The Sydney Swans will be targeting the “most talented” player available in Thursday night’s AFL Draft on the Gold Coast, to complement the club’s three Academy selections.
With the Swans committed to selecting QBE Sydney Swans Academy graduates Isaac Heeney (pick 18), Jack Hiscox (pick 38) and Abaina Davis (pick 70), the Swans are now focused on securing another talented recruit with the club’s second round selection at pick 37.
Speaking to sydneyswans.com.au ahead of this year’s national draft, Recruiting and List Strategy Manager Kinnear Beatson said the club would be looking for another young player to bolster the Swans’ list.
“There is no specific type of player, but what we’ve set our minds on to achieve is to find the most talented or highly-ranked player that we have available at selection 37,” Beatson said.
“Whether that’s a tall or a midfielder, it will just be the most talented player and that’s because we were able to balance the list up a little bit with our Academy selections already.
“Isaac is the true hybrid mid; Jack is a hard-running outside player and Abe Davis as a potential key position player, so the balance has worked out quite well.
“To be able to have that variety of players available was a great opportunity and we rate all three of the boys, as did the other clubs, which is why they bid for them at the Academy bidding meeting.”
The Swans have had success developing later round draft picks in recent years, with 2014 Bob Skilton Medallist Luke Parker recruited with pick 40 in the 2010 National Draft, while Sam Reid was taken at pick 38 in the 2009 AFL Draft.
While the Swans will have to wait until late in the second round to make their first non-Academy selection, Beatson said the club’s recruiting team felt positive about the depth of this year’s draft talent pool.
“(Recruiting managers) Michael Agresta and Ric Barham were up in Sydney last week for their presentation to the coaches and they were pleased with the calibre of players they viewed and discussed,” he said.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed and you do always need a little bit of luck that clubs ahead of you in the draft take others that perhaps you haven’t rated as highly or don’t have the same need for.
“You can’t control that, so it just is what it is when we get to that selection 37.”
Although Beaton has been the man to call out the Swans’ draft selections for the past seven seasons, the club’s top recruiter will unfortunately not be able to make the trip to the Gold Coast this week.
Beatson, who arrived at the Swans from the Brisbane Lions at the end of 2006, underwent back surgery two weeks ago and as a result is unable to fly for the next six weeks.
In his place, Swans National Recruiting Coordinator Michael Agresta will take on the top job on draft night, alongside new Football Manager Tom Harley, who has come into the role in place of Dean Moore.
Beatson said while he was disappointed to miss out, the opportunity would be a great experience for his colleagues.
“2007 was my first National Draft with the club, but my first draft with the Swans was the 2006 Rookie Draft, when we got Nick Smith,” he said.
“Before that I was with Brisbane from 1994-2005, so I’d say I’ll be like a caged lion at home trying to follow it on television.
“In saying that, this has been a great opportunity for Michael to grow and he did a really good job in the presentation last week.
“That’s what good clubs are about, having a good spread of people and talents.
“Michael will read out the name on the night and Tom (Harley) will sit at the head table with him.”
While the Swans will play a small role on draft night, Beatson confirmed the club would be more active at the Rookie Draft on December 3.
“We’ll have a minimum of four picks in the rookie draft,” he said.
“There might be some target areas that we need to identify and see whether we can assist the list.
“That of course depends on who is there and who gets through the National Draft.
“Our earliest pick in the rookie draft will still be pick 17, so we’re a fair way in.”
