Game Day 2021 AFL Draft

[LukeParkerno1]

AFL draft top 30: Ranking the best talents in this year's crop

With the AFL draft just around the corner, check out our rankings of the best 30 young players available to find out who is really the cream of the crop.

amp.abc.net.au

Sheldrick at 22. One below Brown. Two above VanRooyen.

He wasn’t a reach. If Freo didn’t take him, Geelong would have.

PS: I’m still so happy. Now all we need is Bazzo & my work here is done!

This. Cats would have called his name out. Exactly the type they need.

Still want Johnson though trade up!

 

[SwansProudly]

Thanks Lore

 

[ShireSwan]

Knightmare rated him 11 in his power rankings.

Talks about him here. Liking what he says too.

 

[Wolftone]

Yeah, the only thing I can think of. I wonder if we even knew that about Johnson given he was widely tipped to be gone waay before our pick.
He's dropping like the quarterback in Draft Day. Did nobody go to his birthday party? We probably shat the bed cause nobody else was picking him. Seemed like exactly the kind of player we could have used in the next two years to me. Plus I love a 40% off sale.

Feo make out like bandits taking him with the first pick in the second round.

Johnson has stated he would go home in 2 years. No use taking blokes that won't stay. See Dawson, who promised to stay but didn't. I see the method in the madness. We need extractors. He is ready for league footy. Built like a brick shithouse.

 

[Membling]

Who is available:

Goater
Sonsie
Johnson
Taylor
Knevitt
Bazzo
Draper
Howes
Long
Motlop
Dittmar
Warner
Dean

Likelihood of swans picking one of them.... unknown

 

[Membling]

Johnson has stated he would go home in 2 years. No use taking blokes that won't stay. See Dawson, who promised to stay but didn't. I see the method in the madness. We need extractors. He is ready for league footy. Built like a brick shithouse.

Assuming that is inside info on Johnson? Have not heard that at all.

 

[robbieando]

Thanks Lore

Could see us trading pick 32 and what is currently pick 62 (which will become pick 57 after NGA bids are matched) for either Hawthorn’s Pick 26 or one of Richmond’s picks at between 28 and 30.

 

[Gimmeafree]

Really annoys me that no matter who we pick, afl.com will say it’s a surprise or shock or try to make out we don’t know what we’re doing like we’re newcomers still feeling our way. Vic bias at its worse. if tHis Johnson is so great, why didn’t anyone else take him ? It was almost like they placed bets on Johnson feigning shock when every team didn’t select him. Rant over, let’s look forward to Sheldrick.

 

[dosser]

A

I think that we will use our first pick on one of these:

Tyler Sonsie
Campbell Chesser
Zac Taylor
Jacob Van Rooyen
Neil Erasmus
Josh Goater
Darcy Wilmott
Tom Brown
Josh Sinn
Matt Johnson
Sam Butler
Blake Howes
Mitch Knevitt
Toby Conway
Arlo Draper
Josh Fahey
Mitch Owens

Big call I know.

And you still didn't get it...

 

[ShireSwan]

Knighmare also mentions in the above video Shcenslong (or whatever), 199 cm KPD had a good year at WAFL level after being let go by cats. Might be a pretty handy pick up with a late pick given our needs.

 

[Bloods86]

A

And you still didn't get it...

I'm pretty sure even the die hard Sheldrick fans didn't expect this. It just goes to show that 'best available' which apparently Sheldrick is according to our draft team, is wildly subjective.

 

[Slingshot Footy]

Johnson said if he was drafted interstate, he would be back in WA in 2 years. Hobbs, who was drafted by Dons, said he would not go interstate. The same with Ward, he also told interstate clubs not to bother. It seems players are doing what they want, the draft will soon be a case of 'Can't take him, he won't come because he is a child who has a tanty'. Just shows how entitled these blokes think they are. Sad really. I can remember when getting drafted, no matter who drafted you, was just the biggest joy in a player's life. no matter who drafted them. I mean, at the time Jude was drafted by us he could have sulked and said 'I wanna go home'. But no, he put his head down and now is a Swans legend.

I think we have done well. By the looks of it this kid has all the Swans traits plus some. He tackles like an NRL player, has a defensive game, can win the ball in tough places, under packs, gets lots of hard ball. Now the plus, he can beat better rated opponents, see Horne-Francis. can kick both feet and is good, very good on both. Has been compared to Lachie Neale. Now most here were hoping for a big mid like a Kennedy. This guy is only 179 but he is 88kg. He's a Lethal leigh Matthews type of build. haha. Maybe we pick up the tall mid later.

Probably reinforces how vital it is that the AFL instates a mandatory 3 year deal for the first round picks. I also think at some point the AFL should look at incentivising a player's loyalty towards their club with a mechanism that triggers bonuses not included in the cap. Bonuses could be earned by; the number of games played, representative honours (22 under 22), goals kicked, statistical feats etc.

There's flaws to this proposed model of course, but so too is there with the current draft system.

 

[kickthething]

he

I still hate Port taking my man

has terrible foot skills so it may be a factor why we passed on him.

 

[rustycrate]

Twomey will be lucky to get 6 right

Wrong

 

[Kapers]

I think that we will use our first pick on one of these:

Tyler Sonsie
Campbell Chesser
Zac Taylor
Jacob Van Rooyen
Neil Erasmus
Josh Goater
Darcy Wilmott
Tom Brown
Josh Sinn
Matt Johnson
Sam Butler
Blake Howes
Mitch Knevitt
Toby Conway
Arlo Draper
Josh Fahey
Mitch Owens

Big call I know.

Lol

 

[ShireSwan]

I'm pretty sure even the die hard Sheldrick fans didn't expect this. It just goes to show that 'best available' which apparently Sheldrick is according to our draft team, is wildly subjective.

Reading about him now (leading contested ball winner, played great against pick 1, pretty quick), seems odd he wasn't rated higher on boards. Swans don't drop hints to media like other clubs obviously. Twoomey actually yelped when it came up. TBF I think I did too, as I was convinced we were getting Johnson, and our history of first round reaches...

He and Chad are going to make us a team nobody wants to play. Kid looks like he'll play plenty next year if he keeps going the way he has been.

 

[rustycrate]

I hate McLachlan. I hate these stupid pointless drawn out processes.

Just get on with it.

I think it is amateurish to have the CEO call out the names like a cardboard cutout.
Get a couple of footy guys who have played the game with charisma call it out and have their reactions.
Makes draft night look dull!!

 

[Swansujelly]

Dalrymple Special

 

[kickthething]

Johnson said if he was drafted interstate, he would be back in WA in 2 years. Hobbs, who was drafted by Dons, said he would not go interstate. The same with Ward, he also told interstate clubs not to bother. It seems players are doing what they want, the draft will soon be a case of 'Can't take him, he won't come because he is a child who has a tanty'. Just shows how entitled these blokes think they are. Sad really. I can remember when getting drafted, no matter who drafted you, was just the biggest joy in a player's life. no matter who drafted them. I mean, at the time Jude was drafted by us he could have sulked and said 'I wanna go home'. But no, he put his head down and now is a Swans legend.

I think we have done well. By the looks of it this kid has all the Swans traits plus some. He tackles like an NRL player, has a defensive game, can win the ball in tough places, under packs, gets lots of hard ball. Now the plus, he can beat better rated opponents, see Horne-Francis. can kick both feet and is good, very good on both. Has been compared to Lachie Neale. Now most here were hoping for a big mid like a Kennedy. This guy is only 179 but he is 88kg. He's a Lethal leigh Matthews type of build. haha. Maybe we pick up the tall mid later.

Clubs need to harden up and play the bluff from some of these draftees. Everyone has a view on this but these comments from draftees basically attacks the draft at its base and the AFL needs to direct clubs to ignore these threats from potential draftees. How it isnt draft tampering is beyond me.

 

[chopflop]

Hi Sydney fans. I come in peace. I was pretty devastated that you guys landed Sheldrick. Don't think you should be worrying about the consensus 'bigger names' because this kid's a gun. In the draft predictions thread I had you guys taking him because outside of Hobbs, he is by far the best inside ball winner and arguably is better than Hobbs at that actual part of the game. If you need to be convinced just watch the Colts grand final when he was playing injured. Put the team on his back in the third quarter - dusty-esque. Needs to get fitter but the SCG will suit him perfectly. Perfect replacement for your ageing inside mids and I think in a few years will be considered a Doedee type value pick. Back in your recruiting team and get around what this kid can do. He's a ripper.

Very very jealous.

 

[dosser]

I still hate Port taking my man

If that's the way he is I wouldn't worry about him. There are plenty more fish in the sea and he obviously doesn't deserve you.

 

[rustycrate]

If it makes you happy we got Sheldrick.

Thanks Chad man Hope we get your brother too!!

 

[caesar88]

I think it was Twomey who said before our pick was announced that the Swans "only had a few they liked at this pick" before listing Howes, Taylor and Goater.

So Sheldrick wasn't even one of the "few" that we were supposedly into.

To me it just confirms that we give the media absolutely nothing at draft time, and why wouldn't we? We have enough going against us in terms of players with go-home factor, sometimes trying to match bids etc. The last thing we need are other clubs knowing what our plans are.

It also confirms that Beatson, for all the cards he keeps close to his chest, doesn't lie in his interviews. Every year when he's been asked about the types of players he's after or objectives he wants to get out of each draft, he's picked the exact player to fill that need.

 

[rustycrate]

I hope to be proven wrong but I made a very similar comment when we selected Stephens instead of Serong.
It may be that he has told interstate teams that he would want to go back to WA in a couple of years. That seems to be the only logical reason.
I'd like to have a wager that Freo select him at 21.
Out of curiosity. How many phantom drafts have we seen in the past 2 months, who are selected by people who know about about this, selected Sheldrick in the top 30?

Where did Goodes or Parker get selected?

At the Swans apparently, where you get selected is left at the front gate.
It doesn't matter anymore.

 

[mtooler]

Who is available:

Goater
Sonsie
Johnson
Taylor
Knevitt
Bazzo
Draper
Howes
Long
Motlop
Dittmar
Warner
Dean

Likelihood of swans picking one of them.... unknown

Plenty there I like, looking forward to seeing Swans trade up the board tomorrow night and select none of them with a bolter.