THE TRADING CHRONICLES 2010 by The Oracle

PRELUDE

The Draft Combine has been and gone, we've seen records broken, young players measured, tested and interviewed and most of us don't know what to make of it all but then it seems that everything to do with our national sport is calculated to confuse.

The past week has been a perfect example of the chaotic state of the game and it wasn't even meant to be part of the footy season. In the same week that our cricketers donned their whites for the first Test Match of the summer, we saw a new coach appointed, another complaining of burn out, a champion player defecting to a new club, others bailing out and asking to be traded and, oh yes, a premiership was won and lost.

And if you thought it was all over, done and dusted, then think again because next week, it's really down to business. The exchange period is about to start but, as we've been saying for some time on this site, it's different this year ... and it will be different next year.

In 2010, everything is dominated by the spectre of the Gold Coast Suns.

To demonstrate how great is the control the new franchise over the entire AFL trade and draft regime consider the coming week as heralding a new form of chess match played under the following conditions.

The newbies from the Sunshine State are the black and, as such, they have the advantage of making the opening move but that's just the start of it all. The black begins with a board that has all sixteen black chess pieces intact: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns.

The other sixteen clubs are represented by the white but, under the unusual rules of this particular game the white is at a disadvantage from the outset because there are only ten white pieces. The white starts with only three pawns and has no queen.

From the outset, the white king is under immediate attack (in "check") and there is little room to manoeuvre, to remove or defend it from attack on the next move. Well you might ask the question: how long will it take therefore before the black checkmates the white's king?

That's the reality of how this trade and draft is going to pan out and it's too late to cry foul because the die was cast a long time ago.

Late last year a large chunk of the draft pool was removed and the Suns were given the option of taking twelve of the best 17 year olds born before the end of April 1992. Only one of these youngsters has removed himself from the equation and that was because he elected to take up a cricketing contract.

Then the Suns were given the opportunity to snare one out of contract player from each of the other clubs and a much more extensive salary cap limit, giving them the opportunity to pick their targets and enabling them to gain an upper hand in the process of bidding for their services.

The Gold Coast was even afforded the luxury of naming David Swallow as their number one draft selection for 2010 even before the Demons could name Tom Scully as their first pick for 2009. They've now preselected Harley Bennell and Sam Day as their next two draft picks of 2010 and they have another half dozen selections in the first round.

There are more steak knives in the hands of the Suns' recruiting people. If they wish they can pick up and/or on trade a number of players from outside the AFL who have previously been in the system or nominated for the draft. What this means is that next year's Michael Barlow and James Podsiadly will most likely play for or be traded by the Gold Coast.

The cumulative effect of the trade and draft concessions available to the Suns has prompted one club chief to comment that the new franchise was "well-placed to dominate the next decade."

They may be well placed to dominate but, as the reigning premier proved yesterday, it's not enough to make good trades and draft wisely. There's plenty of work and development that needs to go into the players once they reach their football destination. In Collingwood's case, it's clear that the Magpies now have the leading edge in this area including the latest scientific developments that have managed to keep their list fit, healthy and primed for on field success.

Despite all that, the focus in the coming week will be on the Suns as they go into this week's trades carrying all of the aces, most of the pawns and an extra team and that should be sufficient to keep most of the other clubs in check.

And I'll be there following the action once again in The Trading Chronicles...

Completed Player Movements and Dealings to date:

■ Gold Coast receives Gary Ablett (Geelong), Nathan Bock (Adelaide), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Jarrod Harbrow (Western Bulldogs), Nathan Krakouer (Port Adelaide), Michael Rischitelli (Brisbane) as uncontracted player selections

NAB AFL Draft selection numbers are indicative only. Gold Coast draft compensation selections do not yet have a number assigned to them. The above list shows only where selections may be placed if no compensation selections are activated.

No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2.00pm on Monday, October 11.

[The Oracle will be back from time to time over the next eight days to unravel the dramas of the AFL's trade week as they happen ... ]

Fine points, with just one slight error. In chess the white usually go first. But maybe it can just be put down to new GC rules.