Four new faces join Swans

The Sydney Swans have added four new faces to their 2024 Telstra AFL Draft squad.

Victorian Jesse Dattoli and South Australian Ned Bowman joined the club on Wednesday night as first-round draft players, while seniors Riley Buys from Werribee and Riak Andrew from Dandenong were selected on the second night of the draft.

PICK 22 – JESSE DATTOLI

With the club’s first choice, number 22, Jesse Dattoli arrives at the Swans from Northern Knights and Vic Metro.

A proven player whether in midfield or forward, Dattoli has good skills on both sides of his body and is strong overhead for his size.

He joined the Northern Knights as a 16-year-old in 2022 after good form at youth club Ivanhoe, where he managed to score 28 goals in 12 games. The highlight of his season the following year, 2023, was a four-goal haul against Murray Bushrangers, and his strong form for the Knights led to a call-up to the Vic Metro team.

He averaged 23 disposals per game with the Knights in the 2024 season and appeared in all four games for the championship-winning Vic Metro team.

Sydney Swans head of strategy and player selection Chris Keane said he and the Swans player selection team were delighted to retain Dattoli’s services.

“We really thought highly of him and are thrilled to have him as our first choice,” Keane said.

“He’s an attacking midfielder who we think can develop into a really good midfielder over time. His football fundamentals are really strong and we think he can offer a lot of flexibility over time.”

PICK 26 – NED BOWMAN

Joining the Swans in number 26 will be highly-rated Norwood forward Ned Bowman.

Bowman caught the attention of the AFL world in the SANFL under-18 season with an incredible goal in round three against the Woodville West Torrens Eagles. Youngster Norwood, with plenty of X-factor, has produced a number of Player of the Year contenders throughout the season and has been the club’s first choice goalkeeper.

South Australia’s representative at the National Championships, Bowman’s notable performance was against Western Australia, where he was named the team’s best player, kicking three second-half goals.

While some suggested Bowman was a “bolter” for the Swans’ second choice, Keane said the young South Australian had impressed Sydney recruiters all year and was on their radar.

“It’s always interesting, I’m not sure where they get their ratings from, but we’re turning down orders for all the work we’ve done in a year, so that’s all we can do.

“We really like his qualities. He’s a really good athlete who’s going to add some speed and power to the first half of our game.”

“We wanted to address that part of the pitch if we could, but also match it with the talent we have, I think it ticked both boxes, which is really nice.

PICK 41 – RILEY BICE

After a successful season in the VFL, senior defender Riley Buys was selected by the Swans on night two of the 2024 AFL Draft at pick 41.

Hailing from the Albury Tigers and Werribee FC, the 24-year-old was instrumental in winning this year’s VFL premiership, averaging 21.1 disposals, 6.9 points and 4.8 interceptions this season.

Buys’ strong outside running and kicking ability earned him a place in the 2024 Smithee VFL Team of the Year. His promotion to the AFL was the icing on the cake of an outstanding year.

Keene said Buys is a story of perseverance and his athletic ability and experience were hard to beat.

“Riley is a really good story, he comes from Albury, he persevered with his football and it took him a while to come through the system but he worked his way up to play some really good football for Werribee this season and deserves his chance “.

“He’s a flanker-midfielder who has really good pace and stamina and that’s a very difficult combination to find.”

“He’s played at VFL level before so it’s a slightly different scenario for the under 18s who don’t have that experience so we expect Riley to adapt quite quickly.”

Pick 55 – Riak Andrew

Rounding out the second night, Riak Andrew – brother of Gold Coast Suns star Mack – joins the club at number 55. The tall 193cm defender returned to the Dandenong Stingrays in 2024 as an older man to develop his skills after years of failure as a result of injuries.

A graduate of Melbourne’s Next Generation Academy, Andrew is renowned for his unorthodox speed and ability in the air. Having played in positions all over the pitch, he established himself in the back line and finished the 2024 season strongly, displacing a number of key strikers in domestic championship games.

Keane said it was great to lock down Andrew, a key player for the club.

“He is a promising player in a key position who we rate very highly. We are thrilled to have him selected and are excited to fill this position as needed.”

“Riak was in the pool last year as an 18-year-old but was overlooked. His form at the end of this season has been very good and he has worked very hard to get his chance.”

In other draft night news, QBE Sydney Swans Academy player Joel Cochrane has been selected 47th to Collingwood FC.

Speaking about his choice, Chris Keane said:

“First of all, it’s great for Joel that he was able to make the list.

“The other part is that northern academies are adding talent to the national pool. We were one of three clubs that transferred players to their academy, which can happen. It’s probably good for the competition, but at the end of the day we were happy with the number of players we rated and we ended up putting Riak (Andrew) quite high in our rankings and that convinced us in our decision.”