How the Swans found gold in the scrapheap

“WITHOUT giving anything away, we spend as much time on the rookie draft as we would the national draft,” Sydney recruiter Kinnear Beatson says.

Take a peek at the Swans’ backline to face Geelong at the MCG tonight and Beatson’s philosophy becomes no surprise. Rookie, rookie, rookie, rookie, rookie and rookie.

With the exception of the courageous Callum Mills, who Sydney’s talent academy groomed into a Rising Star after he grew up dreaming of a rugby career as a Wallaby, Beatson’s team has assembled a defence from the draft’s alsorans. And it is the envy of the AFL.

Sydney ranks No.1 for points against (74.2), No.1 for points conceded from clearances (25.1), No.3 for points conceded from turnovers (46) and No.1 for scores conceded per inside 50m (42.1 per cent). It is a stingy set of players fuelled by drive and work rate.

When Jake Lloyd was 13, the half-back springboard was woken by a personal trainer at 3am for vigorous workouts in his Horsham shed.

When Lloyd belatedly received his lifeline he was always going to grab it.

“When you meet those guys they think their chance to make it has gone, and they’re desperate to do it,” Beatson said. “You know they’re going to give it everything they’ve got.”

Sydney has lost two of its past 17 games, both to Hawthorn and both without Lloyd, through an early concussion and a late withdrawal.

After taking Lloyd, Beatson plunged for Grand Final player Xavier Richards, AllAustralian Dane Rampe, Dan Robinson, Brandon Jack and ruckman Sam Naismith. A rolled gold rookie draft.

“A lot of credit has to go to the work Johnny Blakey, Rhyce Shaw and Nick Davis have been doing in the development arm,” Beatson said.

“You’re never sure they’re going to go on — if you were why would you take the risk of leaving them until the rookie draft? There’s an element of luck with it all.

“There have been drafts there where we’ve had a list of 5-6 players and we’ve either won the flag or finished high on the ladder, and they’ve all been gone halfway through the first round of the rookie draft. “That can be deflating.” Sydney’s stoppers also follow the premiership template. The backline that held Sydney in last year’s Grand Final was comprised of key backs Dale Morris (rookie), Joel Hamling (delisted free agent) and Fletcher Roberts (pre-season draft), complemented by Jason Johannisen (rookie), Matthew Boyd (rookie) and Shane Biggs (rookie).