IN RECENT years the NAB AFL Rookie Draft has become an avenue for clubs to give discarded players another chance or to downgrade senior-listed players as rookies. It has been a day for second or third-timers rather than new faces.

But there is still value in going to the rookie draft with an aim to choose the youngster who has yet to taste the top level instead of the mature-ager who has been spat out or pushed sideways. Just look at Sydney.

The Swans had 10 players in their side against Hawthorn last week who were either still on the rookie list or started their career there, including match-winner (and third-gamer) Ben Ronke. It probably would have been 11 – half of the team – had a hamstring injury not sidelined defender Lewis Melican.



BEN RONKE The Bomber that got away

There was Ronke, Jake Lloyd, Dane Rampe, Harry Cunningham, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith, Daniel Robinson, Kieren Jack and Tom Papley, while Callum Sinclair began his career as a rookie at West Coast before being traded to the Swans.

Sydney, under list manager Kinnear Beatson, heads to the rookie draft with a focus on picking players to fit their needs. They take their time between the national and rookie drafts – which in recent years has been about three days generally – to look at the players leftover in the pool, assess their specific needs and then find the player to fit.

That was certainly the case with Papley, who was overlooked in the 2014 and 2015 national drafts before the Swans grabbed him in the 2015 rookie intake. They were searching for a specialised small forward, knowing there was a gap on their list.

It was his speed, tenacity and goal sense more than his family history with the club (both of his grandfathers played with South Melbourne) that saw them side with Papley. The former plumber has been a revelation since, kicking 64 goals from 48 games and showing no signs of slowing up.

Sydney has used the rookie draft to target and secure specific qualities in players. It was Cunningham's outside run and pace that took their eye, and Ronke's speed and power were the standout attributes they liked in his game.

Last week's seven-goal hero had limited interest from clubs in the lead-up to his draft in 2016, although Essendon was considered a near certainty to list him as a Next Generation Academy category B rookie had he slipped through the rookie draft.

The Bombers, under the rules that year, could have added him outside their regular rookie list because his mother had South African descent, seeing him qualify in their zone under multicultural eligibility. Port Adelaide had also shown some interest, but it was Ronke's (at times) wonky kicking that saw him slip through to the Swans.

Sydney also does its due diligence. The Swans look at the rookie list as a chance to expose and develop a player's scope. That's why in 2014 they took a shot on Melican.



After not receiving an invitation to the national or state draft combine, they privately tested the Geelong Falcon, something they are able to do under AFL rules. The tests confirmed his speed and power.

Those results also supported the anecdotal evidence of his development across the season, which had seen him start the year as a teammate that No.1 pick Paddy McCartin would find a straightforward match-up at training, but it became a much tougher task for key forward McCartin as the season wore on.

Every club has its current rookie success story – or stories. Adelaide has had significant success in that area, including All Australian Rory Laird, Hugh Greenwood, Jake Kelly, Kyle Hartigan and Sam Jacobs and Josh Jenkins – rookies drafted at rival clubs.



Rory Laird has been an amazing pick up for Adelaide. Picture: AFL Photos



The Western Bulldogs' premiership contained a strong rookie presence that is still at the club, including Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen, midfield gun Luke Dahlhaus, stalwart Liam Picken and defender Dale Morris.

Geelong, too, gets plenty out of its rookie selections – Mark Blicavs, Jack Henry, Zach Tuohy, Zach Guthrie, Stewart Crameri, James Parsons and Sam Simpson are among the originally rookie-listed players to have donned the blue and white hoops this season.

Other notable rookies around the competition include St Kilda captain Jarryn Geary, premiership Tigers Jason Castagna and Kane Lambert, Freo ruckman Aaron Sandilands, star Eagle Jeremy McGovern and speedy Essendon forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.

But few do it as well as the Swans. It's also worth remembering Collingwood half-back sensation Sam Murray was traded from Sydney last year where he was originally selected – yes, you guessed it – as a rookie by the Swans.

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