Does anyone have much Intel on Jay Rantall? He's a Swans supporter so I assume that he's related to John Rantall somehow. Hes played well for Vic Country and seems to be an inside mid.
Last edited by liz; 18th August 2019 at 11:03 AM. Reason: If you are going to paste material from other sites, you must provide a link to where it was originally published
How much of this year’s draft will be affected by the drafting of Gulden & Campbell in 2020? I don’t know heaps about these two but I understand that they are very good and would play midfield.
Do we (a) need to trade for future points and (b) be less desperate for midfielders and go for Hayden Young, Lachie Ash, or Will Gould with our first pick and maybe a Luke Jackson as best ruck with our early 2nd rounder?
Last edited by liz; 18th August 2019 at 11:04 AM. Reason: If you are going to paste material from other sites, you must provide a link to where it was originally published
doof-doof
More than a year out from the 2020 draft, it's hard to be precise on where Gulden and Campbell will rank. As of now, it seems they will fall in the 10-40 range, which would mean that our natural first 2 round picks should suffice to get both of them. We have 6 picks in the first 4 rounds this years and might try to push one or 2 late ones forward a year if possible. I can't see us taking more than 4 ND picks, unless the cleanout is vicious.
I do agree that we should look for midfielders first, but I'm not with those that say we need a 'bull' midfielder. Some forget that Luke Parker is still only 26 and has plenty of years left. Hewett is becoming a bull in the midfield. Rowbottom looks to be a bull in the making. Dawson is is big guy. Heeney and Mills are no lightweights. We have also seen in the past couple of weeks what Florent can do when put on ball.
The midfielder category now covers about 70% of players, as most can, and do, play roles forward and defence. Rampe, Mills and Lloyd, playing defence on Friday, could all be midfielders.
Ash and/or Young could well be available at our first pick. Most often listed as running defenders, they can also play in the midfield. Caleb Serong could be a good choice for a ball winning midfielder who can kick goals and should be considered if around at our pick. Will Gould is and interesting one. He looks a bit overweight, but has a lot of Shannon Hurn attributes. He is a bull. And although is a now a defender, could be an inside mid. Has good pace and power. Could even be a long-term Rampe replacement. Brodie Kemp (ACL) would fit the bill, but I'm not sure we want to rehab another player through year 1. Sam Flanders and Deven Robinson are a couple of other highly rated midfielders.
Luke Jackson looks likely to go in the 2nd half of the 1st round. If he is available at our 2nd pick, he would be a steal.
The broadcast commentators are now coming on board that the Swans have a lot of fine young talent and mightn't stay our of finals for long.
With the right trade, we could add more depth to our list, but even without such a trade, we should still do fine building through the draft. To think that many pundits are saying that Nick Blakey could be the best player to come out of the draft, which is astounding considering he's going up against players like Walsh, Rozee, Rankine and Lukosius.
Put Heeney, Mills, Blakey and Lloyd in the midfield and we have plenty of high quality depth there. No need to panic.
The time honoured "pick the best player" with your first is nearly always applied. Still a bit of deck shuffling to occur as it does every year but I watched a lot of the U18s and both Ash and Young looked excellent players.
Still hoping we select Green with our first to stir up GWS, pick 4 (with discount 1627 points) is about where he sits on most draft boards.
I doubt we're too worried about next years draft position, our standard selections will have us covered for academy bids but given the number of useful picks we currently hold it wouldn't surprise if we traded a few of the ones in the 50s into 2020 picks. Saints and Freo are currently bereft of picks this year.
Since Dawson was mentioned above, I'm wondering what people think is his best position? I can see upsides wherever he is.
Down back, I really like seeing him select the best rebound option and then hit them with his kick. Up forward, I enjoy feeling confident, when someone is lining up for a set shot. He's also a strong contested mark. As an outside mid, his service to the forwards is excellent. He also has the strength to play as an inside mid.
So, should the staff work out what his best position is and largely stick with that? Or should his role generally vary from game to game, depending on the opposition and injuries? Or should he be given a roaming commission within games, and largely just slot in where he appears to be most needed?
We have them where we want them, everything is going according to plan!
Interesting post. He bobs up everywhere so he appears to be given a roaming commission as you describe. Happy with that role. Has a happy knack for a goal. Should have had at third goal. Ronke should have instinctively given it off to him at the Richmond end instead of the silly checkside kick straight to a Demons defender. Looking forward to many years of Blakey and Dawson wreaking havoc with their outstanding left footed kicking.
Dawson best position? In a cloning machine! Has physical attributes, skill and footy nous to play anywhere. I suspect he'll continue his wandering spot fire fixing into next season but maybe longer term it's as a high half forward that he could be most dangerous.
We go into next season with just three players 30 and over, Sinclair 30, Kennedy 31, Buddy 33, so will be a young list. Now got four retirements and a delisting or two you'd expect.
A lot of shuffling to happen to the rookie list with several needing upgrading or being cut with a possible re-rookie'ing?
Are we bringing in any experienced players? How many ND picks will we use? Currently have pick 4, 23 (Saints), 40, 52 (WCE), 57 (Carlton), 58
I've often wondered to myself (and sometimes out loud to friends) which current Swan you would clone if you had the choice of just one.
Buddy? So that you can always have one on the ground while the other recovers from ailments? (And imagine if they were both fit at the same time!)
Heeney? To eliminate the question of whether his best position is in the midfield or up forward. I want him in both places.
Aliir? Against some kinds of ruckman he's proved himself to be a very effective roving type ruckman, and with limited experience in that role. Imagine how good he could become with more practice. But that robs him from his pivotal role in defence. What if he could have two?
Or, as you say, Dawson, who seems equipped to play almost every role on the ground (and he has even pinch hit in the ruck at times). He has the instincts of a crumbing small forward but can also roost them from outside 50. He has the height to become a Yeo style midfielder. But he also offers plenty rebounding from defence, with his strong overhead ability and pinpoint long kicking skills.
Not an easy choice.
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