2019 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Melbourne_Blood]

Have you seen the stats on Rantall? This guy can tackle, something that would be appreciated at the Bloods. Puts his body on the line every time.

IMHO, as a first time poster, I'm very unimpressed with the selections we've made.

Stephens is good but he's only 69kgs, its going to take 12 months to get the muscle and weight to get him up to AFL standard as a mid.

Gould I'm very happy with, a hard body that's needed down back. We're too soft down there.

Taylor, not needed. We have enough of this type, even with his potential X-factor.

Yes 12 months down the track KB could be a genius and I'll be a buffoon!

Don’t share you’re concern about Stephens in particular . We don’t need him to slot straight in next year. We’re a young team and he looks a fantastic long term prospect. Let him develop his game and body in the NEAFL for a year or so. Agree on Gould, really stoked we got him. And Taylor at our third pick I don’t know , he has X factor and class , I don’t think we have that in spades. He could be special, he may never reach that potential. But I think it’s a fair risk to take at a pick in the thirties. And as for warner well I have a feeling he was the best available pure inside mid left at that point.

[Markwebbos]

Stephens and Gould have been playing SANFL this year. Despite weighing only 69kg Stephens sounds like he’s potentially close to AFL ready.

Re: Warner. The club must have its own, very good reasons for overlooking Rantall, Bianco, Byrnes etc.

Hopefully they’ll reveal all on the Swans website 2moz.

[aguy]

I’m overall pretty happy with our picks this year. I think we’ve pretty well addressed the areas we needed to. And managed some clever trade picks along the way to do so. I absolutely loved trading ahead of Geelong for Gould. I’m sure Geelong wanted him. Happy to see Taylor given a chance. Probably like most people not sure what to make of the 4th pick in Warner but yes at those picks you don’t know

No Victorian’s picked except Stephens is sort of Victorian right ? I think that speaks volumes about the fear of the go home factor.

Overall very happy. Draft always has that youthful exuberance feeling.

[Trev]

I'll bow to superior knowledge on this forum

I'm a relative new comer but a long time lurker. I'm a serious NRL supporter (Rabbitohs) but as we don't get NRL coverage here in the Phillipines I've switch my allegiance to the Swans, being a Sydney boy, born and bred.

This is the first time I've been an active participant in the draft and I had my favorites that didn't get up, aside from Gould.

But it seems to me that Sydney inevitably drafts the smaller player, in preference to a bigger player with the same attributes. Maybe its because the SCG is a smaller field, not too sure on that.

[bloodspirit]

I'm really happy with our draft. Love Dewie Stephens, he's going to be great. Much prefer him to Flanders although I hadn't realised considered him as one we were seriously considering before we got him (I should have!). Gould is exciting, needs to get fitter. Taylor is a bit more of a gamble with a high ceiling - that's ok with our third pick. Warner a total surprise, I know nothing about him but I back our recruiters to know their business.

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Collingwood have done well to get Rantall and Bianco coming in to the draft in the third round!

[jono2707]

I’m overall pretty happy with our picks this year. I think we’ve pretty well addressed the areas we needed to. And managed some clever trade picks along the way to do so. I absolutely loved trading ahead of Geelong for Gould. I’m sure Geelong wanted him. Happy to see Taylor given a chance. Probably like most people not sure what to make of the 4th pick in Warner but yes at those picks you don’t know

No Victorian’s picked except Stephens is sort of Victorian right ? I think that speaks volumes about the fear of the go home factor.

Overall very happy. Draft always has that youthful exuberance feeling.

Sums it up well. And it does seem that we avoided Vics - coincidence or planned? Who knows...

Apparently Buddy is stoked that we picked Taylor and will be picking him up from the airport ????.

[ernie koala]

Taylor will be the big win of draft day 2.....get back to me in 5 years time.

Also love the Gould pick....solid, uncompromising type...He'll play 200 plus games, hopefully for us.

[Ralph Dawg]

I'm definitely happy with our first 2 picks.

Stephens, although light, is a good chance to play AFL next year. He could potentially put at least 5kg on his frame over the summer.

Gould has the skills and aggression to be a good 3rd tall. Again, a solid off season to get his fitness up (perhaps he can train with Squizzy!). If he can get his fitness up, he could possibly be a round 1 starter. Certainly good sign that he stripped off kilos after KB told him to improve his skin folds.

The last 2 are speculative. Taylor has talent but will it eventuate to anything? Don't really understand why we didn't take Rantall. Chad is a real unknown. Even his highlights package was pretty unexciting. Obviously our recruiters have seen something no one else has...............

[bloodspirit]

Now to the rookie draft...

Jeka? Sharman? Chirgwin? Cassar? Delahunty? Mott? Finlay?

[Ludwig]

Our list management team knows at least a hundred times more about these players than any of us. They've been tracking them for years, have probably met them several times and have had home visits as well. Geelong often select players from left field, like they did again this year, and they know their business too.

Warner was the only surprise, but it's not like KB didn't know about other more highly rated players (by draft 'experts'), like Rantall and Ralphsmith. Nonetheless, they chose Warner and we have to assume it was for good reason. By passing up on these other players only shows how highly they rated Warner. As others have said, only time will tell.

[KSAS]

Fox Footy's Sarah Ollie (mad Swans fan) spoke to KB off air, who mentioned that Buddy is so rapt that the club drafted Taylor, that he wants to pick him up from the airport himself!

[stevoswan]

Sums it up well. And it does seem that we avoided Vics - coincidence or planned? Who knows...

Apparently Buddy is stoked that we picked Taylor and will be picking him up from the airport ????.

Brilliant! The kid should be stoked.

[Trev]

If Stephens plays AFL next year, even with an additional 5kgs, he will be rag dolled. Same as Stoddard this year. He's playing AFL, not SAFNL, bigger bodies, more intensity. I hope I'm wrong but we will see

[dejavoodoo44]

Fox Footy's Sarah Ollie (mad Swans fan) spoke to KB off air, who mentioned that Buddy is so rapt that the club drafted Taylor, that he wants to pick him up from the airport himself!

I can see him in a chauffeur's uniform and a sign saying Mr Taylor. Would probably make the kid feel welcome.

[liz]

Fox Footy's Sarah Ollie (mad Swans fan) spoke to KB off air, who mentioned that Buddy is so rapt that the club drafted Taylor, that he wants to pick him up from the airport himself!

There was an article in the Fairfax papers on 20 November about Taylor. He has connections on both sides of his family to a multitude of WA footballing families, including the Franklins.

I can’t post a link because I’m still consigned to my phone and don’t know how to do it (on my phone). Maybe someone else can hunt down the article and post a link.