Always always always draft best available players with early picks.

We all know what happens when we draft for needs *cough* Molan *cough*.

Always always always draft best available players with early picks.

We all know what happens when we draft for needs *cough* Molan *cough*.

Except in a year when there is 1 talented big, and a bevy of gun mids?

There are always exceptions to rules.

This is one of those times.

As for Molan, that wasn't just choosing for needs instead of best available.

It was choosing for needs in spite of the available talent to fit the need being significantly less than what was available.

At pick 2 in a midfielder's draft, this would not be the case.

Let all do 'Chip' a favour. He'll have less sleepless nights knowing Hogan and Boyd are on his side.

I'm all for going MIDS MIds and mids, but Boyd is too good to pass on, IF he is available.

Better still Boyd can have the luxury of biding his time with Casey for the better part of the year. As much as we drool over Hogan not being able to front up this year, Boyd be a better player for it in the long term as Hogan is doing now.

We wonder why our delevopment is shite, its because we are forced into 1st year players being thrown to the wolves.

Hogan and Boyd are 2 that can handle playing men, but even they need time to settle in. Other point IF we are in a position to grab Boyd,we do it, but he plays for Casey, then should Clark, Watts ,Dawes or Hogan go down, he comes in off the bench, we ease him into it. We would also have the luxury of rotating our gun forwards off the bench,therefore keeping them fresher.It would be a defenders nightmare trying to keep all under control. add in the factor they would 'blow up' trying to keep running with them.

Toumpas and Viney have had a year to get a feel for it, so this will help us in 2014.

Trades and PSD or all the remaining picks, we go all out for the best mids on the table.

You hear other clubs starting to oppose us getting a PP, perhaps we wont get one, they know our list isnt as bad as it seems.

We grab Boyd, and snag a quality mid or 2 or 3, its game on.

I do not in any way endorse the following action, but it could be worth a look:

We have a quiet chat to GWS and determine whether they plan on taking the lad.

We then farm out a couple of our tall forward-types for a ready-made mid or two (probably need to hand off draft picks as well)

Having made space in our forward line we draft Boyd to be the long-term buddy to Hogan.

The problem here is finding a forward who has currency to get us a good quality mid in exchange. Realistically that would be Clark or Dawes, and I don't think we want to part with either one. If Fitz really turns it on for the rest of the season we could get some value for him to one of the sides who need a forward, so that could be another option. Watts would of course be the other option, but I would be very reluctant to give him up now that he's finally showing something. We'd want a genuine A grader in exchange.

As I say, I don't actually advocate going down this path. It sounds a bit like selling out the present for a chance at a stronger hand in the future. However, it could be a worthwhile exercise to think about exactly how we could play it to get maximum advantage.

Seriously, if we draft Boyd when we have 37 tall forwards and 1 consistent midfielder we deserve to move to Tassie...

Seriously, if we draft Boyd when we have 37 tall forwards and 1 consistent midfielder we deserve to move to Tassie...

Seriously, Name ALL of the 37 tall Forwards on our list then.

I agree on the 1 consistent mid.

Seriously, Name ALL of the 37 tall Forwards on our list then.

I agree on the 1 consistent mid.

I was being facetious. We obivously don't have 37, but we have enough.

I wouldn't be against taking Billings.

I reckon that kid is going to be something pretty special.

Other than that, Sheed and Scharenberg have the points on the board and look ready made, especially the latter.

We don't need Boyd, we already have Hogan, Clark, Dawes and Watts in our forward line for 2014.

Combine this with Howe - who plays taller than he is - and we do not need Boyd.

Plus his injury could hamper him in the future, I thought it looked severe.

Blind Freddy can see that we are in desperate need of quality midfielders. However....

Does anyone else think that should we be given a priority pick after our first selection we should try to draft Tom Boyd if GWS pass on him? With Jamar looking a shadow of his former self i wouldnt mind Mitch being moved into the permanent ruck role ( provided he can get back on the park on a permanent basis) with Gawn being back up/playing the roaming tall role around the ground.

The flexibility this would provide us with could see us having a potential elite spine down the track. The only fallback i could see is too many talls (Hogan, Boyd, Dawes) playing in the forward line but with the amount of injuries to so far to Clark and Dawes it would be a problem i'd be happy to deal with and work around

IF Clark gets back, and that is a big IF, he should never ruck again (other than maybe the odd forward pocket boundary throw in). He is far too valuable as a KPP forward.

And Fitzy's last two weeks may evoke a bit of a rethink about the future ruck and forward structure.

Seriously, if we draft Boyd when we have 37 tall forwards and 1 consistent midfielder we deserve to move to Tassie...

100%

take boyd, for mine. We wont be challenging for another 3/4 years at least by then Clark and Dawes are closer to 30 and both had significant injuries which may hamper them in the future. Once they are gone or ageing do you want to rely only on Watts and Hogan when we are really peaking? you can never have enough gun KPP's and they are very hard to trade in, unlike midfielders, which are much easier to gain through trade or FA. Chances are we wont get another shot at a gun KPP after this draft. Chances of gaining a good mid in the late first round is much higher then finding a kpp. GET HIM.

Always always always draft best available players with early picks.

We all know what happens when we draft for needs *cough* Molan *cough*.

Cough Cook cough

Stephen Wells and Derek Hine have ALWAYS maintained that you take the best available. They're the best in the business.

That'll do me

Cough Cook cough

Cough Gysberts cough. Cough Scully cough. Cough Tapscott cough. Cough Maric cough. Cough Strauss cough. Cough Bennell cough. Cough Jetta cough.

Need I go on?

take boyd, for mine. We wont be challenging for another 3/4 years at least by then Clark and Dawes are closer to 30 and both had significant injuries which may hamper them in the future. Once they are gone or ageing do you want to rely only on Watts and Hogan when we are really peaking? you can never have enough gun KPP's and they are very hard to trade in, unlike midfielders, which are much easier to gain through trade or FA. Chances are we wont get another shot at a gun KPP after this draft. Chances of gaining a good mid in the late first round is much higher then finding a kpp. GET HIM.

If he is that good and we get the chance, I agree.

I think Franklin would have to sign a contract, then be traded.

From memory, there is a moratorium on trades immediately after a player has signed, i.e. they can't be traded til the next season, unless the player themselves decides to waive that right.

Convoluted and exceptionally unlikely in my eyes.

I don't think the AFL would like any draft tampering, which these 'creative' deals could be seen as... integrity?

Honestly, I'm all for best available, but what makes anyone think that's Boyd?

He's huge, he's good, but he's not a number 1 pick.

Cough Gysberts cough. Cough Scully cough. Cough Tapscott cough. Cough Maric cough. Cough Strauss cough. Cough Bennell cough. Cough Jetta cough.

Need I go on?

Have some of this before you go on....

we have talls that we believe can carry our forward line for the next 5 years or more, but we are DESPERATE for mids. no point having 4 or 5 talls in the forward line if we cannot get it down there. Sure we could probably play Boyd or someone else down back or make them ruck rover but that is still not going to cover the positions we need. Is the difference between Boyd and the top midfielder so pronounced that we would sacrifice filling a major hole to get him?

Cough Gysberts cough. Cough Scully cough. Cough Tapscott cough. Cough Maric cough. Cough Strauss cough. Cough Bennell cough. Cough Jetta cough.

Careful. Go through the entire litany and you'll end up with pneumonia.

Edited July 1, 201312 yr by Grapeviney

take boyd, for mine. We wont be challenging for another 3/4 years at least by then Clark and Dawes are closer to 30 and both had significant injuries which may hamper them in the future. Once they are gone or ageing do you want to rely only on Watts and Hogan when we are really peaking? you can never have enough gun KPP's and they are very hard to trade in, unlike midfielders, which are much easier to gain through trade or FA. Chances are we wont get another shot at a gun KPP after this draft. Chances of gaining a good mid in the late first round is much higher then finding a kpp. GET HIM.

Hogan alone should do.

Midfielders are "easier to gain through trade or FA" because there are more of them. The trick is trading in a quality mid- and just like quality KPP's, quality mids are not traded out under normal circumstances. Name the last quality mid Melbourne successfully drafted and explain to me how it's so easy.

Have some of this before you go on....

Thanks.

Best available any day. Draft for talent, trade for need.

If that is Boyd, take him. If is Sheed or Dunstan or Aish, so be it.

We trade or FA for some quality mids such as Daisy, Adams or Anthony. We have a good back line, a good forward line. We need mids that have experience, are high quality and are ready to hit the ground running. Put those three mids in our line up next year with Roos or Williams as coach and we are a vastly improved side.

Oh we trade or FA some quality mids just like that, seems so simple yet we've never done it. Somebody should email the club.

We have no excess quality to use in a trade, our only option is to pay overs for a FA.

Who is available, and in good health?

We must take Boyd if the opportunity is there. He's the best. We have Mitch and Dawes, which helps someone like Hogan and Boyd take the 3rd and 4th defender, then you throw in Howe.

Geez i wouldnt want to oppistion trying to figure out whom to stop.

Also your talking the next 10yrs for Boyd as appose to Clarke and Dawes.

Also thinking back we chose Watts over Nik Nat, cause we wanted a forward ?

Had we needed a Ruck we would have gone Nik Nat. Geez how things change now.

We swap them in a heart beat.

Ok im changing my thoughts on the back of What Hogan, Watts and Dawes is showing, then you have Clarke and Howe.

So I think we take the best midfielder. Must be Taller midfielder who is tough, kick it a mile, can mark overhead and be quick with great skills. Im not asking much. Anyone fit that bill in the U18 comp ?

Edited July 1, 201312 yr by Deano74