Trade HQ: Check out all the big list calls facing Sydney this off-season
What is Sydney planning? The club that pulled off the Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett deals in back to back years has plenty of cap space. But they’ve also got their own stars they want to keep.
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What is Sydney planning?
That is one of my biggest questions heading into the upcoming off-season.
Last year the Swans went hard at Collingwood pair Darcy Moore and Tom Langdon and while they missed out on both, it is clear they have some cash to splash.
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Does the club which pulled off the Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett deals without anyone knowing have another big move in store for this off-season?
If the Swans do land a big fish, I’d expect it to be down back.
With Heath Grundy retiring, that leaves Aliir Aliir, Lewis Melican and Dane Rampe. Based on who they targeted last year, it is clear this is the area of the ground the club is most concerned about.
While they started the year looking a long way off being a finals side, the Swans deserve a big tick for the development of their kids.
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As the likes of Josh Kennedy, Kieran Jack and Jarrad McVeigh move into the latter stages of their careers, I have full confidence Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Will Hayward, Oliver Florent, Tom Papley and Nick Blakey can carry this club forward without needing to bottom out.
One area of concern I’ve got for the Swans is on the forward line.
The Lance Franklin and Papley combination is a winner but I still have question marks over Sam Reid’s consistency.
While he has shown glimpses of brilliance with bags of six or seven goals, the gap between his best and worst is too big. Now at 27, the Swans really need him to deliver a level of football they can rely on.
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THREE PLAYERS SWANS RECRUITERS ARE WATCHING
Zak Jones
Zak Jones knocked back significant interest from Melbourne clubs when his last deal was up, choosing to remain a Swan. But a couple of years down the track, the 24-year-old is still a man in demand. The Swans would hate to lose his electric speed off the backline and through the midfield.
Tom Papley
Tom Papley’s stocks have soared this season and he is set for a sharp pay rise on his next deal. The 22-year-old is contracted for one more year but that won’t stop clubs asking the question at the end of the season. Carlton would absolutely love a player of Papley’s skill set in its forward line.
Darcy Cameron
The big ruckman is in a tough position at the Swans, sitting behind Callum Sinclair and the soon to return Sam Naismith in the pecking order. However, he is clearly too good for the NEAFL. In a move with similar risk/reward value to Richmond’s recruiting of former Swan Toby Nankervis, a number of clubs hunting ruck depth will be looking at him.
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Brayden Sier
How long can Josh Kennedy continue to be Sydney’s midfield bull? It might be time to look to the future. Plenty of footy fans were surprised to see Brayden Sier spend the first half of the season in the VFL and he is still unsigned beyond this year.
Dan Butler
With Daniel Menzel yet to consistently fire at the Swans, more small forward depth could be on the club’s radar. Having been in and out of the Tigers side throughout the past two years, Dan Butler could be the perfect fit. He booted 30 goals in Richmond’s premiership year.
Lewis Young
The Swans went after Darcy Moore and Tom Langdon last year and missed both. But they are clearly in the market for young defenders. Lewis Young fits that bill in name and age. After drawing comparisons to Jake Lever in his debut season, he’s struggled for senior opportunity the past two years and could benefit from a fresh start.
RATE THE 2018 TRADE PERIOD
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After watching his output drop dramatically across the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the loss of Dan Hannebery certainly hasn’t hurt the Swans. In fact, getting his salary off the books means the club will hit this year with plenty of salary cap space. Not all the departures have fallen in the club’s favour though. Losing Gary Rohan from the forward line and replacing his output with Dan Menzel has been far from a like for like. Rohan has already booted 22 goals for the season, which is just three shy of his career best across nine years with the Swans.
He is on track to finish with upwards of 40 goals which is a huge win for the Cats considering he cost only pick 62 in return. Meanwhile, Menzel is finally up and running after starting his season in the rehab room and coming through the NEAFL. He is yet to make any significant impact at the top level though. The jewel in the crown looks like it has come out of the draft, with the club snapping up the supremely talented Nick Blakey. The forward with athleticism to burn, Blakey has already shown why some experts rated him one of the top young prospects in the draft pool.
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