Swan Districts continue AFL Draft Success
Thursday, 24th November 2011
By Chris Pike
THE Swan Districts Football Club has continued its outstanding production of young talent at today's NAB AFL Draft with Stephen Coniglio, Murray Newman and Corey Gault all being selected by three different clubs.
Coniglio was taken by the Greater Western Sydney Giants with selection No. 2 in the draft with the West Coast Eagles selecting Newman at No. 23 and then Collingwood picking up Gault at 65.
The result of having three players selected in the national draft continues the recent success that Swan Districts has had of providing players to the AFL system, which has included Nic Naitanui, Chris Yarran, Todd Banfield, Jeff Garlett, Clancee Pearce and Lewis Jetta just in the last three years.
With the prospect of several other players being closely looked at in next month's pre-season androokie drafts as well, the work that the Swan Districts Football Club has put into its talent development programs in recent years is clearly paying handsome dividends.
Coniglio signalled his star potential back in 2010 when he moved seamlessly into league WAFL football by starring in Swans' premiership victory alongside Andrew Krakouer in the one-point grand final win over Claremont.
He has gone onto captain Western Australia at this year's national 18s carnival, win the Larke Medal as the best player of the tournament and at just 17 years of age, has shown that he is an elite leaguefootballer in his 11 games with Swan Districts.
Newman is an incredibly naturally talented footballer with lightning speed and outstanding skill, but throughout the second half of 2011 he really came on in leaps and bounds by earning a regular spot in the league side.
The 18-year-old played eight games in the end, averaged 13.5 disposals a game and kicked sevengoals to show that he is more than capable of matching it with men.
Nothing but sheer hard work was behind ruckman Gault ending up drafted to Collingwood. The 19-year-old 198cm big man was dominating colts and reserves football by the end of the 2011 WAFL season earning himself a league debut.
Coniglio has been touted as a top draft pick for more than 12 months and after the natural sportsman decided for football ahead of a potential cricket career, he was delighted to be taken with the second pick and to end up at the Giants under Kevin Sheedy.
"I feel fantastic. It's a lot of months of build-up to the draft and to finally get it over and done with, and seeing who was the No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 pick, and it's a massive honour to be part of that," Coniglio said.
"It's going to be tough for us for the first few years, which has been pointed out across the footy circle, but I think that in three, four or five years we'll see the rewards. The set up they've got and the people at Greater Western Sydney is pretty exciting.
"It has been my dream to play AFL and I'm ready to move over, and get stuck into pre-season training now."














