They also have an extra 1 million in their salary cap. That's why they can win a flag, lose a premiership ruckman and try and replace him with Peter Everitt. Also helps you overlook a draft, just buy them ready made.

The Swans won a flag in 2006 with a fair helping of injury and poor competition luck.

We keep on this arguement the extra on the salry cap has bugger all to do with anything. If money meant you would win we would have won every year under Elliott and his brown paper bags

So it is just a coincidence that 4 of the last 5 premeirships have gone to clubs who have larger salary caps.

I think you will find it has more to do on how much their footballing departments are spending to obtain the flag ( Look at Adelaide) - More than the salary cap issue . If it was just player payments then we would have 20+ flags by now

Well heres the thing - it AIN'T a science and its as much luck as anythig else. If it was so bloody easy, then how come players like Aaron Davey still get left to 5th round?

Just luck?....If its just luck we need then Joe Hachem the poker champ should be our recruiting officer then ...bit of bluff from Joe during trade week and we should be right...
Glad I wasnt on plane with any of the recruiting staff during 97-2000....they seem to get unlucky a lot....
James Fantasia must be one lucky bloke..I'll get next weeks tatts numbers from him and see you all later....

Glad I wasnt on plane with any of the recruiting staff during 97-2000....they seem to get unlucky a lot....
James Fantasia must be one lucky bloke..I'll get next weeks tatts numbers from him and see you all later....

I wouldn't want to try to defend our recruiting policies pre 2002 but since then I think we've done remarkably well.


The first two drafts we had limited picks due to the penalties but still managed to pick up Simpson, Fisher and Walker. Should we have taken so many retreads? Maybe not but look at where the picks are and look at who else was still available in those drafts. The main reason some of those guys made it onto our list was because we had spaces that had to be filled that were created by retiring players and others who didn't have a future at Carlton.

2002 National Draft
Pick 45 Kade Simpson Eastern U18 U18 VMFL
Pick 60 Cameron Croad Oakleigh U18 U18 VMFL
Pick 72 Brad Fisher Eastern U18 U18 VMFL
Pick 79 Karl Norman Wangaratta Rovers VCFL
Pick 84 Mick Martyn Kangaroos AFL

2003 National Draft
Pick 2 Andrew Walker Bendigo U18 U18 VCFL
Pick 57 Ricky Mott Fremantle Rookies
Pick 63 Glen Bowyer Hawthorn AFL
Pick 69 Jordan Bannister Essendon* AFL
Pick 72 Adrian De Luca Port Melbourne VFL
Pick 75 Stephen Kenna Box Hill Hawks VFL
Pick 78
Pick 80



The following two drafts we've drafted as well as anyone might have hoped considering our picks.

2004 National Draft
Pick 9 Jordan Russell West Adelaide SANFL
Pick 25 Adam Hartlett West Adelaide SANFL
Pick 41 Luke Blackwell Swan Districts WAFL
Pick 73 Chris Bryan Frankston VFL
Pick 77 Anthony Raso Dandenong Stingrays U18

2005 National Draft
Pick 1 Marc Murphy Oakleigh Chargers U18
Pick 4 Josh Kennedy East Fremantle WAFL
Pick 20 Paul Bower Peel Thunder WAFL
Pick 36 Jake Edwards Western Jets U18

2005 in particular looks like the best draft we've ever had. We got the best small, the best tall and two handy guys who (at this early stage) look like they'll play a lot of games between them.

I've marked those I think have a long term career in front of them in bold. No idea on Raso at this stage as I haven't seen him and he's still young. Very pleased they took a punt with an underage player with a late pick though.

Over the last two years that's 7 and possibly 8 long term players out of 9 picks.

Throw in Rookie's such as Bentick, Thornton and Carrazzo and Eddie Betts and Nick Stevens in the Pre-season and we're doing extremely well. Anyone suggesting that's not good recruiting has very little idea about the odds involved in picking players.

Also got Stevens in the PSD in 2003. When it seemed obvious we were going to get Stevens I would have gone down a normal line of drafting in 2003. Walker/Stevens, equivalent of 1 & 2 picks of other sides, was probably better than a normal sides 1st and 2nd round picks anyway. And we got Scotland for a 3rd round pick, the odds being he'd be better than most 3rd rounders.

Sorry, your muddling me a bit here Jim.

Most sides get simple round 1 & 2 picks. My belief that year that Walker and Stevens (given his class) were that equivalent despite the loss of picks. Hence, given that senario, we should not have gone down the line of picking too many re-treads in the draft as we did that year. Scotland being an exception given we got him for a 3rd rounder, as he would've been better than most 3rd round selections.

The argument that we stuffed up by going for retreads is easy in hindsight. In defence of those who made the decisions at the time, we have had a great deal of success historically with retreads. Think of the '95 premiership team, and you can see that it had Pearce, Rice, Clape, Manton, and Hogg. Even in 1999 we made a Grand Final with Trent Hotton, Glenn Manton and the like.

The difference between 95 and 2003 was that those guys (95) had Kernahan, Williams, Peter Dean et al to play alongside. It helped them look better than they may otherwise have been.

While those involved with recruting at the time (2003) should have been able to recognise the differences and adopt a new mindset they didn't. I'm not trying to defend the recruiting - but it is easy to see how the people involved based their mistakes on those who have previously been lauded as successes. Also, as someone who was an avid reader of The Blue View at the time - I don't remember too many people coming out and criticising the recruiting at the time.

Drafting is hard.... it is only hindsight that makes it easy.

Move on... to me the current side is showing some real glimpses of our future.