Past #3 Dylan Stephens

[Kennedy Parker]

Dylan Stephens
The Sydney Swans used their first pick five since Jarrad McVeigh

Jarrad Mcveigh

Age

39

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.3

5star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.2

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.1

5star

MG

327.8

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.4

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

1.6

2star

T

1.8

4star

in 2002 to lock in a talented midfielder from South Australian club Norwood at the 2019 AFL Draft. Dylan Stephens

15

Dylan Stephens

Age

23

Ht

184cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.3

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.3

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.7

4star

CL

0.0

1star

D

10.3

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.3

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.7

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

10.3

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.3

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.7

4star

CL

0.0

1star

is a prolific ball-winner and creative user of the footy by hand and foot. He played predominantly on a wing in the early matches of the 2019 AFL Under-18 Championships before starring on the inside in the final match, gathering 33 disposals in a best-on-ground performance. A penetrating left-footer, he averaged 23.8 disposals and 4.8 tackles across the 2019 AFL Under-18 Championships and was rewarded with All Australian honours. He also played some excellent football at senior level with Norwood, averaging 18.2 disposals and 4.6 tackles in 12 matches. Stephens enjoyed a breakout season for the Bloods in 2020 with a memorable AFL debut in Round 6 against Richmond alongside fellow debutant, Chad Warner

1

Chad Warner

Age

22

Ht

185cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

1star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

2star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

4star

CL

0.0

1star

. Stephens finished the campaign with eight appearances, averaging 12.5 disposals and 3.4 marks per game, while also kicking two goals.

Dylan Stephens

15

Dylan Stephens

Age

23

Ht

184cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.3

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.3

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.7

4star

CL

0.0

1star

D

10.3

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.3

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.7

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

10.3

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.3

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.7

4star

CL

0.0

1star

DOB: 08 January 2001
DEBUT: 2020
DRAFT: #5, 2019 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: Red Cliffs (Vic)/Walkerville (SA)/St Peter's College (SA)/Norwood (SANFL)

Dylan Stephens | AFL

Follow Dylan Stephens's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[Chaisa]

They can be blamed for not picking "mad swans supporter" Caleb Serong if they didn't back their ability to keeping an interstate kid. Was the type of player we needed as well.

Ah well, i really hope he signs on with us as there is a spot on the wing for him.

Yeah that's fair. But equally it's possible Serong doesn't crack it that quickly here either so who knows what would happen. Stephens isn't technically a SAussie either which I think a few people (understandably) miss. Unlike Ling calling it a s**t pick reeks of hindsight bias.

Also remember Papley wanted out despite being born into Swans royalty.

 

[Tesla Tenet]

I believe that Beatson drive the 'we want/need a hybrid' selection, there was amention in an article, and maybe Dalrymple believed that Stephens was the best of that type at that pick as directed by the List Manager.

That corrupts Dalrymple ability to select the best at pick 5, so we miss one from the group of the 'scrapper' Henry, Pickett, Day, etc.

If that is correct then Beatson has once again been involved with a first pick driven by 'want/need' rather then best.

Most posters on our board would have selected McDonald last year so not a Beatson or Dalrymple selection.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[Chaisa]

That corrupts Dalrymple ability to select the best at pick 5, so we miss one from the group of the 'scrapper' Henry, Pickett, Day, etc.

In fairness one of those we couldn't have anyway and the other two would've been massive, massive reaches at the time.

 

[Kapers]

I believe that Beatson drive the 'we want/need a hybrid' selection, there was amention in an article, and maybe Dalrymple believed that Stephens was the best of that type at that pick as directed by the List Manager.

That corrupts Dalrymple ability to select the best at pick 5, so we miss one from the group of the 'scrapper' Henry, Pickett, Day, etc.

If that is correct then Beatson has once again been involved with a first pick driven by 'want/need' rather then best.

Most posters on our board would have selected McDonald last year so not a Beatson or Dalrymple selection.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

Lol

 

[Kiama Chris]

Yeah that's fair. But equally it's possible Serong doesn't crack it that quickly here either so who knows what would happen. Stephens isn't technically a SAussie either which I think a few people (understandably) miss. Unlike Ling calling it a sh*t pick reeks of hindsight bias.

Also remember Papley wanted out despite being born into Swans royalty.

But Papley's wish was driven by family and personal factors completely separate to the club. Those are sorted and he (by all accounts) is a happy bunny.

 

[rustycrate]

Yeah that's fair. But equally it's possible Serong doesn't crack it that quickly here either so who knows what would happen. Stephens isn't technically a SAussie either which I think a few people (understandably) miss. Unlike Ling calling it a sh*t pick reeks of hindsight bias.

Also remember Papley wanted out despite being born into Swans royalty.

Most people on here have no patience. Just wait. Most people on here thought and still do Florent was a bad choice. I think our selectors have a greater hit rate than most others. If you want to go Harry Hindsight then checkout other clubs and compare to ours. I cannot stand people who wine about the past but cannot offer something positive for the future

 

[caesar88]

I'll preface this by saying I'm a Stephens fan. Not sure what's going through his head of late, he hasn't looked confident at senior level and has at times looked plain lost at VFL level, but I still think he's got the right attributes to be a quality player and I was glad we took him at the time, and still kinda am.

But I had a chat with a mate this morning who is on the "Stephens was a mistake" side of things, and he actually offered the first decent criticism of drafting Stephens that I've heard, and not the usual "he's a bust" arguments that are offered in hindsight.

He said we drafted Stephens with two possible intentions: either playing him as an inside mid, or on the wing opposite McInerney, and both were probably bad calls by the club. The former because he was going to end up behind JPK, Parker, Mills (who we obviously had the intention of moving inside), Florent (who is the most like Stephens), Rowbottom, and Warner (who, despite being taken after Stephens in the same draft, was clearly more physically ready for inside minutes.) That meant he'd be potentially seventh in line, so would not see much inside action at all in his early career.

And the latter was a bad call because he hasn't really shown he can be a natural wingman as he waits for a midfield spot to open up. I slightly disagreed with this take, as I thought in the tail end of 2020 he looked comfortable playing that wing role, but I do agree it doesn't seem a sustainable long-term position for him.

So in a nutshell, his argument was that we either used a pick 5 on a kid we wouldn't have an immediate need or spot for in the next 3-4 years, or we simply misread his ability to play as a wingman, or both. And I gotta say it kinda made me think that it might not be far from the truth...

 

[SGBeach]

According to Kinnear, we drafted Stephens for his ability to play both inside and outside, for his Elite speed and endurance, and for his good ball use by hand and foot. Elite running ability and ability to play dual positions are very handy attributes these days.
I reckon he's more likely to re-sign than not. If he doesn't re-sign it would be for reasons that others have exceeded expectations (Warner, JMac, etc) and other clubs are chasing him hard which will result in good to ver good draft capital.
It may be another Allir scenario, where we need that draft capital to sure up another part of the ground (key defence?)

 

[melbournehammer]

you cant actually have too many inside outside players

 

[caesar88]

you cant actually have too many inside outside players

According to Kinnear, we drafted Stephens for his ability to play both inside and outside, for his Elite speed and endurance, and for his good ball use by hand and foot. Elite running ability and ability to play dual positions are very handy attributes these days.

Agree with you both, but there's not much point having these attributes if there's not actually gonna be a spot for him was more the gist of my post.

 

[melbournehammer]

Agree with you both, but there's not much point having these attributes if there's not actually gonna be a spot for him was more the gist of my post.

i have a slightly different view which was based on our knowing that gulden and campbell were in the pipeline. my preference at the time was serong but i thought at the time we should have been looking for the best available trade to see whether we couldnt get in a kpp. he's a bit too much like campbell and gulden - left footed mid with good skills. again you cant have too many of these types but although ive been pleasantly surprised by how well buddy is going and we did get mcdonald luckily this was a bit of an opportunity for list managers to do better.

we are unique compared to non northern clubs in that we have a very good idea of what is likely to flow through to us and this gives a distinct advantage in recruiting.

 

[SGBeach]

Agree with you both, but there's not much point having these attributes if there's not actually gonna be a spot for him was more the gist of my post.

JPK has one more year (and will be on reduced game time), Hewett is seemingly likely to be traded, so there will be more space in the midfield next year.
Stephens is a lightly framed 2nd year player. He was p5.
Teams dont generally give up on such high draft picks. To me it seems likely that the Swans are taking advantage of the current midfield depth and developing Stephens while protecting his body, so he can play the next 250 games.
but who knows what the chatter is within the 4 walls of the the Swans list mgt

 

[BloodySwan]

So in a nutshell, his argument was that we either used a pick 5 on a kid we wouldn't have an immediate need or spot for in the next 3-4 years, or we simply misread his ability to play as a wingman, or both. And I gotta say it kinda made me think that it might not be far from the truth...

There's no way we drafted Stephens to take over any role as soon as we drafted him. He was only ever drafted to take a role for the next 3-4 years - as is every kid we draft.

 

[caesar88]

JPK has one more year (and will be on reduced game time), Hewett is seemingly likely to be traded, so there will be more space in the midfield next year.
Stephens is a lightly framed 2nd year player. He was p5.
Teams dont generally give up on such high draft picks. To me it seems likely that the Swans are taking advantage of the current midfield depth and developing Stephens while protecting his body, so he can play the next 250 games.
but who knows what the chatter is within the 4 walls of the the Swans list mgt

Yeah I think we have settled on the wing for Stephens until an inside spot opens up, but it's reliant on Stephens actually being able to thrive as a wingman. Because even once JPK retires, he's still gonna be sixth in line for inside rotations. So he could have a long wait and if he's unable to find a spot on the wing in the meantime then it becomes even more difficult for him.

 

[caesar88]

There's no way we drafted Stephens to take over any role as soon as we drafted him. He was only ever drafted to take a role for the next 3-4 years - as is every kid we draft.

Correct but maybe we over-estimated or misjudged Stephens' ability to play on the wing in the meantime...

 

[SGBeach]

There's no way we drafted Stephens to take over any role as soon as we drafted him. He was only ever drafted to take a role for the next 3-4 years - as is every kid we draft.

I agree,, its just strange that we haven't re-signed him (also Dawson, Parker, Gould, Ling, Amartey and others).
Maybe its all dependant on Parkers contract? Maybe we want more info on Total Player Payments which is hard to get in these cover days.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

JPK has one more year (and will be on reduced game time), Hewett is seemingly likely to be traded, so there will be more space in the midfield next year.

We may lose Hewett and or Stevo because we stupidly extended JPK on prolly $500k minimum so he can reach 300. We will have a Murphy situation next year nursing JPK to 300.

 

[SGBeach]

We may lose Hewett and or Stevo because we stupidly extended JPK on prolly $500k minimum so he can reach 300. We will have a Murphy situation next year nursing JPK to 300.

totally disagree. JPKs extension would have nothing to do with 300 games.
more to do with support for a young developing midfield given by an exceptional experienced player / captain.

We may lose Hewett and/or Stephens for reasons that they want to live in SA or the club doesn't see them as part of the future, or because other clubs are offering him more $ than we think they're worth?? who knows? We also, may not lose either of them?

and out of interest.. when did you pull the $500k figure out of your ass?
Player payments.. stretched out over years and across 40ish players. We've no idea!!!

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

totally disagree. JPKs extension would have nothing to do with 300 games.
more to do with support for a young developing midfield given by an exceptional experienced player / captain.

We may lose Hewett and/or Stephens for reasons that they want to live in SA or the club doesn't see them as part of the future, or because other clubs are offering him more $ than we think they're worth?? who knows? We also, may not lose either of them?

and out of interest.. when did you pull the $500k figure out of your ass?
Player payments.. stretched out over years and across 40ish players. We've no idea!!!

Rubbish post. No evidence of support to the mids. He detracts from the mids and is a liability in transition. Has been so for two years. Based on his form there is no rationale to extend him. The $500K was a generous figure - he is still a co captain.

 

[SGBeach]

Rubbish post. No evidence of support to the mids. He detracts from the mids and is a liability in transition. Has been so for two years. Based on his form there is no rationale to extend him. The $500K was a generous figure - he is still a co captain.

Rubbish post !
plenty of evidence to suggest hes supporting a developing midfield including..
his Smarts, strength, experience and how much the young mids say they learn from him.
Yes, his form has dropped over over the last few years, but what he brings to the team is still valued highly by the list mgt and coaching staff. I have faith that these people are good at their jobs.

 

[caesar88]

Rubbish post. No evidence of support to the mids. He detracts from the mids and is a liability in transition. Has been so for two years. Based on his form there is no rationale to extend him. The $500K was a generous figure - he is still a co captain.

Not every thread has to turn into an opportunity for you to knock JPK, but if it's really that important to you there is a JPK thread...

 

[Kapers]

I'll preface this by saying I'm a Stephens fan. Not sure what's going through his head of late, he hasn't looked confident at senior level and has at times looked plain lost at VFL level, but I still think he's got the right attributes to be a quality player and I was glad we took him at the time, and still kinda am.

But I had a chat with a mate this morning who is on the "Stephens was a mistake" side of things, and he actually offered the first decent criticism of drafting Stephens that I've heard, and not the usual "he's a bust" arguments that are offered in hindsight.

He said we drafted Stephens with two possible intentions: either playing him as an inside mid, or on the wing opposite McInerney, and both were probably bad calls by the club. The former because he was going to end up behind JPK, Parker, Mills (who we obviously had the intention of moving inside), Florent (who is the most like Stephens), Rowbottom, and Warner (who, despite being taken after Stephens in the same draft, was clearly more physically ready for inside minutes.) That meant he'd be potentially seventh in line, so would not see much inside action at all in his early career.

And the latter was a bad call because he hasn't really shown he can be a natural wingman as he waits for a midfield spot to open up. I slightly disagreed with this take, as I thought in the tail end of 2020 he looked comfortable playing that wing role, but I do agree it doesn't seem a sustainable long-term position for him.

So in a nutshell, his argument was that we either used a pick 5 on a kid we wouldn't have an immediate need or spot for in the next 3-4 years, or we simply misread his ability to play as a wingman, or both. And I gotta say it kinda made me think that it might not be far from the truth...

It's an interesting take.

First things first, you should take best available with 2 caveats.
1. They will stick around
2. You will play them

I'm assuming they took the best that they were confident they were going to be able to keep.

Imo, whether Stephens is a success of a failure depends on what the coaches are expecting of him. I feel he's trying to learn skills and new ways of playing and is struggling with that.
Remember that he would've been the no1-3 midfielder everywhere he played and would've given license to play how he felt natural.
In comparison someone like Warner would of been used to playing a role and being second fiddle. This isn't an excuse. Sam Walsh came though and was able to play on the wing seamlessly and then transition inside effortlessly.
I'm just giving reasons why he may be struggling.

Ultimately I would only make a decision on Stephens if I knew what the coaching staff were asking of him. He may be focusing on something very specific in the reserves and feeling uncertain because of this. He may also just be struggling.

 

[caesar88]

It's an interesting take.

First things first, you should take best available with 2 caveats.
1. They will stick around
2. You will play them

I'm assuming they took the best that they were confident they were going to be able to keep.

Imo, whether Stephens is a success of a failure depends on what the coaches are expecting of him. I feel he's trying to learn skills and new ways of playing and is struggling with that.
Remember that he would've been the no1-3 midfielder everywhere he played and would've given license to play how he felt natural.
In comparison someone like Warner would of been used to playing a role and being second fiddle. This isn't an excuse. Sam Walsh came though and was able to play on the wing seamlessly and then transition inside effortlessly.
I'm just giving reasons why he may be struggling.

Ultimately I would only make a decision on Stephens if I knew what the coaching staff were asking of him. He may be focusing on something very specific in the reserves and feeling uncertain because of this. He may also just be struggling.

Yeah good point. None of us really know what the coaches want or expect from Stephens at this stage. It's why I'm not panicking over Stephens' development to date.

I guess the concern is more whether we think his fortunes will actually change going forward, as even two years from now when JPK is retired, would Horse drop Parker, Mills, Rowbottom or Warner from the inside for Stephens, or Florent or McInerney from the wing for Stephens? My guess is no to both. So back to my mates point, should we have used pick 5 on a player for who there's not an obvious crack in the team for him to exploit? Personally I still think yes, as like you said always go with best available and he was right up there, but I can also see the opposing side.

 

[V9x18]

Be lucky to get the Crows second. Hopefully he can sign on for another year and show something.

 

[SSwans2011]

Given we've rebuilt the list in a handful of seasons by going to the draft, I think it's a bit rich to fixate on draft misses. Especially given Stephens hasn't actually come out and requested a trade.

I think the fact that he's not in the team more so proves how well our list management has done over the last few years.