. I think you need a fair amount of talent to succeed in these positions (although Kirk is one guy who springs to mind who succeeded with mainly grit and determination). I guess that's why we should just take who is considered the best player remaining to us at 5 (6).

[707]

Buckenara has Will Gould at 7 and Luke Jackson at 18, Pickett in the thirties.

He thinks Flanders has a lot of upside. I’m resigning myself to us drafting Ned.

Buckenara is an idiot, those three mentioned will be drafted miles from where he has them.

[Blood Fever]

I agree with you. I feel you can develop your lockdown defenders, whether they be big or small. Barry and Grundy started as KPF. Smith as a midfielder. Anyone we draft to play these rolls will take time anyway so why not continue to work with what we have. McLean showed overall promise last year and we have a fleet of young guys who could take on the small defender position.
What is harder to develop from a low base are your creative halfback rebounding / midfield / forward types. I think you need a fair amount of talent to succeed in these positions (although Kirk is one guy who springs to mind who succeeded with mainly grit and determination). I guess that's why we should just take who is considered the best player remaining to us at 5 (6).

Leo started as a half forward and then played half back. Around 2005 was when he played first as a key position player. Masterstroke although he did have a massive leap.

[707]

Simon Dalyrmple draft preview interview on the Swans website, worth a watch:

Draft Preview with Simon Dalrymple - sydneyswans.com.au

*Draft is strong on mids and rebounding defenders
*Its a deep draft, they are confident of getting good players at 25 and 32
*But its not as strong at the top end as other years
*Goal is to maximise the value of our picks and do it better than anyone else
*Mentioned Ash, Kemp, Young, Flanders as possibles for our pick 5

No way they reveal their true targets for a member puff piece. Those mentioned are in every clubs mix at the pointy end.

We've put a lot of work into Green, no way we don't bid on him, exactly the kind of player we need and the stats show he's a gun, probably a pick 2 if it wasn't for the GC picking mates.

[Mel_C]

We already have a non existent flow, so are missing out badly already. Maybe we already upset them.

I think that happened when we got Buddy ????.

[Markwebbos]

Buckenara is an idiot, those three mentioned will be drafted miles from where he has them.

It wasn’t a phantom draft, it was a ranking.

Champion data has Jackson at 4, Gould 10, Pickett doesn’t make their top 30.

[Markwebbos]

Cal Twomey has us not bidding on Green (!?!?!) but still taking Flanders at 5 (btw pick 5 has a much better record than pick 6).

Then Elijah Taylor at 28 (slid from 25). None of Gould, Bianco, Rantall, Stephens C are still available then...

But some other names would be e.g. Crauford, Philp, Ralphsmith, Sharman, Byrnes

[liz]

I'd have thought Taylor is a particularly bad fit for our list, as a medium marking forward. I remember seeing a bit of him during the U18 championships and he looks quite exciting, if prone to float in and out of games. But with Hayward already making good progress in a similar role (and recently recommitted to the club, suggesting he doesn't have any plans to go anywhere), with two midfielders in Heeney and Parker who can also play well as medium forwards, and with an array of other players who can contribute as marking forwards, I would have thought it was just about the least important "need" to fill. Particularly if we've taken Flanders with the first pick, as his forward work is described as more potent than his onball work.

[Ralph Dawg]

I'd have thought Taylor is a particularly bad fit for our list, as a medium marking forward. I remember seeing a bit of him during the U18 championships and he looks quite exciting, if prone to float in and out of games. But with Hayward already making good progress in a similar role (and recently recommitted to the club, suggesting he doesn't have any plans to go anywhere), with two midfielders in Heeney and Parker who can also play well as medium forwards, and with an array of other players who can contribute as marking forwards, I would have thought it was just about the least important "need" to fill. Particularly if we've taken Flanders with the first pick, as his forward work is described as more potent than his onball work.

I agree Liz. Taylor doesn't seem to suit our needs unless the recruiters think they can turn him into a player you provides rebound or outside run.