One Pick From A Premiership: Sydney Swans
The Swans have been the recipient of many draft picks over the years. Zone selections, predraft selections, uncontracted player selections and other compensation picks all went their way. But the 1996 Grand Final appearance was setup by the Lockett trade, the 2005 triumph was in large part due to trades for Hall, Jolly, Davis and others. While the Swans did have quite a few players in those teams that they had drafted, they had also missed with a lot more of their picks. The Swans didn't need the extra picks, they just needed to identify talent better.
The 1991 draft had the Swans turning picks 4, 6 and 17 into Andrew McGovern, Paul Burton and Anthony Cole. In 1992 Sydney traded away pick 2, and with their 6 other picks they drafted players who would play a total of only 1 game for the Swans. 1993 was a bit better, but they had 6 picks in the top 30 so it would be hard to miss. But it still wasn't a great return from picks 1, 4, 5, 20, 22 and 28. The players picked at 5 and 20 did play in the 1996 Grand Final, Heuskes and Chapman. 1993 was the year that Gaspar went at 1, Sydney also took Glenn Gorman at pick 4.
But an earlier draft could have loaded the Swans with players who would have become veteran stars and an important part of the 1996 Grand Final team, in 1988 the Swans really missed with their picks. They started with Dion Scott at pick 8 and then followed with Paul Holdsworth, Nick Chigwidden, Jim West, Andrew Bishop and Gareth John. John, taken with pick 106, was probably the best of the lot.
The 1988 draft included players like Michael Sexton, Michael Long, Anthony Stevens, Tony Francis and Chris Grant. Taking any one of those players might have changed Sydney's fortunes. Dunkley, Roos and Bayes were a solid defensive combination for the Swans in 1996 but adding Michael Sexton to the Swans backline might have changed the 1996 Grand Final result. The Kangaroos had McKernan and Carey, and could also put marking options like Roberts, Sholl and Allison up forward too. Seymour, a young O'Loughlin and Heuskes could play tall but Sexton was a bit taller and was at the top of his game at that time.
One good point for Sydney about the 1988 draft is that it did provide players for the Swans, but it took a while for them to get to Sydney. Daryn Cresswell was drafted by Geelong. Derek Kickett was originally drafted by North Melbourne and would play with Sydney after several eventful years with Essendon.
Sydney scout the talent a lot better now than they did back in the 1980s and early 1990s. Proof of this is the late finds that include Malceski, Schneider and Buchanan. If the Swans were as successful at drafting in 1988 as they are now they might have another cup, if not more, from the Lockett, Roos and Kelly teams of the mid 1990s.
Tomorrow: West Coast Eagles
The 1991 draft had the Swans turning picks 4, 6 and 17 into Andrew McGovern, Paul Burton and Anthony Cole. In 1992 Sydney traded away pick 2, and with their 6 other picks they drafted players who would play a total of only 1 game for the Swans. 1993 was a bit better, but they had 6 picks in the top 30 so it would be hard to miss. But it still wasn't a great return from picks 1, 4, 5, 20, 22 and 28. The players picked at 5 and 20 did play in the 1996 Grand Final, Heuskes and Chapman. 1993 was the year that Gaspar went at 1, Sydney also took Glenn Gorman at pick 4.
But an earlier draft could have loaded the Swans with players who would have become veteran stars and an important part of the 1996 Grand Final team, in 1988 the Swans really missed with their picks. They started with Dion Scott at pick 8 and then followed with Paul Holdsworth, Nick Chigwidden, Jim West, Andrew Bishop and Gareth John. John, taken with pick 106, was probably the best of the lot.
The 1988 draft included players like Michael Sexton, Michael Long, Anthony Stevens, Tony Francis and Chris Grant. Taking any one of those players might have changed Sydney's fortunes. Dunkley, Roos and Bayes were a solid defensive combination for the Swans in 1996 but adding Michael Sexton to the Swans backline might have changed the 1996 Grand Final result. The Kangaroos had McKernan and Carey, and could also put marking options like Roberts, Sholl and Allison up forward too. Seymour, a young O'Loughlin and Heuskes could play tall but Sexton was a bit taller and was at the top of his game at that time.
One good point for Sydney about the 1988 draft is that it did provide players for the Swans, but it took a while for them to get to Sydney. Daryn Cresswell was drafted by Geelong. Derek Kickett was originally drafted by North Melbourne and would play with Sydney after several eventful years with Essendon.
Sydney scout the talent a lot better now than they did back in the 1980s and early 1990s. Proof of this is the late finds that include Malceski, Schneider and Buchanan. If the Swans were as successful at drafting in 1988 as they are now they might have another cup, if not more, from the Lockett, Roos and Kelly teams of the mid 1990s.
Tomorrow: West Coast Eagles
