I've been thinking about the next 2 drafts after this. It might not be the wasteland that many predict. Clubs with players aged 21 - 23 may well be in a strong position to trade with the new clubs for draft picks, which I think they have to do. This may leave us with the ability to trade up for some picks. I mean if we only win 4 games next year and finish bottom, we're in for some priorities anyway. Add a couple of trades and we may be able to pick up some talent next year as well. Just a thought.

I know, I know, we will hopefully win more games than that but we might not and there's every chance we'll finish bottom again.

Controversial I know. Lets hope we do win more than 4 games next year. Its a long way off, and they're is alot of water to go under the bridge and still some development to go, but one wonders if Ricky Petterd might want to go back home to Broadbeach on the Gold Coast one day. He maybe an option for trading with the new licensed team one day.

Then again, he may want to stay a Demon and be a one-club player.

Controversial I know. Lets hope we do win more than 4 games next year. Its a long way off, and they're is alot of water to go under the bridge and still some development to go, but one wonders if Ricky Petterd might want to go back home to Broadbeach on the Gold Coast one day. He maybe an option for trading with the new licensed team one day.

Then again, he may want to stay a Demon and be a one-club player.

I reckon we'll finish between 10 & 12 next year.

I reckon we'll finish between 10 & 12 next year.

Well that would equate to approximately 7 to 10 wins, that would definitely be some improvement. Others here may want the team to finish lower for quality draft picks.

Well that would equate to approximately 7 to 10 wins, that would definitely be some improvement. Others here may want the team to finish lower for quality draft picks.

Even though I'm advocating tanking rather shamelessly this year (well, I hope we win as many games as we can and still finish last, and qualify for a priority pick ), I don't think anyone ever goes into a new season wanting to bottom out. That is just madness. Nobody wants to be awful, but when its painfully obvious that you are, in fact, awful, then you might as well embrace it.

Having said that, finishing 9-11 is probably the most worthless conceivable outcome.

... yeah, i put up a post that said the same thing about 3 months ago.......

the thing is you'll have to trade a player like that to get a draft pick as early as what you probably would've received if the new clubs weren't in the picture.

The only positive i could think of is that they might want some veteran players to be on-field leaders for the kids. This could mean you'd be able to trade an aging player that no one would take in any normal year. AND you'd be able to convince them to give you a better draft pick.

If a team has picks 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 & 19 for instance, then it'd be easier to convince them to give you pick 19 for a player. As opposed to a team that has picks 3, 19, 35, 52.

I'm just throwing numbers out there, I know that these combinations wouldn't be probable.

but yeah, this has all been said before... and having thought about it more, its still a crap situation. But we might be better off as the talent of ALL TEAMS will be diluted, bring us back to the pack.

We will be fielding a very inexperienced team next year - not much different to now and blooding some draft picks from last draft and the upcoming draft.

Realistically we will finish around 13 - 16 probably giving us 3 top 20 next year as well - reasons above.

We will not be tanking next year but it will be a big year of transition - most old faces gone and new responsibilities for young players who will be asked to step up.

The only way we can get a 13 - 9 finish IMO is to draft some 'average' mature cast offs from other clubs as Pagan did at Carlton a few years ago. As someone said in an earlier post - no point.

Let us just hope we can draft one or two good big forwards.

Just hope we end up with some success.

I posted about the golden opportunity the compromised drafts present us with months ago (before the Freo game I think) and what I've seen since has convinced me. Next year when most of the dead wood is gone we'll have the youngest list in the league by a country mile. In 5-7 years when the shonky drafts are starting to bite other clubs as the stars of today retire, we aren't losing anyone through retirements, in fact our list will be just starting to peak. We'll have a crop of 100+ game 23 year olds coming through. Brock will be 27-29, Nate Jones 25-27.

The premiership backline is already starting to take shape, our midfield has plenty of grunt it just needs to find some polish and a decent ruck, and the forwardline needs a tall or two. We've got 5 years to find the missing pieces of the premiership puzzle. 2013-2015, the three-deepeat.

The biggest obstacle we'll face is our supporters. People didn't want to trade Ferg, they whined like the club had shot their grandmother when a useless lazy partyboy like T.J was given the flick. A couple of years from now the hole in our list (26-28 y.o's from memory) will be retirement age. Competition for spots will be intense and there will have to be trades and delistings to ensure we're not in the same predicament we find ourselves in now re list management, 5 years further down the track. Some hard decisions will have to be made and some decent young talent may be traded. I just hope the members will stick fat during this period, it'll look like we're offloading blokes just as we're coming good

As long as we pick well this year, we should be alright. Patience grasshoppers. Let us not burden our thought with 2009 end of season yet, makes me feel too old!!!

The premiership backline is already starting to take shape, our midfield has plenty of grunt it just needs to find some polish and a decent ruck, and the forwardline needs a tall or two. We've got 5 years to find the missing pieces of the premiership puzzle. 2013-2015, the three-deepeat.

Seeing as our 150th has been dismal maybe we'll be having a solid tilt at the 2014 Premiership. Our 50th anniversary.

Seeing as our 150th has been dismal maybe we'll be having a solid tilt at the 2014 Premiership. Our 50th anniversary.

That'd be the middle one

when we next look like having a good year, we should ust claim it as our 200 year anniversary. it doesnt matter if its not really, as long as someone is celebrating an anniversary that year we can hi-jack it and claim it for our own...

the thing about the GC Concessions is that the GC club gets a massive advantage obviously, but it won't be of any use to them for many years - and since the other 16 clubs are 'penalised' equally then there really is no change in the levelness of the playing field. GC won't be threatening anyone, so it just menas everyone else misses those first picks. So it all becomes about the REST of the picks.... people will just be talking about picks 6,7 and 8 like they are 1,2 and 3 and it will be out of us and the other battlers to see who gets the best talent with them

It's only the first five anyway, that probably means 2 or 3 sides will miss out on one gun each. It's not that much of a bombshell.

the thing about the GC Concessions is that the GC club gets a massive advantage obviously, but it won't be of any use to them for many years - and since the other 16 clubs are 'penalised' equally then there really is no change in the levelness of the playing field. GC won't be threatening anyone, so it just menas everyone else misses those first picks. So it all becomes about the REST of the picks.... people will just be talking about picks 6,7 and 8 like they are 1,2 and 3 and it will be out of us and the other battlers to see who gets the best talent with them

It's only the first five anyway, that probably means 2 or 3 sides will miss out on one gun each. It's not that much of a bombshell.

Good Point. There will still be a lot of talent out there. The Recruiting staff will have to be really spot on with judgements.

It's only the first five anyway, that probably means 2 or 3 sides will miss out on one gun each. It's not that much of a bombshell.

Yes, thats right. The negotiations on picks between GC17 and the AFL and other clubs putting their two-bob's worth in is creating that bombshell for fans.

Its probably more likely that our team over seasons 2009-10 with new recruits will be what I call IMO "Synergy" years, where the youth and current required players (whatever the football department decides in list management), learn to play and understand each others game. Before they make real progress (Ie. Top8).

My understanding is that there will be no draft picks given to the new team next season, only in 2010. As someone stated on bigfooty the only difference next year will be the age raised somewhat, so if we do finish the season with less than 20 points we'll get the first 2 picks (or pick 1 & 3 depending on where we finish).

I think there's every chance that this could happen, and even though the age will be raised there will still be some very talented kids up for grabs.