Swans, GIANTS Fantasy Draft

The Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney GIANTS, this year in particular, are reaping the benefits of academies that started many years ago.

Both teams will pocket high end talent this year.

The Swans will pick up Isaac Heeney, a touted top 5 pick all year, Jack Hiscox, and Abe Davis.

Meanwhile, the Giants will secure Jack Steele and promising key position player Jeremy Finlayson.

Pick 18 – Isaac Heeney – Swans Academy – 185cm – 82kg – Midfielder.

If this was an open draft without father-son or academy selections, few would question the decision of St. Kilda if they called out Isaac Heeney’s name at pick 1, such his is talent.

Heeney has had a massive 2014. He averaged 27 disposals and 8 tackles in TAC Cup for NSW/ACT, won the Harrison Medal as the best player in Division Two of the Under 18’s competition and played 6 games for the Sydney Swans NEAFL side, averaging 18 disposals in the process.

At 19 years old Hiscox is an over age selection this year, like GWS’ Jack Steele. He is a former 800m National Champion. Hiscox impressed many at the Draft Combine by breaking the 3km time trial time and running a 16.1 beep test.

He played two games for NSW/ACT at the Under 18s championships this year, averaging 18 disposals in the process.

Hiscox already has the running and endurance capacity for AFL; it’s just a question of whether he can improve as a footballer, much like Hawthorn’s Billy Hartung last year. But he has shown a capacity to get forward and kick a goal often.

While slight, Hiscox doesn’t shy away from a tackle and leaves nothing left when going for a tackle, something that will impress the Swans.

Abe Davis will be an interesting long term project for the Swans. He looks comfortable down forward, taking pack marks and kicking goals, but he also looks very comfortable in the defensive 50 as a key defender.

He already has a mature frame, weighing 90 kilograms, and will only get stronger over the pre-season. This will help him in the NEAFL next year, where he already has played for the Swans reserves, to help shut down the opponents number one key forward.

Pick 37 – Caleb Daniel – South Adelaide – 167cm – 66kg – Small forward/Midfielder

One of the shortest players in recent draft history, Caleb Daniel is an immensely talented young man. He hits targets; he runs all day and is cool under pressure.

At pick 37 it is a bit of a stretch, but Daniel could be one of the best players of the draft, and more importantly, make his impact on senior football in his first year.

He was super impressive at the Under 18 Championships for South Australia. He averaged 20 disposals at 92% efficiency which is elite. He also produced a man of the match performance against Victoria Country, kicking 3 goals, laying 8 tackles and gathering 27 disposals.

His slight frame hasn’t held him back this year though. He has played senior football in the SANFL with South Adelaide, against mature bodies, and shown he can match it with the big boys.

Daniel will be a speculative pick wherever he goes due to his lack of height, but once you look past that glaring weakness, you will find a supremely talented individual who can have a big career in the AFL.

Pick 58 – Pass

Picks 94, 112 and 130 – Pass

Steele is the first player picked from Canberra since 2009 and it has been worth the wait as the Giants have their hands on a top 15 talent in this year’s draft pool.

His contested game is the standout feature of his game. He loves to tackle and isn’t afraid to get inside and win the ball for himself and his teammates. He can also win the ball on the outside and use it very effectively, whether it is hitting up a teammate or kicking for goal, he rarely misses the target.

His Under 18 Championships for NSW/ACT were brilliant. In 3 games he averaged 20.6 disposals per game, as well as 2 goals a game. These incredible numbers led him to winning All-Australian honours and winning the NSW/ACT MVP award for the Championships.

He isn’t particularly fast, but with some training his speed will increase. His endurance capacity will also hold him in good stead for the upcoming pre-season.

Finlayson will be a long-term project for the Giants. Currently recovering from surgery, he will miss most of, pre-season, putting him behind the eight ball early on.

Finlayson, an endurance athlete, impressed many this year during the Under 18s Championships with NSW/ACT, where he averaged 13 disposals, 3.7 marks and a goal a game, and later on with the GWS Giants NEAFL side. In a late-season NEAFL game he had 27 disposals, took 13 marks and kicking 2 goals, incredible numbers for a young key forward playing against mature men.

But the question for Finlayson is where will he end up playing? He looks comfortable up forward, but then he looks like a natural down back, floating around taking intercept marks with ease. He could easily become a swingman like Harry Taylor or Ben Reid. It’s a good dilemma for the Giants to have.

A case could be put forward that Jarrod Pickett would be the most exciting player in this draft. He’s quick, recording a 20m sprint time of 2.87 seconds. But it’s what he does with his speed that sets him apart. He breaks the line consistently, much alike to Lewis Jetta in 2012.

The one query on Pickett is his defensive running and awareness, but a pre-season, as well as senior experience, will help accelerate him to a level where is defensive efforts are top notch.

Pickett averaged 14 disposals during the Under 18 Championships for Western Australia, as well as kicking 7 goals in 6 games.

Pick 6 – Jake Lever – Calder Cannons – 193cm – 84kg – Key Defender

Lever is arguably the most intriguing prospect in the 2014 Draft.

He dominated at TAC Cup level for the Calder Cannons, even being touted as a #1 pick, but unfortunately tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament, forcing him to miss all of the 2014 season.

But despite this, he still remains one of the top prospects in the Draft, and one I feel the Giants have to take. He’s just too good to pass up and has immense potential.

Lever is a shut-down defender, often dominating his opponent, but can rebound quite effectively, which will bode well for him in his AFL career. His adjustment to the AFL will take time has he isn’t quite the height for a key defender and still has quite a bit of muscle to add to his frame.

De Goey is one of the best contested ball winners in the draft, as well as one of the real hard workers in the draft, which will complement the already star studded GWS midfield. He also is quite adept playing up forward and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him turn out as a medium forward with the occasional pinch hit into the midfield.

De Goey is brilliant overhead and this showed in the TAC Cup Grand Final as he kicked 3 goals playing as a forward for Oakleigh in their brilliant win. With this, combined with his contested ball skills and work rate, he should have a smooth transition into the AFL scene.

He had a solid Under 18 Championships for Victoria Metro, averaging 15 disposals at 74% efficiency, as well as averaging 3 marks.

De Goey will be a great addition to the Giants. Once he improves his outside ball skills he will be a mainstay for the Giants in the years to come.

Pick 23 – Daniel McKenzie – Oakleigh Chargers – 183cm – 77kg – Half Back

McKenzie made a huge impression on recruiters at the Draft Combine, finishing top 10 in most of the athletic testing, which included a second place finish in the agility test. His draft combine, plus his great year, will see him a talent the Giants will happily take.

He’s fast, really fast. He’s versatile. He can damage you with his foot skills. He can defend. He’s all you want in a half back flanker, and more.

He only played the one Under 18’s Championship game for Victoria Metro, but amassed 18 disposals to go with 3 marks. McKenzie had an average start to the TAC Cup season, but improved after the Championships greatly, playing with new found confidence.

If McKenzie can improve his offensive game from half-back, and he will need to at AFL level, he will complement an already improving GWS backline.