Pick 15 and 49

[SWANNIES RULE]

These are the two picks that should get us quality players. What are our priorities? Do we want a midfielder, defender or ruckman?

 

[Jeremias]

I imagine that you would go for 1 midfielder and one tall, probably a ruckman

 

[HighReeve]

Key defender.
Key defender.
Key defender.
Key forward.
Ruckman.

Course, we have no idea about what they plan on re-drafting or the pre-season draft.

 

[scottwade]

Pick 15 a tall, pick 49 the best available.

 

[taurus]

Key defender.
Key defender.
Key defender.
Key forward.
Ruckman.

I concur.

 

[SWANNIES RULE]

I say a key defeneder with pick 15, then a midfielder with 49.

 

[Minkus_Swan]

I think we'll look for a KP player with our first pick, then the best available players with the rest of picks - most likely midfielders

 

[grimlock]

Midfielder.
Midfielder.
Midfielder.

Oh wait, this is 2006 not 2005.

 

[Jeffers]

Best Available with all picks.

 

[Jack-Packenham]

Pick 15 - T.Hislop
Pick 49 - C.Bird

 

[CharlieG]

Four picks - would like to see:
- a key position player at 15 (with defensive skills the priority, although someone useful at either end would obviously be a great result),
- an inside midfielder, since Schmidt is our only 'likely' developing player in this role,
- a Gibson, Obst or Lucy who's had a couple of years in the system to develop,
- and a speculative ruckman.

If we go with a fifth pick, I'd like a bottom-age mid-sized running player, with an eye to replacing Kennelly in three years. Would love to pick up Jake Williams as the inside mid, if he's willing to come to the club.

 

[CharlieG]

Best Available with all picks.

This is the simplistic, scatter-gun approach that has left us with minimal key position depth, and a surplus of midfielders and flankers that have either already been cut (Willoughby, Thewlis, Davis) or who struggle to break into the team (Schmidt, Moore, Bevan).

 

[liz]

Four picks - would like to see:
- a key position player at 15 (with defensive skills the priority, although someone useful at either end would obviously be a great result),
- an inside midfielder, since Schmidt is our only 'likely' developing player in this role,
- a Gibson, Obst or Lucy who's had a couple of years in the system to develop,
- and a speculative ruckman.

If we go with a fifth pick, I'd like a bottom-age mid-sized running player, with an eye to replacing Kennelly in three years. Would love to pick up Jake Williams as the inside mid, if he's willing to come to the club.

I'm more in the "best available" camp.

In terms of inside midfielders, there are Moore and Simpkin in the wings too. I'm suspect they'll be looking for Bird but I doubt they'd use 15 on him and he may be gone by 49.

It sounds like there could be some classy mids still available at 15 but the very best of the tall crop will probably have gone. So it might make sense to use the first pick on a top quality mid - someone like Connors sounds enticing, though I've never seen him play - and stack up with a number of talls later on.

In terms of Davis, Willoughby being cut, I don't believe it was because they were flankers who were "surplus" - they just weren't good enough. And you can reasonably argue that Grundy and Vogels have been kept out the team by lack of injury / opportunity just as much as Moore and Schmidt. Indeed, you could argue that with those two, plus Rowe and Barlow on the rookie list, there is about as much true depth in taller players as there is in midfielders. None of the three taken last year strikes me as a true on-baller. Thornton looks to be a Sundqvist type and Laidlaw looks like he is being developed as a HBF. The way most teams play, especially the Swans, you can never had enough midfielders and it is not obvious who Kirk's heir apparent is. I'm not suggesting they will - or should - purely draft midfielders but they can afford to go after who they like regardless of type, subject to picking up at least one project ruck somewhere in the main or rookie draft.

Also can't see the appeal of a player who has been cut from another list after just a year or two, particularly from bottom clubs. It's hard to argue that they are B2s or Grams, just starved of opportunities in a quality squad. To get cut after just one year indicates serious flaws in skill or attitude or chronic injury issues that just don't look like going away.

 

[robbieando]

It sounds like there could be some classy mids still available at 15 but the very best of the tall crop will probably have gone. So it might make sense to use the first pick on a top quality mid - someone like Connors sounds enticing, though I've never seen him play - and stack up with a number of talls later on.

We only need the one midfielder and we "really" need the KP position depth. In any case the "talk" is that the KP position depth of this draft will last until the early second round, so if we want to get a quailty KP player in this draft it would be wise to use our 1st Rounder on a KP and then our 3rd Rounder on a midfielder (who must be around Kirk's height) because we do have the ability to pick out the quailty of the late picks when it comes to midfielders.

 

[CharlieG]

I'm more in the "best available" camp.

In terms of inside midfielders, there are Moore and Simpkin in the wings too. I'm suspect they'll be looking for Bird but I doubt they'd use 15 on him and he may be gone by 49.

Can't comment on Simpkin, although he was second on the rookie list to Simon Phillips this year. Makes you wonder.

As for Moore, I just haven't yet seen what people rave about. Regularly injured and I would argue that he's been the most peripheral of the 2005-6 debutants at AFL level thus far.

It sounds like there could be some classy mids still available at 15 but the very best of the tall crop will probably have gone. So it might make sense to use the first pick on a top quality mid - someone like Connors sounds enticing, though I've never seen him play - and stack up with a number of talls later on.

Reading between the lines, you think we should pass up the chance to get one of the top 15-20 talls because we can't possibly get one of the top five?

In terms of Davis, Willoughby being cut, I don't believe it was because they were flankers who were "surplus" - they just weren't good enough.

The impression I had of Willoughby is that at most clubs he would have played 30+ games by now. We have had so many of his type that he couldn't get a look-in.

Davis hasn't had the same positive press, but again we recruited a player in 2003 as a potential wing/flanker, when we had Saddington, Goodes, Fosdike, O'Keefe, Kennelly, C Bolton and Davis in those roles. With Saddo gone, Goodes and Fosdike in the centre square and Kennelly going in 2009, there's more logic to the Davis selection now than there was in 2003.

And you can reasonably argue that Grundy and Vogels have been kept out the team by lack of injury / opportunity just as much as Moore and Schmidt. Indeed, you could argue that with those two, plus Rowe and Barlow on the rookie list, there is about as much true depth in taller players as there is in midfielders.

Grundy and Vogels have been kept out of the team when they shouldn't be - at least one should be a regular in the 22. The problem is that they are the only cover for a trio of 29 year olds - Hall, O'Loughlin and Barry - and Roberts-Thomson who, after 72 games, is still only an even money bet to make 150.

None of the three taken last year strikes me as a true on-baller. Thornton looks to be a Sundqvist type

Not all that encouraging.

and Laidlaw looks like he is being developed as a HBF.

I know. Another one. Don't have a problem with that because of the Kennelly scenario, though. The question is hanging over the Thornton and Brabazon selections.

The way most teams play, especially the Swans, you can never had enough midfielders and it is not obvious who Kirk's heir apparent is.

Maybe you can't, but you still can have too few talls. It's not obvious who Leo Barry's replacement is, either.

I'm not suggesting they will - or should - purely draft midfielders but they can afford to go after who they like regardless of type, subject to picking up at least one project ruck somewhere in the main or rookie draft.

Also can't see the appeal of a player who has been cut from another list after just a year or two, particularly from bottom clubs. It's hard to argue that they are B2s or Grams, just starved of opportunities in a quality squad. To get cut after just one year indicates serious flaws in skill or attitude or chronic injury issues that just don't look like going away.

They offer a short-cut to key position depth. Something we are in need of. We can't take a good run with injuries for granted, and we can't let it blind us to the fact that there are only about 27 players on the list of proven AFL standard, that only six are capable of playing key position, or that half of those are 30 next year.

I'd like to see a couple of them offered a few weeks of training in Sydney at least.

 

[swan song 2]

Brabazon is a midfielder who has yet to be put on the ball. Spent most of last year in backline learning defence.
This is the quote from 2005 Fairest & best in WA colts


Ken Casellas: COLTS MEDAL TO BRABAZON

Claremont’s dynamic ruck-rover Ryan Brabazon has capped an outstanding season by winning the Jack Clarke Medal as the fairest-and-best player in the WAFL colts competition.
He polled 46 votes and finished five ahead of lively Swan Districts rover Jesse Gribble, with Perth’s dashing James Thompson (35 votes) in third place.
Finishing fourth with 29 votes was powerful Claremont midfielder Fred Johnson, a recruit from Wyndham Crocs in the club’s Kimberley zone.

The 18-year-old Brabazon also has won the WAFL 200 Club coaches award for the best player in the competition. Votes for this award are cast by all colts coaches.
And to complete his triumphs, Brabazon was chosen in the 2005 WAFL colts team of the year. The four other Claremont players picked in this side are defenders Ian Rowe, Alan Toovey and Preston O’Keefe and emerging ruckman Dan Atkinson. Toovey was named vice-captain.

Brabazon, curly and fair-haired, has been a standout performer this year. His deft ball-handling skills, quick acceleration and wonderful disposal with either foot have made him a joy to watch.

 

[jasongomightyswannies]

15: KP PLAYER (PREFERENCE FOR TALL MOBILE DEFENDER)
49: KP PLAYER (PREFERENCE FOR TALL MOBILE DEFENDER)

.... or if best available is a potential gun midfielder than that would be good too!

 

[chammond]

Does anyone know anything about Brent Renouf?

I know he's an athletic tall who had outstanding results at the AFL camp.

And I've read somewhere that he is a quality ruckman who has occasionally been given 'run-with' roles (???).

I understand he played in Queensland at U18 level, yet The Age describes him as a Sydneysider.

I've been trying to identify any bargain talls that might still be around at pick 15, and he seems to be the standout, but the info is a bit contradictory.

Has anyone got any inside knowledge?

 

[SWANNIES RULE]

We should have our eyes on Nathan Brown, a 194cm key position player that is suited to the backline. He is projected to be drafted in between 10 and 20. Very athletic and had a very good draft camp.

 

[CharlieG]

We should have our eyes on Nathan Brown, a 194cm key position player that is suited to the backline. He is projected to be drafted in between 10 and 20. Very athletic and had a very good draft camp.

He seems to be one of the standout options. Another is Eric McKenzie although most of the phantom drafts have him going somewhere around 10-13. At least one of them is apparently likely to slip to 15.

 

[robbieando]

Two players I would "love" to drop to pick 15 (and kind of expect one to do so) are Nathan Brown (Tall Defender, North Ballarat - 17/12/88 Ht: 194 Wt:89) and Eric McKenzie (Tall Defender, Claremont - 05/10/88 Ht: 195 Wt: 91).

Both are expected to go around the 10-15 mark of the draft so we are likely to have a chance to pick one up. With Pick's 10 though 12 Collingwood, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs could be on the look out for KP's but might look at KP forwards rather than defenders, thus allowing these two to fall, which I kind of hope for.

Richmond I also think might take a midfielder with pick 13 since the got Polak in the trade period. Adelaide with Pick 14 are looking for either a ruckman or a midfielder and that then leaves us at 15 to pick up the KP Defender left above.

Liz, for the record, Connors will likely go Top 10, most likely to the Saints who need midfield speed from this draft and should get it from Connors. I doubt he'll fall to us at 15.

As for Renouf he is from Southport and is a 201cm and 92kg athletic ruckman (listed in most guides as 199cm, but has grown to 201cm). If we go with a ruck pick with 15 he "could" be available, but I doubt we'll go ruck with 15, more like 49 if we go with a ruck with an early pick. But if available no doubt he should be looked at, but beware the "rugby background" of his.

 

[liz]

Does anyone know anything about Brent Renouf?

I know he's an athletic tall who had outstanding results at the AFL camp.

Only bit I've seen of him was part of an U18 Championship game this year (bits on it, TV only). But those who lurk on the 'net who clearly know something about what they're talking of say he's a terrible kick. Good ruck, athletic but can't kick the damn thing.

 

[liz]

Liz, for the record, Connors will likely go Top 10, most likely to the Saints who need midfield speed from this draft and should get it from Connors. I doubt he'll fall to us at 15.

You may be proven correct in the fullness of time, but I've so far read about a dozen names who are "definite" top 10, another handful probables and some more possibles. They won't all fit!

 

[bigswan]

They will go best available player for first pick then a Kpp for the next two or a ruckman. If there isn't one available better than Shaw or Ericksen then they will be redrafted. Can Shaw go back to the rookie list?

 

[Eagle_boy]

I think there is a very good chance Sydney will pick up Gary Moss from East Perth, a midfielder with heaps of pace and most importantly very good skills.

Interesting fact is that his great uncle is Peter Bedford so he is a mad fan of Sydney/South Melbourne.