The time has arrived.
Countless hours of Australia-wide scouting, meticulous study and rigorous discussion will come to fruition as the Sydney Swans’ recruitment team selects a footballer with pick five at Wednesday night’s AFL Draft.
Sydney hasn’t taken selection five into a draft since 2002, which famously saw the club land a young midfielder by the name of Jarrad McVeigh.
Seventeen years later, General Manager – Recruiting and List Strategy Kinnear Beatson says anticipation is rising as the club prepares to welcome another potential boom recruit.
“It’s been a while since the club last had an active first pick at number five. On one hand it’s disappointing because it means you’ve finished low on the ladder, but at the same time it gives us access to some pretty elite talent – and we’re excited by that,” Beatson told SwansTV.
“It’s a good batch of midfielders but there are also a couple of good key-position players worth considering at five. It will be determined a little bit by who goes at three and four. We’re pretty confident we know who’s going at one and two; I don’t think it’s any secret that Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson will go at one and two. But when taking pick five we’ll have to look at who’s gone at three and four.”
Wednesday night will play host to the opening round of the draft, in which the first 19 picks will be read out, before the remaining rounds roll out over Thursday night.
Although Oakleigh Chargers midfielders Rowell and Anderson are expected to be drafted by the Gold Coast Suns with the first two picks of the night, promising youngsters like Luke Jackson, Lachlan Ash, Brodie Kemp, Sam Flanders and Hayden Young are still on Sydney’s radar.
The Swans have recruited a player with pick five at the AFL Draft on three occasions: Jason Spinks in 1992, Adam Heuskes in 1993 and McVeigh in 2002.
Star Sydney forward Lance Franklin was also secured with selection five when he was swept up by Hawthorn in 2004, a blockbuster draft that saw the Hawks lock in Jarryd Roughead, Franklin and Jordan Lewis all in the top 10.
Last year’s introduction of live trading of picks means Sydney’s draft hand could change, but Beatson says the team is satisfied with how its prospects are looking.
“We’ll go into the National Draft and we’ll have four selections: five, 25, 32 and 44. But under the new rules where you can trade during the draft live and try to bring yourself forward or secure future picks, those numbers can always change,” Beatson said.
“If they stay as they are, we’re pretty content about what we have. It means we’ll have four picks and be out by 45. But you just don’t know. Things will bob up on the night. We know some clubs are looking at doing things on the night; they’re not prepared to do things prior to the draft. We’ll have to be thinking on our feet, but we will have thought through those scenarios.”
