The Sydney Swans have welcomed four new draftees Angus Sheldrick, Matthew Roberts, Corey Warner and Lachlan Rankin to the club following the 2021 NAB AFL Draft.

With the club’s first three draft selections, Sydney acquired three midfielders before selecting Lachlan Rankin as a versatile utility.

Speaking exclusively after the two opening nights of the draft, Sydney Swans National Recruiting Manager Simon Dalrymple provided an in-depth insight into our four new draftees and what we can expect to see in the years to come.

“The way it fell was with the midfield but our approach was always best player available,” Dalrymple said of the Swans approach to the draft.

“I believe you can’t have too many midfielders. It puts pressure on the existing midfielders and that is what you want.”

“Pressure to get positions and everyone raises the standard.”

Selected with the club’s Round One draft pick on the opening night, Western Australian Angus Sheldrick was selected with pick 18.

Sheldrick is a competitive, contested ball winning inside midfielder who played a leading role at Colts level with Claremont in 2021, winning the best and fairest.

Dalrymple said the club was thrilled to get a hold of the eighteen-year-old who shows the potential for plenty of improvement.

“Angus is an inside mid and a real contested ball player with high hard-ball and loose-ball gets,” Dalrymple said of the Swans Round One draft pick.

“He has a really strong character, is a leader and a player we are thrilled to get a hold of.

“He had a breakout season this year and that is a quality that we really value when players improve at the age of 18,” Dalrymple added.

“He came into the program, had an interrupted pre-season but really developed at school footy, played Colts footy for Claremont and ended up playing some really good footy for WA in the National Championship.

“It’s a great sign that once he gets into our program, he can also improve.”

With the Swans second pic of the draft, the club selected talented South Australian prospect Matthew Roberts with pick 34.

A hard-working midfielder with an ability to play forward, Roberts is known for his quality football IQ and having a keen eye for goal. He has been highly touted through his professional development in recent seasons.

Consistently hitting the scoreboard with his accurate left boot, he is also revered for his hard-work ethic and competitive nature, while also proving to be tough in the contest with an ability to play outside.

Dalrymple said Roberts was a welcome addition to the Bloods with his sheer versatility, determination to work hard, on and off the field.

“Matt has been on the radar for a number of years and has a highly decorated South Australian Under 16s and Under 18s player,” Dalrymple said.

“He played a lot of senior footy this year in the SANFL which is a good achievement for an 18 year old.

“He played well as a high half forward and played as a midfielder for South Australia so we think he can play a number of roles.”

In the Swans third draft pick and pick 40 of the draft, Sydney selected Corey Warner.

Corey, the brother of Chad Warner, is a well-balanced midfielder who can play both inside and out, provides explosive bursts in and around the contest and is known for playing with high intensity from start to finish.

He was a standout at the draft combine, showing his elite running ability with an electric 2km time trial (6:20).

Dalrymple said he was looking forward to seeing Corey continue to develop with his opportunity.

“It’s gone quickly since Chad Warner arrived at the club a number of years ago and he has really developed,” Dalrymple said.

“We think Corey deserves an opportunity. He has had a great season, played a lot of senior footy for East Fremantle as well As Colts and state footy, and he is an outstanding athlete.

“He has high endurance, high speed, high power and we think he has some things to work on but he is a real hard trainer.”

“He is fairly similar to Chad, who is a little bit more inside at this stage, but Corey has probably got him in some of the athletic qualities but they are pretty similar.”

After selecting three midfielders with their opening three picks, Sydney selected Lachlan Rankin with pick 58 of the draft.

A versatile prospect with clean hands and silky skills, Rankin has earned countless representative honours during his junior development, including Vic Metro's Under 16s and 19s campaigns. 

With top-end decision-making, Rankin has shown a strong ability to play outside and is capable of playing as a running half-back.

Evasive across the ground and strong spatial awareness, Rankin will provide the Swans more versatility across the ground.

“Lachlan can play wing, halfback, half-forward and has really good endurance and is a really good ball user,” Dalrymple said.

“He probably had an interrupted pre-season before playing for Victoria Metro as a defender where he had a really good carnival.

“He then played mainly half-forward this year in an unfamiliar role but with his footy IQ and his running ability, he would be suited to a wing/halfback role and I am confident he can have a good career.”

The new Swans draftees will join the club and their new teammates in the coming weeks for pre-season training.

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