The Sydney Swans have bolstered their recruiting department ahead of the 2017 season with the appointment of Ross Monaghan as Future Recruiting Coordinator.
Monaghan, who’ll commence official duties with the Club in February, boasts a wealth of experience within the football industry having spent the past 12 years working at four different clubs.
Drawing on his expertise in talent identification developed at TAC Cup level over many years, Monaghan held roles in player development and football operations at Melbourne and Richmond before joining Hawthorn in 2014, in what was a very productive time at the Hawks.
Monaghan then keenly transitioned into the recruiting space, joining Fremantle in 2015 before taking up a position with Port Adelaide last season.
He will be based in Sydney Swans Football Club’s Melbourne office and joins an existing team consisting of Recruiting and List Strategy Manager Kinnear Beatson and Recruiting Manager Michael Agresta.
“I’m really looking forward to joining Kinnear and Mick, who I have known for many years and who are highly regarded within the AFL industry,” Monaghan told sydneyswans.com.au.
“I have had a strong interest in the recruiting side of things for many years. Seeing youngsters develop and grow is what I enjoy doing most.
“To be involved in such a dynamic and evolving environment, at such a successful club like the Sydney Swans, is very exciting.”
With the number of rule changes and additions to the recruitment of AFL talent, including the ability to trade future draft selections and tweaks to the academy/father-son bidding system, Beatson stressed the importance of employing an experienced head into the role full-time.
“We are delighted to be able to secure the services of Ross,” Beatson said.
“He is very experienced in talent identification and recruitment and, due to his extensive background in the AFL environment, he is very well connected.
“He already knows the landscape in the futures market, having held a similar position with Port Adelaide Football Club during 2016.
"The demands of AFL Recruiting has changed significantly in the past five years. Changes to different rules has meant a considerable increase in the workload for the recruiting department, so to have an additional full-time person working from our Melbourne office will be a massive help.”
Monaghan’s appointment follows the retirements of long-time recruiting consultants Ric Barham and Andrew Scholefield who stepped away at the conclusion of the 2016 season after 20 years in their respective roles.
