A formidable second half to the year for new Sydney draftee Riak Andrew cemented his journey to the AFL, with the Swans - who had an interest in the younger brother of Gold Coast sensation Mac Andrew at this year's Mid-Season Draft - selecting the over-age key defender.
Andrew was eligible for the 2023 AFL Draft and went unselected before earning another chance with the Dandenong Stingrays this year, while he would also be selected by Vic Country for their contest against the Allies in July.
The athletic 193cm backman managed to overcome injury concerns to also feature at the senior level for Eastern Football Netball League outfit Berwick and made a pair of appearances for the Young Guns in their showcase game ahead of the AFL's mid-season intake.
The Swans had planned to bolster their tall defensive stocks with a draftee who will be afforded the time to develop his craft in the Harbour City, with Andrew seen as the perfect fit with Sydney's final selection at Pick 55 on Thursday night.
"Another really good story for a different reason, overlooked as an 18-year-old, and the brother of Mac who is a really good player," Sydney recruitment analyst Chris Keane said.
"He's he's had some injuries, but he's really persisted. He was probably more on our radar from the mid-season, he was in the mix from a mid-season point of view.
"Clearly from that point on we kept tracking, and with our need for a key back and a developing key back, which is something we wanted to address if we could, that was of high importance.
"We're really happy to bring him in in the end."
Riak's older brother has taken the AFL by storm over the past 12 months to emerge as arguably the most exciting young key position player in the competition.
The Gold Coast utility enjoyed a breakout year at Carrara last season and was rewarded with a contract extension until the end of 2030, with his rise in a Suns jumper exciting for the Queensland club.
The fifth overall pick from the 2021 draft, Andrew was a significant bolter in draft year and has continued on his stellar trajectory since.
The Swans know Riak will blaze his own trail at the top level but see great upside and parallels in the brothers.
"I think it helps when you see that level of development (in Mac), but Riak's a different player to his brother," Keane added.
"I think the most important thing for us was we saw that rate of development throughout the year with Riak.
"From where he started to where he was at mid-year when we were interested in him at the mid season, and to where he ended up at the end of the year, we're comfortable with that rate of progression."
A member of Melbourne's Next Generation Academy, the Demons decided against matching a bid for Andrew but expressed their delight in seeing the promising tall land on an AFL list.
"We're really happy for Riak and the Andrew family," Demons national recruitment manager Jason Taylor said.
"And it's good for our program because we have seen steady improvement, like Riak coming back as a 19-year-old. It's been noticeable, his improvement.
"For him to get an opportunity with Sydney is terrific."
As Melbourne decided against matching a bid on Andrew, the Swans' selection came after they too went against matching a bid for club-tied backman Joel Cochran.
The AFL Academy prospect fetched a bid from Collingwood at Pick 47, with the Swans ecstatic to see a player from their pathways land on an AFL list, even if it wasn't with Sydney.
"We took a key defender at the back end and felt like that was a need we could take late," Keane said.
"We certainly looked to address those needs where we could, but I think the important thing for us was the talent also aligned early on.
"It's always a tricky one, but first and foremost we're really happy for Joel that he got an opportunity with Collingwood and gets on an AFL list, which is great.
"More broadly for the national competition, (it shows) the Northern Academy is probably working and bringing some more talent through the AFL competition on different lists.
"At the end of the day, we were comfortable with how many names we had left and the players that we rated pretty highly, and were fortunate that one of them in Riak got through."
Sydney recruited four players at the National Draft, taking first-round picks Jesse Dattoli (Pick 22) and New Bowman (Pick 26) on night one before also acquiring Werribee defender Riley Bice (Pick 41) to commence their night two haul.
