Jeez, didn't see that coming.Originally Posted by barry
Jeez, didn't see that coming.
So who will we have the opportunity to pick at the draft ?
Ask Ludwig because have I nothingbut this is what Callum Twomey thinks on afl.com.au:"Pick 14: The Swans have one of the strongest midfield units in the competition, but could look to bolster it with their first pick by bringing in Charlie Constable. The 190cm midfielder could develop alongside the likes of Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker, and has shown a real capacity this season to be a clearance king and win the ball at the stoppages. Constable averaged 26 disposals at the under-18 carnival for Vic Metro and is comfortable getting his hands dirty to feed the ball out." .......Do we really need more inside mids? Some say we missed Mitchell (not me), so maybe it's a good move......
Leave that to the club recruiters. I am confident that they will select the best available players to suit the club's needs.
I've been giving the draft a bit of thought now that the trade period is over. It will be interesting to hear from Cal Twomey over the coming weeks as he seems to have an inside edge to what recruiters are thinking. Here is roughly how I think the first round might go:
1 Brisbane - Cam Rayner
2 Freo - Davies-Uniacke
3 Carlton - Cerra
4 North - Dow
5 Freo - Naughton
6 Pies - Brander
7 St Kilda - Brayshaw
8 St Kilda - Stephenson
9 Dogs - Coffield
10 Carlton - Higgins
11 GWS - Clark
12 Adelaide - Darcy Fogarty
13 WCE - Oscar Allen
14 Swans - Balta
15 Bris - Constable
16 Dogs - O'Brien
17 Richmond - Hayes
There seems to be some consensus that those 4 midfielders will go first, but the order is not clear. 5 and 6 are likely to go KPPs to suit both clubs' needs, also given that Freo will take a midfielder with pick 2. The order starts to get a bit more complicated after that. If available, I think both Adelaide and WCE will take the best local kids at their 1st round picks.
Charley Constable, who some see us having some interest in, mainly because he's similar to what we have in our midfield, seems to me the best reason for not taking him. He's quite a good player, with size, good skills and a good footy brain, but lacks a bit of pace, which is something I think we should be looking for. Constable might also go before our pick 14.
We are in a good enough position to take the best player available at our pick 14 as we have enough depth in all areas, but my feeling is that with such a young and deep midfield we should lean towards a KPP with our first pick and then go for a midfield type with our pick 33. KJ should be the first midfielder to retire and that could be at least 3 years from now, and with so many still waiting in the wings, there's no urgency to add yet another to the our list.
If we do go for a midfielder, my favourites are Ed Richards, who plays mostly as a mid sized defender, has speed, kicking skill, quick decision maker and competitiveness that would fit well with the Swans. He simply looks like he has an AFL ready game. Lochie O'Brien should be available. He's a great left foot kick, has both pace and endurance, marks the ball well and makes good decisions. I don't think we would go wrong with either. Hunter Clark looks rushed under pressure, but the rest of his game would suit the Swans, with speed, dual sided kicking and is a solid two way player with a good all around game.
But my 1st choice nonetheless is Noah Balta, a 195 cm utility with line breaking speed and a good long kick. He reminds me a bit of Bontempelli, but with more pace. He can play anywhere on the ground, including ruck. He's been a bit inconsistent, perhaps mainly due to not having a permanent position, being moved around from forward to defender to ruckman. I think he has tremendous upside and would develop into a very good player under our development program.
Unfortunately there's less video of the prospects this year than in previous years, so it's hard to get a solid feel for player abilities, especially once we get past the top prospects. Hopefully more come available as we get closer to the draft.
A word should be said about Aiden Bonar. He's had 2 ACL recos on the same knee, the first one failing to take hold properly, and has only returned to playing football a few months ago after a 2 year absence. He's been great since he's been playing and blitzed the combine with his pace and agility. He also broke the standing vertical jump record once held by Dean Towers. He's a beast of a player in the mould of Patrick Dangerfield and if not for the legitimate worries about his knee holding up, he would easily be a top 10 pick and could well turn out to be the best player in the draft. It's hard to know where he will go in the draft as it's as much a medical decision as a recruiting decision. If our medical experts say he's good to go, I would take him with our first pick without hesitation.
Here is a summary of Noah Balta from Chris Doerre, who writes for ESPN and is also a Big Footy draft guru going by the name of Knightmare. Chris rates Balta much higher than all other draft pundits do, so that should be taken into consideration.
Best position: Key forward/key defence
Height, weight: 194cm, 92kg
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
Projected draft range: First to second round
Similar to: Jarrad Waite
September Ranking: 5
Rationale: Speculative call, but Balta has the attributes and on-field impact to be the best key position player in this draft. Possesses explosive pace, extremely long kick and mix of cleanness at ground level and contested marking could see Balta develop into anything.
Strengths:
Versatility to impact games in any of the 18 field positions
Freakishly clean and one touch at ground level
Wins the ball cleanly at speed
Explosive, breakaway pace from congestion
Breaks the lines
Burst athlete who can get several touches in chains forward
Agility
Vertical leap
Strength
Contested marking
Gets front position in marking contests
Reads the drop of the ball early
Difficult to contain one the lead or leaping up at the football
Takes marks at full stretch
Stands up through tackles
Tackling
Scoreboard impact
Weaknesses:
Unclear best position Inconsistent performances
Very interesting post Ludwig.
I agree Balta looks good, but I think a big issue for us now is the lack of 'Allies' talent that won't want to go home at the end of their contract. Sussing out the attitude of the players regarding a long career in Sydney is going to be a really important factor that we know nothing about. Let's just hope Balta is keen on the harbour city and no other club gets to him before us.
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Last edited by liz; 22nd October 2017 at 07:53 PM. Reason: Please don't quote long posts in their entirety. It makes threads hard to read for those on phones or tablets
We have them where we want them, everything is going according to plan!
The interview is the most important part of the recruiting process and we don't have access to them, so it's hard to evaluate how the prospects stack up in that regard.
We have an excellent record in retaining out of state talent, so I'm not too concerned about that. Just look at Ollie Florent. What an impressive kid. If anyone had the right to stay in Melbourne he did, but not only did he come to Sydney but he's already extended his contract to 2020. Jordan Dawson from Adelaide extended his contract to 2019 even though he's only played one senior game and has enough talent to play senior football at any club. We always get so much praise from players leaving the club for whatever reason. It's that kind of word of mouth recommendation that makes us a destination club.
I think Tippett should be the designated full forward. I was worried as soon as he went into the ruck with his loose joints. Impact in ruck contests and playing around the ground don't suit his body.
Who have we lost to go home factor recently?
In fact who was the last go homer? Maybe it's an afternoon on very good Shiraz that has my brain not remembering!
There was a suggestion that Nankervis wanted to be closer to his family, though with no team in Tasmania, he couldn't exactly "go home". And more senior playing opportunities was almost certainly the main lure for him.
Jetta's departure was, as far as we were led to believe, primarily for "go home" reasons, and before that you probably have to go back to Darren Jolly. Both had young families and partners keen to be closer to their extended families.
I�m firmly of the opinion that you pick best available in the first round of drafts. Personally, I�d be happy with Lochie O�Brien, Balta, or Constable at pick 14.
This is what Gary Buckenara says about Noah Balta:
�Balta is an exciting prospect at this stage of his development because he can come in and show something that really catches the eye, whether it be a booming long kick, an athletic grab or some nice movement for a player his size. He doesn�t have the consistency yet but there�s huge upside there to work with for a club willing to develop him and be patient. He can play as a key defender but as a bit of a project player, who knows where he might end up because he is so raw but I�m sure clubs will see his potential.
Plays like: Alex Rance or a more athletic Brian Lake�
It was this bit that made me uncomfortable about him �as a bit of a project player, who knows where he might end up because he is so raw�
Do we want to use our 1st pick on a �raw ... project player�?
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