Past Matthew Ling - delisted 2021

[Kennedy Parker]

Matthew Ling

Matt Ling is lightning-quick and has a pinpoint left-foot kick. The problem is a torrid injury run prevented him from hitting his best over his first two seasons at the Sydney Swans. Serious toe and Achilles injuries limited the club’s top 2017 AFL Draft selection to just 16 NEAFL games across the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Season 2020 is his time to shine.

Matthew Ling

19

Matthew Ling

Age

25

Ht

184cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Def

No player stats available

DOB: 21 April 1999
DRAFT: 2017
RECRUITED FROM: St Mary's (Vic)/Geelong U18

Matthew Ling | AFL

Follow Matthew Ling's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[Caj]

The recruiting team would be sure why. There's always a lot of behind the scenes stuff that's taken into account, like the interviews, combine results etc. Every club is swayed by these things so it's not like we're alone there.

Having said that, I am impressed by the fact that it seems we focused more on ability than anything else in the most recent draft, taking Gould despite his well-documented performance at the combine, and Taylor despite his well-documented (but completely unproven?) potential baggage.

Obviously nobody could have predicted that Ling wouldn't be able to get on the park for his first 2 seasons at the club, that's not the criticism. Hopefully he comes good this season and those of us who have questioned the selection eat humble pie

Agree with your second paragraph, its about time that we selected players on talent rather than their draft interview

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Ed Richards has the same attributes (highly skilled with run and carry)and was rated a higher prospect than Ling. Not sure why we overlooked him in favour of Ling

This! It’s a howler but let’s just hope we have learnt from it and it looks like we have

 

[caesar88]

This! It’s a howler but let’s just hope we have learnt from it and it looks like we have

s**t call IMO. How can it be a howler if Ling hasn't played yet?

 

[LukeParkerno1]

s**t call IMO. How can it be a howler if Ling hasn't played yet?

Until he does it is. Stand by my statement there. I wouldn’t have taken him at 14. Too high.

 

[Old Kenny]

I’d just like the club to provide some info on where the kid is at in regards to his progress. I’m keen to see him play at some stage this year.

 

[BloodySwan]

I’d just like the club to provide some info on where the kid is at in regards to his progress. I’m keen to see him play at some stage this year.

From 2 weeks ago.

Is this the year? Sydney not giving up on forgotten first-round pick

A two-year injury nightmare is nearly over for a couple of promising Swans

www.afl.com.au

Also Ling was the emergency for the first Marsh match so is fit, but currently not close to best 22

 

[brad cooper]

Quick, mid/pressure fwd.

Happy with this pick

Until he does it is. Stand by my statement there. I wouldn’t have taken him at 14. Too high.

So let's get this straight LP1, on the day he was drafted you stated you were happy with this pick, then today your stating you wouldn't have taken him at 14.

Can we get clarification?

 

[caesar88]

Until he does it is. Stand by my statement there. I wouldn’t have taken him at 14. Too high.

Howler though? Very strong word for someone who has not actually done anything bad yet.

Ling has been a number of things as a draft pick. Mysterious, enigmatic, frustrating, unfortunate. But he has not been a howler.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

So let's get this straight LP1, on the day he was drafted you stated you were happy with this pick, then today your stating you wouldn't have taken him at 14.

Can we get clarification?

I wouldn’t have taken him if Richards or Higgins were available. I thought Richards would be gone earlier. Higgins was the one I wanted on draft night to be honest. The type of player was fine. My main issue was the value (should have traded down if we were picking him imo)

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Howler though? Very strong word for someone who has not actually done anything bad yet.

Ling has been a number of things as a draft pick. Mysterious, enigmatic, frustrating, unfortunate. But he has not been a howler.

Stand by it. Let’s agree to disagree. If someone doesn’t play and there’s blokes going straight after that are top line players, I think it’s fair. Should I just call it a poor call at this stage? Either one I’m comfortable with.

 

[caesar88]

Stand by it. Let’s agree to disagree. If someone doesn’t play and there’s blokes going straight after that are top line players, I think it’s fair. Should I just call it a poor call at this stage? Either one I’m comfortable with.

It's neither a howler or a poor call. It's an unlucky call.

You say you would've preferred Higgins, he who was dropped from his side then didn't feature again all year because of the issues with his brain. Who is responsible for the issues with his brain, himself or Richmond?

 

[LukeParkerno1]

It's neither a howler or a poor call. It's an unlucky call.

You say you would've preferred Higgins, he who was dropped from his side then didn't feature again all year because of the issues with his brain. Who is responsible for the issues with his brain, himself or Richmond?

Least Higgins has played (and showed his class) and looks like playing this year.
My preference above all was Richards though. I did think he’d have been gone though.

Let’s hope Ling gets on the field though.

 

[caesar88]

Least Higgins has played (and showed his class) and looks like playing this year.
My preference above all was Richards though. I did think he’d have been gone though.

Let’s hope Ling gets on the field though.

You didn't answer my question though, who was responsible for Higgins' brain bleed? Higgins himself or the club?

Because if I am to read your insinuation correctly, players and clubs have control over whether the player has health/injury-related issues. That on draft night, they're told the player in question will end up missing substantial footy because of said health/injury-related issue. So the club must've made a howler when they picked Ling despite knowing all this!

 

[bungee]

So let's get this straight LP1, on the day he was drafted you stated you were happy with this pick, then today your stating you wouldn't have taken him at 14.

Can we get clarification?

Gotcha !

 

[bungee]

I wouldn’t have taken him if Richards or Higgins were available. I thought Richards would be gone earlier. Higgins was the one I wanted on draft night to be honest. The type of player was fine. My main issue was the value (should have traded down if we were picking him imo)

I haven't seen so much furious back pedalling since the summer my brother and I took a rented paddle boat too close to the weir.

 

[scaryness]

You're under the assumption that the club went for Ling because he was a steal, or because we were trying to be clever and go against the tide.

In actuality we obviously went into the 2017 draft identifying elite skills as the number one priority above all else and felt that Ling best suited that need. Which he did, and still does if he can stay fit.

I wanted Worpel that year or at least any inside mid, but the fact we didn't go that route didn't suddenly make me think the club was being too cute or acting in any way that wasn't the best choice they thought at the time.

I wanted Brander and he went just before us

 

[scaryness]

The majority of draft watchers had him in the 20-40 range and we took him at 14. Using HPN's consensus mock draft he was slated to go around the 25 mark so we took him 11 picks early, which is huge at the top of the draft, and he is still yet to play a game 3 years later. At this point in time it's hard to see it as anything else than an awful pick.

 

[caesar88]

The majority of draft watchers had him in the 20-40 range and we took him at 14. Using HPN's consensus mock draft he was slated to go around the 25 mark so we took him 11 picks early, which is huge at the top of the draft, and he is still yet to play a game 3 years later. At this point in time it's hard to see it as anything else than an awful pick.

Define a draft watcher though

I like to think I am as much of a draft watcher as I can be from Perth. I watch nearly every U18s game in the NAB league, watch every U18s championship game, and in the last few years have gotten ahead and started keeping an eye on U16s and 17s. Frequently at the WAFL to see the local talent and have friends who are in the development programs at a few of the U18s clubs in Vic. Yet if I came on here and asserted that such and such will be pick 25, everyone would, rightfully, ask me who the **** died and made me boss.

At the end of the day, a mock draft is literally just someone's opinion, same as if anyone on here shared them. The only opinions that have any actual meaning at all are those of the recruiters, who are way more informed than anyone on here or the journalists and pundits who claim to be in the know, but rarely actually are.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

From the very little I have seen of him he is very clever and a terrific kick.

He has missed so much footy I expect he will need a large block of NEAFL games to get some touch.

 

[Bonz]

Least Higgins has played (and showed his class) and looks like playing this year.
My preference above all was Richards though. I did think he’d have been gone though.

Let’s hope Ling gets on the field though.

Our recruiting in recent years has been pretty good.

I'm personally not too worried about him being an emergency in the Marsh series games, he has only very recently returned to full fitness and I doubt the club will be wanting to rush him.

When he was drafted he was known for his elite disposal and taking speed off the backline (this is definitely something we could use in our team at the moment), there is also very very little record of him getting injured at TAC level.

Our recruiters were unlikely to know he was going to break down in constant injury (otherwise they wouldn't of drafted him). His draft range was anywhere from pick 12 to pick 25, so we didn't actually reach for him that much as well.

People need to calm down around here, it's not our recruiters fault that a player has been a bust for the last few seasons and anyone can say we should have taken this player or that player in hindsight.

 

[RobbieK]

Define a draft watcher though

I like to think I am as much of a draft watcher as I can be from Perth. I watch nearly every U18s game in the NAB league, watch every U18s championship game, and in the last few years have gotten ahead and started keeping an eye on U16s and 17s. Frequently at the WAFL to see the local talent and have friends who are in the development programs at a few of the U18s clubs in Vic. Yet if I came on here and asserted that such and such will be pick 25, everyone would, rightfully, ask me who the **** died and made me boss.

At the end of the day, a mock draft is literally just someone's opinion, same as if anyone on here shared them. The only opinions that have any actual meaning at all are those of the recruiters, who are way more informed than anyone on here or the journalists and pundits who claim to be in the know, but rarely actually are.

I was going to post something similar.

The draft watchers in recent years have tended to show signs of group-think, reaching consensus about where players are going that I don't think reflects where they are on particular recruiting team's lists.

I think for the most part most clubs, given the top pick, would tend to all chose between one or two players. Most clubs would have a pretty similar list of top 5 players even. But beyond that, past 10, past 20, you are going to see very different lists at different clubs, as they have different needs, different things they are valuing, different locations, etc.

It is cliche on draft night for clubs to say that they were happy to get player X at pick 20 because they had him at 10 on their internal list, but it is cliche because it reflects the fact that the clubs do not have a consensus on all these players.

That a bunch of people working outside of the recruiting process all had him around 25 doesn't really say much beyond that is where those people rated him.

 

[Artygunner]

I just want to see the bloke get out on the park and kick a footy. It’s not his or the swans fault he has broken down. No one here has seen any of his skill set for over 2 years so we can’t really judge whether he is capable of turning into the player we hope. I’d love to see him get a game off the half back line if he is up to it so we can move a player or two up the ground.

unfortunately no one here knows if he is capable of playing AFL footy yet. It worries me that he wasnt even given a half of footy in the marsh series. Would have been a perfect opportunity for him seeing as though he is now “fit”

 

[The Gong]

Every story or profile I read on him says "lightning fast with silky skills" which sounds like something we might be in need of. Plenty of time to make his mark yet.

 

[Donza]

I just want to see the bloke get out on the park and kick a footy. It’s not his or the swans fault he has broken down. No one here has seen any of his skill set for over 2 years so we can’t really judge whether he is capable of turning into the player we hope. I’d love to see him get a game off the half back line if he is up to it so we can move a player or two up the ground.

unfortunately no one here knows if he is capable of playing AFL footy yet. It worries me that he wasnt even given a half of footy in the marsh series. Would have been a perfect opportunity for him seeing as though he is now “fit”

Who said he is "fit"?
He may not be injured anymore...
But its a jump to say he's fit.

We'll see what the next few weeks of training sessions and internal club matches .
Then maybe the NEAFL

 

[brad cooper]

Think the swans should now just follow the phantom drafts and pick accordingly, they never get it wrong, in fact they had Ling later in the draft because they knew he'd get injured in his first pre season.