2021 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Steve]

It would be a measure of failure if we didn’t have any players that other clubs were targeting, or if we had such an ordinary list that we could easily fit them all in the salary cap.

The art is to choose the right players you let leave - I think we have pretty much nailed that for a long time.

I think they would all be much more likely to stay than go. With Stephens I think it all comes down to where he sees himself at, and what the club are saying to him. If we are convincing him that he’s in our plans, he will stay, but if we’re non-committal and he thinks he should be playing more and is frustrated, he could easily be convinced by another club.

[Bangalore Swans]

if we lose Parker or Dawson you have to wonder wtf the people in charge of our list management are doing

James Brayshaw bears a lot of responsibility for what’s happening. His favourite player is Heeney and he put together a massive offer to Heeney when he was president at North. The Swans came back to Heeney with a big offer to counter North and now Heeney’s big contract is putting pressure on the salary cap.

I do like the way that Brayshaw’s administration for Heeney has never wavered despite not landing him.

[TheBloods]

James Brayshaw bears a lot of responsibility for what’s happening. His favourite player is Heeney and he put together a massive offer to Heeney when he was president at North. The Swans came back to Heeney with a big offer to counter North and now Heeney’s big contract is putting pressure on the salary cap.

I do like the way that Brayshaw’s administration for Heeney has never wavered despite not landing him.

Heeneys not the problem , hes a required player you keep him !

Can think of far worse ones we have re signed who are part of the problem

[Ludwig]

"A restricted free agent is a player in the top 25 per cent paid players at their club this year where they have been for eight or nine years. " Parker is a UFA, not RFA. He was drafted in 2020 and this is already his 11th season at the Swans.
More details can be found at Who's still on the table? Updated AFL free agents list revealed for 2021 Trade Period

Thanks for correcting me. I didn't know the 8 or 9 year rule.

[Bangalore Swans]

Heeneys not the problem , hes a required player you keep him !

Can think of far worse ones we have re signed who are part of the problem

Heeney is on better coin than Mill’s and they have both given about equal output over their careers. Mill’s will most probably be more prominent over the next couple of seasons as our best midfielder.

Heeney has the bigger money due to Brayshaw’s offer.

Hope Heeney buys Brayshaw a beer every time he visits Melbourne.

Who do you think have big contracts that shouldn’t have big contracts? Buddy’s contract is worth every cent.

[Aaron]

During last year’s Covid-19 chaos, the league mandated all clubs push back roughly 5 per cent of each player’s 2021 salary into 2022, provided they were contracted. Some clubs asked the players to absorb all or part of the cuts but some clubs did not. As it is so difficult to attract and retain players in Sydney which has a higher cost of living, I believe our Club would not demand our players to sacrifice. That may be a reason why we have not much salary space left.

[TheBloods]

Heeney is on better coin than Mill’s and they have both given about equal output over their careers. Mill’s will most probably be more prominent over the next couple of seasons as our best midfielder.

Heeney has the bigger money due to Brayshaw’s offer.

Hope Heeney buys Brayshaw a beer every time he visits Melbourne.

Who do you think have big contracts that shouldn’t have big contracts? Buddy’s contract is worth every cent.

Heeney is worth every cent ! Star player , regular goalkicker , puts bums on seats, biggest blockbuster at SCG alongside Buddy .

Not big contracts individually but when put together you can see we've made some priorities who shouldnt have been , could be costly

[MattW]

Ok. Understand your reaction, but it is too early to write Stephens off and call the that draft a bust. Similarities to Mcveigh with his light build and will improve as he gets stronger IMO. By the way, there are many more posters on here that need to to be told to ease up, especially the two clowns who have hijacked the site.

I am not writing Stephens off. I really want him to do well and hope he stays, because I agree with others that he'll be a good player. I just feel he hasn't settled, which hasn't been helped by the dislocation of his first two years with us. That's just a feeling, could be wrong, hopefully he re-signs.

You're right - too early to call the draft a bust. If Stephens stays and succeeds, it obviously won't be. Worth noting though that the draft included E Taylor and Gould (who I also hopes comes good, but it isn't looking good).

Those two posters haven't replied to one of my posts with pejorative comments. Anyway, let's move on.

[Blood Fever]

I am not writing Stephens off. I really want him to do well and hope he stays, because I agree with others that he'll be a good player. I just feel he hasn't settled, which hasn't been helped by the dislocation of his first two years with us. That's just a feeling, could be wrong, hopefully he re-signs.

You're right - too early to call the draft a bust. If Stephens stays and succeeds, it obviously won't be. Worth noting though that the draft included E Taylor and Gould (who I also hopes comes good, but it isn't looking good).

Those two posters haven't replied to one of my posts with pejorative comments. Anyway, let's move on.

No worries.

[Bangalore Swans]

All the trade discussion recently has been about four players (Stephens, Hewitt, Parker and Dawson.

If due to salary cap reasons, I have to keep only two of the four this whom this is my thinking:

Keep - Dawson, Stephen’s

Let go - Parker and Hewitt

Reason:

Dawson’s next three years will probably be better than Parker’s next three years. Dawson is ready with Mills to be our best two midfielders. You would be able to play Dawson in Parkers inside midfield spot. He’s strong, quite tall, can run, can tackle, can mark and has the lethal left foot. Give Dawson Parkers role and you would break even.

With Dawson vacating a wing, you then have a wing spot for Stephens or Gulden (could also play Gulden up forward)

With Hewitt going you could train up a fit Rowbottom to play that defensive midfield tackling role.

How does this look for a starting centre and follower line.

C Florent Chad Stephens
Foll Hickey Mills Dawson

Your starting centre square is

Hickey
Mills
Chad
Dawson

Midfielders on the bench:

Kennedy
Rowbottom

Rotating into midfield:

Heeney and Gulden off half forward

J-Mac and Campbell off half back.

The midfield looks good without Parker or Hewitt. If there are injuries, depth could be tested.

If Parker and Hewitt leave we save significant money and probably pick up another late 1st and late 2nd round pick.

We go to the draft with a good hand and our recruitment guys will make something good of it.

[joeykanga]

I understand all the talk and concern about losing talent due to salary cap restraints but I ask, who would want to leave this club as it sits on the edge of a potential dynasty? Who would want to risk all that to go to a potential loser club like the Suns for a bit of extra coin? Sure one could afford a better house and car but that has to be pitched against the ongoing enjoyment of what is essentially your career. Winning IS enjoyment.....losing sucks and it isn't offset by improved living standards or 'setting up one's future'. How many rich now retired footballers exist who regret never playing in finals or winning a flag? A lot I am betting....and regret lasts longer than money.

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I'll add to my above post that some of the suggestions being made here re: trading some of our champions (Parker and Dawson, a future champion) are just bizarre.

They are bizarre
I can’t see Parker being anything but a Swan..wash your mouth out with soap those proposing a trade deal for him
Dawson has already said Swans fans should be fairly relaxed about him staying ..that was in a sen interview
Hewett hopefully does stay ..the timing re the baton change from Kennedy is overlapping a little maybe in a year but I think they’ve figured out he’s not just a tagger or a plug in defence …hopefully he has forged some strong links to this club and why would he leave when it’s all ahead of him here ..hopefully we satisfy him contractually
And let’s just see what happens with Stephens ..not every player is impatient to simply get opportunities in first ..didnt it take Dawson quite a long time to graduate to where is now
Maybe Stephens can appreciate of the club and the journey he has to take to get there ..
At the end of the day we’ll keep the good ones who lone this club

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All the trade discussion recently has been about four players (Stephens, Hewitt, Parker and Dawson.

If due to salary cap reasons, I have to keep only two of the four this whom this is my thinking:

Keep - Dawson, Stephen’s

Let go - Parker and Hewitt

Reason:

Dawson’s next three years will probably be better than Parker’s next three years. Dawson is ready with Mills to be our best two midfielders. You would be able to play Dawson in Parkers inside midfield spot. He’s strong, quite tall, can run, can tackle, can mark and has the lethal left foot. Give Dawson Parkers role and you would break even.

With Dawson vacating a wing, you then have a wing spot for Stephens or Gulden (could also play Gulden up forward)

With Hewitt going you could train up a fit Rowbottom to play that defensive midfield tackling role.

How does this look for a starting centre and follower line.

C Florent Chad Stephens
Foll Hickey Mills Dawson

Your starting centre square is

Hickey
Mills
Chad
Dawson

Midfielders on the bench:

Kennedy
Rowbottom

Rotating into midfield:

Heeney and Gulden off half forward

J-Mac and Campbell off half back.

The midfield looks good without Parker or Hewitt. If there are injuries, depth could be tested.

If Parker and Hewitt leave we save significant money and probably pick up another late 1st and late 2nd round pick.

We go to the draft with a good hand and our recruitment guys will make something good of it.

Can we just let go of you ..we won’t be letting go of Parker ..do you see the way he plays for this club and has from the very beginning

[TheBloods]

All the trade discussion recently has been about four players (Stephens, Hewitt, Parker and Dawson.

If due to salary cap reasons, I have to keep only two of the four this whom this is my thinking:

Keep - Dawson, Stephen’s

Let go - Parker and Hewitt

Reason:

Dawson’s next three years will probably be better than Parker’s next three years. Dawson is ready with Mills to be our best two midfielders. You would be able to play Dawson in Parkers inside midfield spot. He’s strong, quite tall, can run, can tackle, can mark and has the lethal left foot. Give Dawson Parkers role and you would break even.

With Dawson vacating a wing, you then have a wing spot for Stephens or Gulden (could also play Gulden up forward)

With Hewitt going you could train up a fit Rowbottom to play that defensive midfield tackling role.

How does this look for a starting centre and follower line.

C Florent Chad Stephens
Foll Hickey Mills Dawson

Your starting centre square is

Hickey
Mills
Chad
Dawson

Midfielders on the bench:

Kennedy
Rowbottom

Rotating into midfield:

Heeney and Gulden off half forward

J-Mac and Campbell off half back.

The midfield looks good without Parker or Hewitt. If there are injuries, depth could be tested.

If Parker and Hewitt leave we save significant money and probably pick up another late 1st and late 2nd round pick.

We go to the draft with a good hand and our recruitment guys will make something good of it.

You love Chad , Stephens , Rowbottom etc so much , who do you think is the one taking them under his wing , mentoring them and showing them how its done week in week out ? PARKER

im ttelling you it doesnt matter how talented Chad is , he will not be the player he could be if he loses a shield and a LEADER like Parker so early in his career . They need guidance around them until they are ready to take over for themselves . Losing Parker and Kennedy in back to back years will be trouble for them . I dont want that , surely you dont want that . Its not gonna happen

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Can we just let go of you ..we won’t be letting go of Parker ..do you see the way he plays for this club and has from the very beginning

Personal attacks like these are not on , you can disagree with Bangalore without belittling them ,

[The Great One]

I read somewhere once, albeit a while ago, that all clubs have to make a minimum number of list changes at season's end, via drafting,trading, delisting etc.

I thought the minimum number of list changes was 4, and the minimum draft picks to he used was 2. Could someone clarify the rules in this area please.

Traditionally the club is sympathetic to players with big injury history as evidenced by the amount of time AJ was given before ultimately the hard call was made.

In that regard are we going to make a similar decision on Naismith. I suspect so. There seems no choice.

Ling is another on that same path

Those 2 plus Ronke and Gray would appear to me to be the main candidates to be moved on.

[Bangalore Swans]

They are bizarre
I can’t see Parker being anything but a Swan..wash your mouth out with soap those proposing a trade deal for him
Dawson has already said Swans fans should be fairly relaxed about him staying ..that was in a sen interview
Hewett hopefully does stay ..the timing re the baton change from Kennedy is overlapping a little maybe in a year but I think they’ve figured out he’s not just a tagger or a plug in defence …hopefully he has forged some strong links to this club and why would he leave when it’s all ahead of him here ..hopefully we satisfy him contractually
And let’s just see what happens with Stephens ..not every player is impatient to simply get opportunities in first ..didnt it take Dawson quite a long time to graduate to where is now
Maybe Stephens can appreciate of the club and the journey he has to take to get there ..
At the end of the day we’ll keep the good ones who lone this club

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Can we just let go of you ..we won’t be letting go of Parker ..do you see the way he plays for this club and has from the very beginning

For the record I don’t want to see Dawson, Parker, Hewitt or Stephens leave. Unfortunately salary caps force most clubs hands. There are choices to made due to financial constraints. We are simply debating these choices.

I also feel there is a moral obligation from all players in the AFL to each get the best financial deal they can.

I wonder why fans are so selfish to expect players to take financial deals that are far less than what they are worth on the open market so they can maintain a position at the fans club. Fans don’t do the hard training, fans don’t do the hours of physio, fans don’t face the scrutiny and the fans are not walking with pain when they are retired. Players have limited years to earn on field money from playing football. These years need to be maximised. They have children and partners to support. These players are also years behind in their career progression compared to their mates at school. Many players have to start a new career from scratch while their mates from school have already had 8-10 years in the system to advance their careers.

Fans should be happy for players to move on if the result of them moving on is better future prospects and prosperity.

[Faunac8]

For the record I don’t want to see Dawson, Parker, Hewitt or Stephens leave. Unfortunately salary caps force most clubs hands. There are choices to made due to financial constraints. We are simply debating these choices.

I also feel there is a moral obligation from all players in the AFL to each get the best financial deal they can.


I wonder why fans are so selfish to expect players to take financial deals that are far less than what they are worth on the open market so they can maintain a position at the fans club. Fans don’t do the hard training, fans don’t do the hours of physio, fans don’t face the scrutiny and the fans are not walking with pain when they are retired. Players have limited years to earn on field money from playing football. These years need to be maximised. They have children and partners to support. These players are also years behind in their career progression compared to their mates at school. Many players have to start a new career from scratch while their mates from school have already had 8-10 years in the system to advance their careers.

Fans should be happy for players to move on if the result of them moving on is better future prospects and prosperity.

Some interesting views expressed here BS allow me to address a couple of them and provide my thoughts in response.

1) Moral obligation is a big reach whose morals are you using to judge this ? Players just like any other employee have the right to work where they choose and just like everyone else sometimes job satisfaction rates higher than money and they may decide their career movements accordingly. I know personally that I have.
2) Because it’s human nature fans want their teams to be successful and they form an attachment to players who they believe can assist with that goal.
3) If you have been in the AFL system for 8-10 years it’s a fair chance you have enjoyed some reasonable financial compensation over that time and created a profile and cultivated a network that often leads to opportunities that their mates from school can only dream about.
4) I think in general most supporters understand and respect why players do move on they wish them well and don’t begrudge them those opportunities.( see Dan Hannebery and AA as recent examples ) There are some obvious exceptions where the departing players haven’t endeared themselves to the supporters of the club by their actions or comments that they make after they leave ( Tom Mitchell anyone ? )
Possibly you could have prefaced your comments with “some fans” rather than an all encompassing “fans” as not all of us think the same way. Personally I tend to think those supporters with unrealistic expectations or unhealthy attitudes to be in the minority.