Pretty happy for the most part.
As much as an A grader would help, we are not that kind of club yet. We need to build our own culture before attracting the top cattle.
We now have a good mix. We have the 23-26 year old bracket along with some more senior blokes and kids.

I get the feeling that Bernie might be our oldest player these days. That being said our middle age bracket is a lot stronger and deeper as well so that isn't necessarily a negative either.

Our losses weren't devastating either. Toump was shagged the moment he walked onto the pitch in round 1 2012. He walked into a team that was the worst incarnation of the MFC that I have ever seen; one that got wiped off the turf in his first game. His confidence was shot from that moment.
Howey has some of the physical tools required but is a bit too flaky for mine. Can do the spectacular but then has a brain fade or fails to execute when he needs to.
Overall, I'll give our trade period a B+ because a lot does hinge on us winning 10-12 next year and leaving GCS with a pick outside the top ten when they could have been looking at a top ten pick.

Not sure if our 3 pick ups, plus upcoming draftees will see us playing finals SWYL.

No stars in that lot, but obviously we are hoping for 3 x solid role players, who give a physical contest. On that score, we are miles ahead of what we have lost.

Im sure that the full realisation will hit us next year, in the supposedly strong draft, when we get to trade time, and our first tradeable pick is maybe pick 28 to 30. Yuck.

Lets hope our blokes are on the money, and we score 2 A grade players with 3/7 this year. Otherwise our schit eating grins might not be so big in 12 months time.

Personally, I would love to see the miracle completed tomorrow, with Watts and/or Grimes traded for 2nd round pick for next year, that we can convert into a first round pick, via academy trading.

Did I mention that I am a huge fan of the new Academy points system?

edit for too many commas. Apologies to my old English teachers, for wagging too many classes.

The club has seriously backed itself to go up the ladder

If that happens we then should be able to cash in on FA

Remember for 2016 we have 3 top 10 players coming into the side if we include Petracca...

The club has seriously backed itself to go up the ladder

If that happens we then should be able to cash in on FA

Remember for 2016 we have 3 top 10 players coming into the side if we include Petracca...

Yeah, but......

3 x first year players, even if A graders, are not going to drag us into finals, unless they are like Cripps from Carlton

Yeah, but......

3 x first year players, even if A graders, are not going to drag us into finals, unless they are like Cripps from Carlton

2015 was actually Cripps' 2nd year after being drafted.

Yeah, but......

3 x first year players, even if A graders, are not going to drag us into finals, unless they are like Cripps from Carlton

No, but the improvement in the 2nd, 3rd & 4th year players is...

The club has seriously backed itself to go up the ladder

If that happens we then should be able to cash in on FA

Remember for 2016 we have 3 top 10 players coming into the side if we include Petracca...

4 if we include Trengove...

No, but the improvement in the 2nd, 3rd & 4th year players is...

Of course it will.

But that has nothing to do with our trading this year, and thats what this thread is about rjay.

Im hopeful, same as you are mate.

2015 was actually Cripps' 2nd year after being drafted.

I know that DD

My point still stands. He came from nowhere, much like a new draftee, to be an A grader. Thats the point I was trying to make.

Sorry if it was poorly worded.

4 if we include Trengove...

Trengove is a long way off playing senior footy to any level. I still doubt he will make it

He has one year to try

Everybody is assuming that Carltank and Brisbane are automatically going to draft Weitering and Schache however what if they don't? Last year we collected Petracca when everybody expected St Kilda to take him so stop banking Parish until this is all over!

Trengove is a long way off playing senior footy to any level. I still doubt he will make it

He has one year to try

Round 1, next season 'SWYL'...

A week ago you were all ready to hang Mahoney from the nearest yard arm

Even as late as 3pm you weren't happy because you could have done better.

Honestly you are all a bunch of half back flankers.

They have delivered what they promised and more in spades.

You may say what happened to the Big Fish?

The draft isn't over yet. There is still room to move.

I am more than happy with the result. A+

We could be like s

St. Kilda with a line drawn through a nose.

4 if we include Trengove...

yep, and we have the three imports also. I think there is a good chance one of them will hit a stride with our coaches and the role he is given and become a valuable contributor. The other two should at least be better versions of the fringe players we will inevitably be forced to field when injuries occur. Add that to the 4 aforementioned top10 picks coming in and we should be looking at a notable improvement on our weekly 22.

Trengove is a long way off playing senior footy to any level. I still doubt he will make it

He has one year to try

That's not right is it? I thought he is on the path to being ready for round 1 barring any further setbacks.

Yesterday I would have rated this trade period a D for deplorable. At that point we'd traded for Melksham in a deal nobody is really sure if we did ok or not and we'd been shafted on a multi-club deal where we lost Howe and Toump and gained Kennedy and chump change.

Today, I can only admire the wheeling and dealing that went on to improve our draft position. Ending up with picks 3 and 7 is an amazing result from that starting point.

Upgraded to a B

... and we'd been shafted on a multi-club deal where we lost Howe and Toump and gained Kennedy and chump change.

Hang on, we got a second round pick for Howe. That's chump change? If so, I'm sure you'd be over the moon with the Melksham deal, only having to pay "chump change".

Hang on, we got a second round pick for Howe. That's chump change? If so, I'm sure you'd be over the moon with the Melksham deal, only having to pay "chump change".

I don't think there's much in the second round this year to excite. I'm torn on the Melksham deal because I really don't rate him, but again we only paid pick 25 which in this draft is a pretty poor pick.

Everybody is assuming that Carltank and Brisbane are automatically going to draft Weitering and Schache however what if they don't? Last year we collected Petracca when everybody expected St Kilda to take him so stop banking Parish until this is all over!

Yeah fair call. But the reasoning behind Schache to Brisbane is fairly simple - his old man played for the club, and Schache has longed for the opportunity to play for Brisbane, he appears (at least what I read) to desire Brisbane. On top of that, Brisbane are unlikely to take Francis - due to their poor record with SA kids of late. Also, they really are screaming out for a KP player, so that perhaps works against Parish landing there anyway. I won't try make a case for Weitering as a lock to Carlton though, because you are right, anything can happen.

Is it possible we pull off an 11th hour deal for Aish?

Happy with the trade and if it remains with 3 & 7 rate it an A.

Have had a smile on my face since I heard the swap of picks trade with GCS.

B for mine, simply cos we didn't land an A grader.

Really like that the club has backed itself in to be successful in 2016 - cos if we aren't then no first round pick in 2016 is gonna hurt. It'll mean we definitely need to do a few agency acquisition - and Rich is the only one I could potentially see coming to us and benefiting us immediately.

Edited October 21, 20159 yr by DemonAndrew

For me, the best thing to come out of this trade period was the canny-ness of the FD and recruiters, who have quietly played a great game of cards, with a bit of bluff here and there, to put us in a better position than we were 3 weeks ago. That's all you can ask - it's up to the coaches to turn it into on-field success.

B for mine, simply cos we didn't land an A grader.

We landed 2 A-grade picks. Not quite the same, but close enough for me.

Overall, A - because going down the route we chose (maximising draft picks), we couldn't have done better. We could have perhaps have landed Prestia (or similar), but then we'd be out of this draft before the second round at the earliest. And perhaps the next one as well.

The bwst part of the trade period was getting rid of Howe

The image of Buckley lying back in the sun Bali stroking Howes ego will explode in Collingwoods face when they realise he is a soft under-performing dumb footballer who still thinks speccies are enough. Will just love not to see him run out in red and blue

These guys know what they are doing.. Have done very well and getting the right type of player into the club... Tom Bugg looks and plays like a marauding Viking... These guys are hard nuts and fighters...