If there was such a thing as Sydney Swans Draft Lotto the lucky numbers in numeric order would be 5, 8, 21, 40, 43 and 56, with the supplementary numbers 3 and 29.

They have been the Swans’ lucky numbers in the National Draft since it began in 1986.

Measuring each selection number by the number of games it has produced for the club, selection #8 is top of the list at 604. This has seen the club recruit Jude Bolton (325 games), Jared Crouch (223), Brad Tunbridge (50) and Dion Scott (6).

Oddly, the second most productive pick has been selection #56. It has produced Ryan O’Keefe (282), Andrew Dunkley (217) and Jordan Dawson (1) for a total of 500 games.

Third on the list, too, is another later pick at selection #40. It has been responsible for 459 games via Luke O’Loughlin (303), Luke Parker (151) and Fred Campbell (5).

Selection #43 has produced 404 games for the club predominantly due to Adam Goodes (372). David Strooper (32) also was picked at #43.

Completing the top six are selection #5, which has produced 349 games via Jarryd McVeigh (300) and Adam Heuskes (49), and selection #21, with which the Swans picked up Matthew Nicks (175), father/son choice Tom Mitchell (65), Scott Stevens (25), Will Hayward (17), Jed Lamb (12), and Clinton King (9) for a total of 303 games.

Selection #3 has produced 268 Swans games via Nic Fosdike (164), Shannon Grant (58) and Callum Mills (46), while selection #29 has produced 196 games via Lewis Roberts-Thomson (179) and Tim Schmidt (17).

Selection #21, with six players, also ranks top of the list in terms of the number of players chosen with each pick.

Selection #54 and selection #59 are next best with five players each, but they produced only 159 games in total – and Craig Bird was responsible for 137 of them.

Bird was a NSW scholarship selection taken at selection #59 with Ryan Brabazon (3), Brett Rose (0), Dwayne Simpson (0) and Matthew Davis (0), while selection #54 has produced Jarrad Sundqvist (9), Kristin Thornton (8), Brian Stanislaus (1), Byron Sumner (1) and Steven Bozicevic (0).

Of course there are examples where linking a player to a specific draft selection is mis-leading. Notably, with Goodes.

The dual Brownlow Medallist was drafted in 1997 during an era in which clubs could draft only one 17-year-old player. While most clubs chose to take their 17-year-old early in the draft the Swans adopted the opposite approach and took the best of the available older players first knowing that other clubs, having filled their quota, could not touch Goodes.

Hence, while Goodes is officially listed at #43 in the 1997 draft he was not considered the 43rd best player in the available talent pool. In fact, he was rated much more highly.

The Swans will go into the 2017 AFL National Draft armed with three selections - #14, #33 and #51.

The club has had selection #14 twice previously. In 1996 they used it to claim Brett O’Farrell from the Prahran Dragons U18s in the TAC Cup. He played eight games for the Swans and later 13 games for Hawthorn. And in 2009 selection #14 secured Lewis Jetta from Swan Districts in the WAFL, who played 127 games in red and white and was a member of the premiership side in 2012 before transferring to West Coast for the 2016 season.

In 1996, when the club also had the #14-33 double, selection #33 led to Will Sangster also from the Prahran Dragons. He played two games.

The Swans have had selection #51 twice previously. In 2005 they picked up Matthew Laidlaw from the Oakleigh Chargers U18s, who played one game. And in 2015 selection #51 brought in Tyrone Leonardis from the Northern Knights U18s, who never played at senior level.

Overall the Swans have drafted 145 players in the National Draft, including two players – Amon Buchanan and Heath James – who were each drafted twice.


Adam Goodes proved a bargain buy at pick #43 in the 1997 National Draft.

Of the 145 draftees, only 20 (13.8%) have played 100 or more games. This includes four 300-gamers, three 200-gamers and seven 150-gamers.

A further 13 Swans draftees have played 50 games for the club, including the currently listed Zak Jones (54), Isaac Heeney (58) and Gary Rohan (95). And Dean Towers (49), George Hewett (48) and Callum Mills (46) are set to do so next season.

No less than 48 players or 33% never played a senior AFL game. This includes 22 of the first 59 (37.2%) when the draft process was nothing like as thorough and well-resourced as it has become in more recent years.

Also, 80 draftees (55.2%) have played less than 10 games, including the currently listed Ollie Florent (9), James Rose (8), Jordan Dawson (1), Jack Maibaum (0) and Darcy Cameron (0).

The Swans history in the National Draft includes countless stories and oddities. Here are some of them, which will be detailed in the next two parts:

  • Best Swans Draft
  • Worst Swans Draft
  • First Swans Draftee
  • Best Picks
  • Top 10 Picks
  • Latest Picks
  • Father/Son Picks
  • AFL ‘imports’
  • Those Who Got Away
  • Where They Come From
  • Every Pick – Year by Year