SYDNEY Swans senior coach John Longmire is confident the Club will be able to recruit a very good youngster with its first pick, number 21, in next month’s national draft.
When the deadline for player trades passed at 2pm today, the Swans were pleased with the way the trade period panned out for the Club. The Club recruited Andrejs Everitt and kept its first pick in the draft, and is poised to pick up three other players with picks 39, 56 and 73.
Longmire said the aim every year was to finish the trade period with a stronger playing list and he believed that was the case again this year.
After Patrick Veszpremi requested a trade to a Melbourne club, the Swans were excited to secure a deal that has brought versatile Western Bulldogs player Andrejs Everitt to Sydney.
“Andrejs is a very flexible player and at 195cms we’re confident he can play a number of roles for us. We’re rapt to be able to get him here,’’ Longmire said.
While the Swans also negotiated with Justin Sherman and offered pick 21 in exchange to the Brisbane Lions, Longmire said in the end he only wanted players who genuinely wanted to play in Sydney.
“Justin wanted to go to Melbourne and be part of the football culture in that town. Our recruiting manager, Kinnear Beatson, is pleased we still have pick 21 in next month’s draft,’’ Longmire said.
The Swans drafted five players last year - Gary Rohan at pick 6, Lewis Jetta at pick 14, Sam Reid at pick 38, Byron Sumner at pick 54 and Trent Dennis-Lane at pick 55. All apart from Sumner played senior football this year.
“At the end of the day we want to back our recruiting staff to bring very good players to the Club, as they did in last year’s draft,’’ Longmire said.
Premiership player Paul Bevan, whose manager had explored other opportunities after Bevan was dropped for the semi-final against the Western Bulldogs, will stay with the Swans.
Longmire said he was pleased that Bevan, 26, would remain with the Club where he started his career as a rookie in 2003. “We’re confident Bevo will be a valuable player for us in 2011,’’ Longmire said.