AFL experts rate this year’s two top draft picks among best ever, but Sydney won’t compromise on wins
Experts rate this year’s likely top draft picks among the best ever. However, that doesn’t bother Sydney, with coach John Longmire saying the club won’t compromise on trying to win week-to-week.
Sydney
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The Sydney Swans can be comforted that if they finish in the AFL dungeon this year there’s two young men waiting with the keys to the elevator back up.
According to AFL recruiters, there are two standout prospects and then daylight third in this year’s batch of talent, prompting former St Kilda star and Fremantle analyst Leigh Montagna to declare battling clubs will “want to be finishing bottom two.”
Matt Rowell — a Cameron Ling lookalike and Joel Selwood player-like — and Noah Anderson — son of former St Kilda and Hawthorn footballer Dean — are being billed as two of the best prospects in recent history.
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John Longmire, who officially opened Sydney’s new Moore Park training facility and reflected on his surpassing of predecessor and mentor Paul Roos for most games coached at the Swans, could not have been any more emphatic in reinforcing the fact Sydney are categorically committed to being competitive in every match this year, regardless of the evolution that is underway.
Chief executive Tom Harley is also on the record saying the Swans weren’t in the business of “bottoming-out”.
However, Longmire has already conceded the club has entered a new phase and fans will need to show patience in a young group of players who will take time to learn the game. As it stands after six weeks, the Swans are equal last with North Melbourne and Melbourne and have the added blow that superstar Lance Franklin (hamstring) has been ruled out for another week.
Sydney hasn’t had a top pick at an AFL draft since Darren Gaspar way back in 1993, but according to Montagna, this looms as a year where finishing in the bottom two, or executing “amazing trades” to get up the draft, could provide access to a player who could turn the tide for a struggling club.
Although it’s only April and a full season of under 18s is yet to play out, Montagna described this year’s draft as a cutthroat race to the bottom.
“My understanding, speaking to recruiters, is that picks one and two in this year’s draft … they are both better than Sam Walsh (last year’s No. 1 pick who has had statistically the best start to a season by a draftee in more than 16 years),” Montagna told Triple M.
“Then there’s a bit of a gap. So you want to be finishing bottom-two and get that pick, as opposed to the rest.
“That’s how big a pick it could be for a club that finishes bottom two this year.
“There is incentive this year to be getting picks one or two and you might even see some amazing trades to get up in the draft order to potentially get there.”
Doubt remains over how much more AFL football Sydney veterans like Kieren Jack and Heath Grundy can realistically be given if the club is rebuilding.
But Longmire declared no decisions will be made that compromises the weekly competitiveness of his proud team.
“The challenge is to do that again (evolve the list) and stay competitive and that’s what we’re trying as hard as we can to do,” said Longmire.
“We’re still going out there to pick our absolute best team to try and win every week and that’s what we’re committed to do and we make no apologies for that.
“While they’re still learning about their game and it’s a different group coming together, we’ve still got to be as competitive as we can and that’s what we’re trying to do and that’s what we’ve been able to do over the years.
“We’re teaching, but we’re out there to try and win.”
Longmire said the club won’t risk Franklin, however he is strongly considering an ahead-of-schedule return from a broken jaw for fellow forward, Will Hayward.
He is proud to be breaking Roos’ record.
“We had a bit of a laugh on Saturday before the game. He’s been fantastic for my coaching career,” said Longmire.
“It’s a very proud (moment) to be able to do that. Paul Roos is a legend of this footy club.”
