I'm pretty sure that Tim English will be taken by Freo at pick 7. I wouldn't be interested in him anyway.
I think we will be targeting Griffin Logue at pick 9. He tested exceptionally well. 5th in the 3km and tied for 1st in the beep test. He's listed as a key defender, but is that type of player who can play anywhere. He has a lot of Nick Riewoldt attributes, although not saying he will come up to that exceptional level. I think Logue is the best KPP in this year's draft. Josh Battle is also good and may not last till pick 19. Todd Marshall might be a star, but is too big a risk IMO. The only risk on Logue is that he's a West Australian and we will have to check out the go home factor, as we should with all WA boys. I think Logue should be available at 9, but would probably not last until pick 14. If you can get a top KPP in a draft, I think you should go for it.
There is a slim chance that either Ben Ainsworth or Tim Tarranto will available at pick 9. Either would be a fine addition to our club. Both are damaging players and can hit the scoreboard.
Outside of this group I am leaning towards Oliver Florent, a quick and skillful midfielder who can play inside, but would be an outside player for us.
There are several quick and skillful players that should be available at pick 19. Some will go earlier, but there will still be a few good ones there at our pick. It's hard to rank them, but I'll list them in rough order of how I rate them for the needs of the Swans.
- Jordan Gallucci: Very quick and athletic outside midfielder with good skills
- Jarrod Berry: Powerful runner that can play any position. Hanners type bravery. Was captain of Vic Country. Kicking can be wayward.
- Jy Simpkin: Quick and skillful small forward coming back from injury.
- Alex Witherden: Medium paced defender with elite kicking and decision making skills. Future Nick Smith replacement.
- Daniel Venables: Injury prone, but powerful midfielder with pace and skills. Can play inside or outside.
- Will Hayward: Gary Rowan type. Quick, great mark with booming accurate kick. Slots them from 60 out. A quicker version of Dawson.
- Sam Powell-Pepper: Powerful hard running midfielder from WA who can play many positions. Breaks tackles. Kicks long, but erratic. Decision making questionable. Could be a Dustin Martin, but quicker.
My guess is that at least 3 of the above will be available at pick 19.
There are always players that slip in the draft and we might find a good one at pick 46. I think the quality runs a bit deeper this year than last and we still managed to pick up a couple of good prospects in the 50s.
I am pretty sure Tony Olango will be available at pick 49. Not many will be willing to invest 3 years or so to develop him only to see them leave once they've learned the trade. The situation may be a bit different than with Nanka in that when Olango is ready, Tippett and Sinclair will be ready to check out. Olango is very athletic for a big man and may also be a capable key defender or ruck forward in due course. At pick 49, I would roll the dice with him. He's got a lot of upside.
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