Back on topic - Gaff is a little flaky but his work rate is great and his kicking can be very good - he's started taking too many soft options of late.

He'd open up the ground with his work rate and that would help us a lot.

But he's too expensive to trade for now and the Eagles will be compensated well enough to not take a cheap deal now.

I'm sure he'll be a big target next year and we have to win games and show him that we are a better option than Hawthorn or St Kilda and any other side that wasn't to lure him with big money.

27 minutes ago, Unleash Hell said:

I never said they were the same player Fifty 5, All I'm saying is the potential is there.

On that principle we should trade Weid for Josh Kennedy if we just want a better player without developing our own

I'm sorry but that makes no sense.

1 hour ago, Unleash Hell said:

It surprises me no one has asked him to build a tank

Maybe that's the problem...Let's be honest the 3rd tall is dead in modern footy (well 2017).

It's all about speed and pressure on the flanks and pockets. Watts doesn't have elite speed but he's not slow, and if he had a tank on a wing.... I would be excited

 

He played wing in 2015. Did well when matched up against the weaker opponents, when he came up against a strong body midfielder or a running machine he was torched.

He had a very good year in 2016 hitting the wings using his running and spending time as an undersized ruck. 

Promptly rocked up to 2017 in less than ideal condition. If you could just magically give him an elite tank he wouldn't be traded and he would be a star.

2 hours ago, DaveyDee said:

Contract or no contract you cant send them where they dont want to go. Put yourself in their shoes for one second - now think about what you just said. 

Of course they can

1 hour ago, DeeSpencer said:

I'd give draftees 3 or 4 year deals and allow them to be traded at will. If you aren't ready for the draft don't go in it. If you are then be prepared to move around a bit whilst you establish yourself.

Maybe throw in a franchise year for a 5th year for a one off 700k payment. After that players become restricted free agents and can move to their club of choice if another club satisfies their original club with draft compensation equal to contract value.

Then once a player has done 6-8 years they are true free agents open to move at will with the only compensation being end of 3rd round picks for clubs who lose more free agents than they sign. 

The trade period would be replaced by free agency and restricted free agency in October. Out of contract players like Lever (restricted) and Motlop (unrestricted) would be moving frequently.

Actual trades for contracted players would be open all summer.

Apart from the bolded bit I quite like this

There’s no way you could have players switching once preseason begins, but I would have no issues with free agency being open basically from the finals period through to the first two weeks of October for teams that are out of finals and the staggering it accordingly into the middle of November for the grand finalists, so effectively they get their six weeks mandated leave

Of course most players and agents are in conversations in excess of a year out of their contract expiriation now so the majority of finals players - such as Jake Lever - would make their intentions known after they are no longer representing their current side, as Jake did some three days after they last played

At some point we will, I think, find it relatively normal for players - such as Frawley, or Buddy, or Carlisle, etc. - would make it clear that they will be joining another team whilst playing in the last season for their current side

On Gaff:
- elite runner
- gets plenty of the ball
- pretty good user of it
- not the hardest player ever
- runs better forward of the ball

I believe he would relish playing on the G on a regular basis and if we can get him, I want him

2 hours ago, DemonAndrew said:

Apart from the bolded bit I quite like this

There’s no way you could have players switching once preseason begins, but I would have no issues with free agency being open basically from the finals period through to the first two weeks of October for teams that are out of finals and the staggering it accordingly into the middle of November for the grand finalists, so effectively they get their six weeks mandated leave

Of course most players and agents are in conversations in excess of a year out of their contract expiriation now so the majority of finals players - such as Jake Lever - would make their intentions known after they are no longer representing their current side, as Jake did some three days after they last played

At some point we will, I think, find it relatively normal for players - such as Frawley, or Buddy, or Carlisle, etc. - would make it clear that they will be joining another team whilst playing in the last season for their current side

 

Preseason is the most overrated thing in footy. As long as a player is doing one at a club what does it matter?

I'd have a trade window from 7 October (need a week off for the Premiers) until when players break for Christmas (ie. 15 December). Then another trade window from 15 Jan until either before, during or after the first preseason game.

I don't think where you finish should have any impact on when free agency starts. A good draft, fair salary cap and a footy department cap should be the equilisers. The run of bad sides - no more than Melbourne - came from compromised drafts, an inflated salary cap and an arms race of off field spending that left us miles behind. QLD teams aside I don't think we will see basketcases all that often nor will we see dominant teams with more free agency.

I'm not a fan of players declaring their intentions ahead of time. I think that undermines free agency. Players can sign on with their current club or they can wait until they reach the free agency window at the end of the year. Stricter rules about tampering should be enforced so clubs can't be making offers mid year (or longer out). Clubs will know who is available and which players don't fit their current clubs needs but I just don't get what good comes from letting it all happen ahead of time. Getting more free agents available might actually settle the in season madness about which club is chasing/signing which player. 

49 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Preseason is the most overrated thing in footy. As long as a player is doing one at a club what does it matter?

I'd have a trade window from 7 October (need a week off for the Premiers) until when players break for Christmas (ie. 15 December). Then another trade window from 15 Jan until either before, during or after the first preseason game.

I don't think where you finish should have any impact on when free agency starts. A good draft, fair salary cap and a footy department cap should be the equilisers. The run of bad sides - no more than Melbourne - came from compromised drafts, an inflated salary cap and an arms race of off field spending that left us miles behind. QLD teams aside I don't think we will see basketcases all that often nor will we see dominant teams with more free agency.

I'm not a fan of players declaring their intentions ahead of time. I think that undermines free agency. Players can sign on with their current club or they can wait until they reach the free agency window at the end of the year. Stricter rules about tampering should be enforced so clubs can't be making offers mid year (or longer out). Clubs will know who is available and which players don't fit their current clubs needs but I just don't get what good comes from letting it all happen ahead of time. Getting more free agents available might actually settle the in season madness about which club is chasing/signing which player. 

The risk of shared IP is too great if you have trading during preseason period - that’s the key time that game plane and structures are worked out 

I’m not a particular fan of pre-declared moves but I think it is inevitable