The Sydney Swans will cap off an exciting trade and draft period for the club when the Pre-Season and Rookie drafts are held on Tuesday morning.
The Swans have the fourth pick in the pre-season draft and Manager of Player Personnel, Kinnear Beatson, says the club is hoping to confirm that key forward Daniel Bradshaw is joining the team.
Melbourne have the first pick in the pre-season draft, and they are expected to select former Brisbane Lions player, Joel McDonald.
Richmond has the next selection, followed by Fremantle, which is expected to pick up former Essendon player, Adam McPhee.
West Coast, Port Adelaide and Essendon will have the final three selections in the pre-season draft.
The pre-season draft will be conducted electronically, with the 16 clubs linked using Microsoft Live Meeting technology.
That will enable club staff to lodge their selections from their home state or club base, while the AFL Football Operations Department will run the drafts from the AFL offices.
At the conclusion of the Pre-Season Draft, the Rookie Draft will commence, with pre-selected rookies being named first.
The Swans will add Irish lad Chris McKaigue to the list after he impressed the club’s manager of player development, Stuart Maxfield and recruitment consultant Ric Barham.
“They were impressed with his athleticism for the game, and how he moved during the games they¹d seen him play in Ireland,” Beatson said. “He looked as if he’d be able to transfer those attributes comfortably to AFL.”
Importantly, McKaigue, from County Derry, has shown a real commitment to playing the Australian game. “Chris has been very passionate about joining the club after being overlooked in 2008. His passion to play the game and his attitude are first class,” Beatson said.
Sydney has also notified the AFL it will select Nathan Gordon, who will be elevated to the rookie list after being a NSW Scholarship holder with the club.
Beatson said Gordon had trained with the club for the past year and impressed both on the training track and during Swans reserves games.
“Nathan has been promoted off our NSW scholarship program and he’s been very impressive in the past year. He is a fantastic endurance athlete, way up there with our elite,” Beatson said.
“He’s shown that he may be able to go on and make it at the next level and he thoroughly deserves his chance.
“For Nathan now it is about believing in himself, that he can take that next step and become an AFL player.”
The Swans are also hoping to add Albury boy Dylan McNeil to the rookie list, to join other rookies retained from this year in Mike Pyke, Jake Orreal and Taylor Gilchrist.
McNeil played for the NSW-ACT U18 team at this year’s national carnival, and was selected in the All Australian team. He’s also been a dominant midfielder for the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup.
Beatson said the final pieces of the list would fall into place tomorrow, capping a busy time for recruitment and coaching staff. “It has been an amazing change. Just on our primary list of 38 players, there are nine new players added through the trade period and through the draft already.
“And then if you count Tadhg Kennelly as a new recruit, that is a total of 10 new players, which is a massive percentage of your list, so we are pretty excited about the future.”
The Sydney Swans playing list is finalised on Tuesday and the Swans want to make sure you're also part of the team. To join up, or to renew your membership, please go to sydneyswans.com.au/membership, or phone 1300 663 819.
