Sydney needs talls at both ends of the ground, and it could mean some big trade and free agency plays. David King reveals the stunning stats behind a potential Swans raid.
David King and Daniel Hoyne take a look at the stats and trends from round nine of the 2023 AFL season
Stats revealed on this week’s episode of Pure Footy show the Swans have the worst profile in the competition over the past six weeks aside from bottom three clubs Hawthorn, West Coast and North Melbourne.
And King says there is no quick fix with several key talls nearing the end of their careers and an injury list that features some of the club’s most important players.
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“I think they’re going to have to be the most active club at season’s end with free agency and trade,” King said.
“We’ve talked a lot about Paddy McCartin, we may not see him again, Tom McCartin has to be a question mark. Sam Reid we’re not going to see for the season, Dane Rampe has got that neck issue and he’s nearly 33.
“(Joel) Amartey’s almost 24 and he’s played 17 games, we don’t really know what he is as a player, and Logan McDonald is still only 21 but is he going to be able to replace Lance Franklin? I’m not convinced just yet.”
Sydney is stacked with exciting midfield talent like Chad Warner. Picture: Phil Hillyard
Esava Ratugolea could be on the Swans’ radar. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
King said the Swans were paying for some recent draft misses – in 2017 they took Matt Ling (delisted) when the next four picks were Zac Bailey, Ed Richards, Jack Higgins and Brandon Starcevich, while Oscar Allen went later in the same draft. In 2019 Sydney chose Dylan Stephens (37 games) at pick 5 over Caleb Serong, Kysaiah Pickett and Hayden Young.
“They are going to have to chase an Esava Ratugolea or someone like that to bolster their key back stocks, and then try to make do in the forward line,” King said.
“They’ve always wanted a marquee player, so who is that, and can they actually drag them out of another club?
“I’m worried about Sydney. I love their midfield, but maybe they’ve got to cut a couple free to get some quality talls back in the door.”
Also on this week’s show, King and Champion Data analyst Daniel Hoyne reveal the 12 players in the competition who rank top 100 in all three key phases of the game, how much Harry McKay’s inaccuracy is hurting Carlton and Hoyne’s big bolter for the Rising Star Award.