The Josh Dunkley dilemma: why Sydney opted out

Josh Dunkley had nothing against the Swans. He has spent plenty of time in Sydney over the last year or two, and knew when he nominated as a father-son pick last Friday that if that's where he ended up, he would be at a strong club that would look after him and help him become a better player. Similarly, the Swans knew Dunkley well, as a tough, competitive kid who would do whatever he could to improve. 

Dunkley was one of the most intriguing stories in Tuesday night's draft. Mostly – obviously – because he became the first father-son player to get passed up by his dad's old team, and go to the one that bid for him.

He wasn't alone. Dunkley became a Bulldog at pick 25 but not long after that the Lions opted not to match North Melbourne's bid for academy onballer Corey Wagner, making that decision because their next selection was only a few slots away, because it was their final pick, because they had other players ranked higher and knew at least one of them would make it there.

Josh Dunkley was one of the most intriguing stories in Tuesday night's draft. Photo: Pat Scala

"We just thought, 'Well, OK, we'll hang in there'. We had a few ideas about who might still be there," said list manager Peter Schwab. The Lions ended up with a key defender, Sam Skinner, at pick 47. "It's tough, but that's what the new system is about. Fundamentally, you still have to go with the best player when it comes to your pick."

That's what the Swans did too. But the lead-up to them passing on Dunkley was far more interesting than what happened to Wagner. At the start of the year, the 18-year-old would have been seen by a number of clubs as a likely first-round pick, given his form as a 17-year-old and his attitude. He's a ripper. At the start of the year he had already spent some time at the club, learnt things, been assured by the coaches he had different things to offer than their other inside onballers, become close to some of the players and enjoyed himself. But he had grown up in Gippsland, and liked the thought of playing closer to home when it was time for his turn.

That desire never went away, but things became more complicated. Dunkley was held up by a back injury at the end of January. Finished at school, he moved to Melbourne to live with his sister, do less driving and be closer to his treatment. He came back through the Richmond VFL team, rather than the Gippsland Power, which some recruiters thought was the wrong way around, and for all his effort had a disjointed year. Everyone knows how tough he is, that he knows how to win the ball and that he will compete until the end. But the question marks over him at the start of the season – his pace and foot skills – were still there when it ended.

Still, the Bulldogs saw him in their first 25. They say he would have been on their minds at No. 11, had they not traded it for two picks in the 20s. The Swans could have matched that bid without going into deficit, but chose to take two picks in the 50s instead of him. (They would still have had to pick a third player later in the draft, in order to fill their quota, and possibly would have got one of the two boys they chose after letting Josh go).

Dunkley's hesitation – he signed on as a father-son nominee just before the deadline – came after no club could guarantee they would pick him. That's almost impossible for any club to do, unless they're choosing in the first few. It led to speculation that the Swans would let him go to a Melbourne club, but be there as a back-up in case a club from Adelaide, Perth or Queensland called his name.

Not so, say the Swans. They have had a closer look at Dunkley than any club but the Tigers, and understood his flaws and how he compared to player-types they already had on their list. They had to pitch 30 picks ahead in a not-so-great draft when discussing who might be there, but felt as though they needed to get some good kickers into the club and that they would have options. Tyrone Leonardis offers that, plus some run and creativity. The Swans rated Jordan Dawson's foot skills highly, too.

Time will tell. "It's always a tough call when it comes to father and son players, but as a recruiting department our job is to take the emotion out of it, to look at the needs of the list, look at what else is available in the draft and make the best possible decision," said Sydney's list manager, Kinnear Beatson.

"Josh is a fierce competitor and he'll maximise his chance and he'll do well at the Bulldogs, so it was a difficult call but that's what this business is about.

"We've lost Nick Malceski, Lewis Jetta, Rhyce Shaw and Adam Goodes in the last two years, and our foot skills need some attention. It was one of the major focus points for us leading into this draft and we think the two boys we picked up are both really nice left foot kicks who'll help us improve in that area."