On insider trading on AFL.com they are reporting that Dylan Stephens has put off contract talks and is out of contract at the end of the year. Was a pick 5 in the draft a few years back and is a great runner with a great tank. Maybe one to keep an eye on at the end of the year?

The style of athlete he is would compliment us really well.

Is he any good at footy though? Not so sure 

great runner, sure, but from what i've seen his kicking skills leave a lot to be desired

He looked to have really turned the corner late last year before having a nightmare grand final (like most Swans players).

He's a good runner but he's not skilled enough to rely on his ball use, not quick enough to really break lines and run away from trouble and not strong enough at the contest to be a reliable role player on the wing.

The upside is he's not far off in all 3 attributes and he only needs marginal improvement to suddenly be very useful.

If he's not a wingman due to the above flaws could he be a good on baller or high half forward who rotates on ball. He'd add much needed run and a pure left foot if he was in our midfield mix, but he'd need to prove his worth with contested ball and tackling.

Unless he's super cheap I doubt we can afford to take speculative risks, but if he's basically free to a new home then I'd be very keen.

I liked him pre-draft but he's struggled at AFL level. One of my best mates a Swans supporter, so I've watched more of their games than I'd have liked. He's not got great ball use, and doesn't really have a point of difference at the highest level. Swans supporters don't care if they lose him, which says a lot about a pick 5 a few years on. Unless he came very cheap, I wouldn't bother chasing him.

He'll likely head back home to SA I'd have thought anyway.

Kicked a ripping goal against us in the 2022 Qual final.

Fairly sure he'll make the grade.

  On 27/07/2023 at 01:07, Lord Travis said:

I liked him pre-draft but he's struggled at AFL level. One of my best mates a Swans supporter, so I've watched more of their games than I'd have liked. He's not got great ball use, and doesn't really have a point of difference at the highest level. Swans supporters don't care if they lose him, which says a lot about a pick 5 a few years on. Unless he came very cheap, I wouldn't bother chasing him.

He'll likely head back home to SA I'd have thought anyway.

School was in Adelaide, but he's actually from Red Cliffs in Victoria. Not all that much difference between Melb or Adel in terms of being close to family if they are still from there. It's a long drive either way.

Finlay Macrae is another mid that isn't getting a look in at Collingwood due to their midfield depth.

I'll confess I haven't seen him play in the VFL this year so perhaps there are other reasons he's not getting a game as well. Seems to appear in their bests and has high numbers more often than not though. Anyone here have a view on him a couple years into the system?

Might be an option if JJ leaves.

Reminds me a little of the talk about Lingers before he got here, great runner but big deficiencies with disposal and contest. All the Freo supporters were saying Langdon's disposal will kill us but he'd only be any go being fed too. So he could be a player we could develop, but we've already got Langdon and Hunter entrenched, with some talk about Henry from Freo - who'd offer a better point of difference. I think if he was super cheap, and we had the list spots! He'd be ok, but not a pressing need for us at all. 

I think Stephens is a player and one who’d have got good opportunities at the Dees. He has tough competition at the Swans with Gulden, Wicks, Campbell and Mcinerney all preferred.
Unfortunately he’s probably on the market 12 months too late.  
We recruited Hunter to fill the wing role on the left hand side on he’s entrenched imv. (if we didn’t recruit Hunter, then I’d be keen to consider Stephens for a 3rd round pick). 

I’ve watched quite a lot of hime up here in Sydney. The knocks on his disposal are a bit harsh. He’s not that bad. There are just a lot of similar players ahead of him at Swans atm. He’s not that tall and nothing especially stands out but he’s going to be a decent player. Having said that I’d take Liam Henry over him in a heart beat. Has some x factor and a bit more speed and class. 

Played the game of his life against us last year, so our coaches would have got a good look at him.  Might enjoy the extra space on the wings at the G…