With 5 weeks and potentially finals still in the mix I am astounded at the narrative around this. It is all pure speculation come back in 2 months with some fact based parameters and then see what is going on.  "If the 2 parties cannot get a deal done" I read as, if Port cannot get adequate compensation then he will stay

33 minutes ago, adonski said:

Anyone got Rivers 2025 brownlow odds?

The umps do………and it ain’t gonna happen

Free agency was introduced for players like Houston. If you take the long term dollars don't expect clubs to come bailing you out with multiple first rounders.

We'd be suckers to pay two first rounders for an ageing player

Lynch to Richmond and MacKay to Essendon should be the model.

20 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Free agency was introduced for players like Houston. If you take the long term dollars don't expect clubs to come bailing you out with multiple first rounders.

We'd be suckers to pay two first rounders for an ageing player

Lynch to Richmond and MacKay to Essendon should be the model.

It should be the model, but the fact is it’s getting harder and harder to pick up genuine A graders in free agency 

Clubs are finding the money to retain the players they want to and are comfortable handing out long term contracts 

You only have to look at all of this years free agents who have signed up one by one, and even some preagents from 2025 

I’d much rather pick up a Houston in free agency, but the club would be negligent not to entertain a trade for a player of his quality 

On 24/07/2024 at 19:46, adonski said:

Luke Jackson is a bit player

Getting 2 firsts and second for him was incredible business

Would love that “bit player” to come back. His exit completely destabilised our list management. 

1 hour ago, gs77 said:

Yeah, he'll be 28 in May next year. Coughing up two first rounders for someone who could start slowing down and succumbing to soft tissue injuries after only a couple of seasons for us would be crazy.

We wouldn’t do that. We won’t be giving up two firsts. We do need to replenish our stocks with quality young talent - whilst acquiring high class players like Houston. We do have Sparrow to move on, and other players who could potentially have us only give away a 2025 FF.

1 hour ago, Engorged Onion said:

Sparrow and a first?

I just wonder.

They'd probably want a 1st rounder and another pick or player.

I wonder if we lost the idea with Tom at least.

1 hour ago, demoncat said:

It should be the model, but the fact is it’s getting harder and harder to pick up genuine A graders in free agency 

Clubs are finding the money to retain the players they want to and are comfortable handing out long term contracts 

You only have to look at all of this years free agents who have signed up one by one, and even some preagents from 2025 

I’d much rather pick up a Houston in free agency, but the club would be negligent not to entertain a trade for a player of his quality 

This is a very good point as to why the FA market in 2024 is not what it was when it was first introduced and clubs like Hawthorn won flags off the back of it (Brian Lake and then James Frawley).

The talent pool will be spread even thinner with Tasmania coming into it.

Edited July 25, 2024Jul 25 by Binmans PA

Houston is the same age as Shaun Burgoyne was when he was Port's vice captain and requested a trade to Hawthorn.

We can go and get Butters next year. 😉

Edited July 25, 2024Jul 25 by Binmans PA

I love the idea of getting Houston but I am not sure our list is in a good enough position to be giving up first round draft picks. I feel like we need to be loading up on first rounders the next couple of years. I guess we might yet trade a player to get another first round selection. Interesting  and incredibly important times ahead for the list management team. 

7 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

I love the idea of getting Houston but I am not sure our list is in a good enough position to be giving up first round draft picks. I feel like we need to be loading up on first rounders the next couple of years. I guess we might yet trade a player to get another first round selection. Interesting  and incredibly important times ahead for the list management team. 

You'd hope that a first round pick would net an A grader though, right?

If that's all we gave up for Houston, and he filled, say, a midfield role, and we hit FA for Cumming, we could significantly improve our ball use again.

10 hours ago, Binmans PA said:

Goody also has a history of being at the forefront of the shift in game styles and the general evolution of the game. The defensive diamond, the use of inside sliders, the emphasis on post clearance pressure etc, so I wonder if it'll have some new tweaks rather than an evolution of Collingwood's transition model.

Revising history here BPA. Clarkson was the first to emphasise post clearance. The Hawks in their dominant years lost clearance regularly. Lewis when he came over was very vocal about it.

Inside sliders - I presume you mean wingers coming in behind the play? - are not Goodwin inventions 

5 minutes ago, Binmans PA said:

You'd hope that a first round pick would net an A grader though, right?

If that's all we gave up for Houston, and he filled, say, a midfield role, and we hit FA for Cumming, we could significantly improve our ball use again.

Absolutely and Houston is worth a first rounder plus something more depending on the actual first round pick. Yep sure if we can get Cumming as well then it’s looking better but if it’s just Houston is he really going to improve us enough to challenge?

 

4 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

Absolutely and Houston is worth a first rounder plus something more depending on the actual first round pick. Yep sure if we can get Cumming as well then it’s looking better but if it’s just Houston is he really going to improve us enough to challenge?

 

The club would be looking at the domino effect of Houston, he allows Rivers and/or McVee to role through the midfield, to strengthen a couple positions at once

He's played stints on the wing before so could they be adventurous and have Houston play half back then 3rd wing role and allow Windsor to get the occasional run in the guts?

Salem being possibly/probably cooked is a factor too

I love the idea of it just hope we don't give up too much

19 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Revising history here BPA. Clarkson was the first to emphasise post clearance. The Hawks in their dominant years lost clearance regularly. Lewis when he came over was very vocal about it.

Inside sliders - I presume you mean wingers coming in behind the play? - are not Goodwin inventions 

I'd actually argue Chris Scott started the focus on post clearance in 2011, were you meaning 2008 Clarkson? Goody has spoken at length about the importance of post clearance, but you're right, he didn't pioneer it.

An inside slider is a player off the back of the stoppage, usually a centre clearance. We used these heaps before 6-6-6 came in. Super aggressive move, because you'd be adding numbers to flash through the stoppage and leave yourself open going the other way if you lost clearance.

That was definitely a Goody / Melbourne invention. It's been a mainstay in the game for at least 5+ years now and you see it in every game now, but mostly at around the ground stoppages when teams add numbers to the stoppage, and it's nowhere near as aggressive as we played it with the likes of Jayden Hunt flashing through there.

But you have reminded me of another, the way we've utilised our wingers between 2021-2024 is cutting edge.

Edited July 25, 2024Jul 25 by Binmans PA

8 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

Absolutely and Houston is worth a first rounder plus something more depending on the actual first round pick. Yep sure if we can get Cumming as well then it’s looking better but if it’s just Houston is he really going to improve us enough to challenge?

 

It depends who he replaces, is he an upgrade?

And where other players are moved to to accommodate Houston…

1 player can make a huge difference, if they are the right choice. 

1 hour ago, adonski said:

The club would be looking at the domino effect of Houston, he allows Rivers and/or McVee to role through the midfield, to strengthen a couple positions at once

He's played stints on the wing before so could they be adventurous and have Houston play half back then 3rd wing role and allow Windsor to get the occasional run in the guts?

Salem being possibly/probably cooked is a factor too

I love the idea of it just hope we don't give up too much

Alternatively, it becomes a midfield mix of Oliver, Rivers, Houston and Viney, with Trac, Kozzy and 1 or 2 others through there. Cumming goes to half back with Salem, Bowey, McVee and AMW.

Edited July 25, 2024Jul 25 by Binmans PA

Can we split our pick with Freos 12 and 15? We may need to cough up a bit more to make it happen. 
 

Use F1 and 15 for Houston and keep 12 for the draft.

Freo get two picks in top 10. Win-win?

He’s expected to command two first rounders which is pricey.

But in a vacuum, he’d be an excellent acquisition, and we have Brayshaw cap money to spend.

We will probably turnover 5/6 players this year and the same next year. That’s about 25% of our list. We have holes in every part of our list imo. 

We currently have picks 9, 38,42,48 & 65 in this year’s draft and a full hand next year. 

Houston would 100% improve our best 22 year but I can’t see how we could give up 2 first rounders and improve the rest of the list enough. 

 

He is a perfect candidate to trade in for Gus spot both in age, player type and positional flexibility. He is worth a mid-late first rounder and Port will be enticed in some manner by that to get back into the first round. I am unsure of whether his interest in returning home is just interest or personal circumstance which may soften port a touch. How much we value bringing youth in this year will be interesting. We have so many young players entrenched in the best 22. We have developing talls In Jeffo and  Adams coming into their third year that we will suspect to start to push for selection. However other than that we lack quality youthful depth other than Kynan and Howes that you would be confident could push into a finals contending side in the future. Then there are those that worry about adding youth now before Tassie comes in. I can see both sides but my view is our time is still now we should have a strong swing and try and land him.   

Edited July 25, 2024Jul 25 by Lil_red_fire_engine

1 hour ago, Lil_red_fire_engine said:

He is a perfect candidate to trade in for Gus spot both in age, player type and positional flexibility. He is worth a mid-late first rounder and Port will be enticed in some manner by that to get back into the first round. I am unsure of whether his interest in returning home is just interest or personal circumstance which may soften port a touch. How much we value bringing youth in this year will be interesting. We have so many young players entrenched in the best 22. We have developing talls In Jeffo and  Adams coming into their third year that we will suspect to start to push for selection. However other than that we lack quality youthful depth other than Kynan and Howes that you would be confident could push into a finals contending side in the future. Then there are those that worry about adding youth now before Tassie comes in. I can see both sides but my view is our time is still now we should have a strong swing and try and land him.   

In the sh**show that is likely to follow this around its good to understand our potential competition.  As it stands the usual draft candidates Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Geelong all sit higher on the ladder (and consequently in the draft) and dont (luckily) have multiple picks to satisfy Port's demand. 

Saints (another prolific club in the draft rumor mill) is in a bit of turmoil list management wise and are not in position to exchange their first pick for a mature age player.

Hawks (#8) - need capital to bring in Smith. Given he is all but landed at Geelong (according to the media), they may switch their attention to Houston. So there will be some competition there. 

Richmond (#1) cant see it happeneing. They will take the best player available in the draft

Norf (#2) Will likely take a KPD from the draft.

Collingwood (#6) - handed over to Freo for Schultz...hahahaha

So as i see it, the only real competition will be Hawthorn. The Hawks are not ready to go after the flag, perhaps in 4-5 years time, so it may not be the wisest choice. 

12 hours ago, adonski said:

The club would be looking at the domino effect of Houston, he allows Rivers and/or McVee to role through the midfield, to strengthen a couple positions at once

He's played stints on the wing before so could they be adventurous and have Houston play half back then 3rd wing role and allow Windsor to get the occasional run in the guts?

Salem being possibly/probably cooked is a factor too

I love the idea of it just hope we don't give up too much

This is a good point 

As much as it has been obvious that we are lacking midfield depth this year, bringing in Houston could help solve that in a roundabout way

Best case scenario we get Oliver back to his best after a full preseason, Trac comes back into the team after a full preseason himself, Rivers continues in his midfield role and Viney stays in reasonably good form 

Add in stints on ball from Kozzy and potentially even the likes of McVee, then all of a sudden our midfield depth doesn’t look too dire 

Of course, that’s assuming all of the above goes to plan… 

If Houston has made his intentions clear that he wants out, this will become a distraction for Port Adelaide and they should 100% trade him and offer up their first pick to the MFC to get him off their books whilst continuing to pay a large portion of his salary.