Lil_red_fire_engine

We need high confidence that we are adding elite talent not medium confidence nor high confidence we will get just a good player. Our list is in a position where we need to add the truly special ones that will impact early and will develop to be our next top 20 in league players as Gawn, May, Trac, Oliver age. As we have found (Gawn aside) you are more likely than not to find these at the true pointy end of the draft. If this draft trails off in talent quickly giving a pick 6 with a pick that is more like 15 with NGAs and Father Son, a pick we dont plan to use and a future pick we would expect to be around 14 onwards is not a lot to get a true top end talent. I say go all in if we can pull it off but it looks like West Coast recognise already that its not enough.

How quickly people are jumping on this being Petty farewell season astounds me. Ignoring the fact he has 2 years of contract a lot can change for him personally and professionally. As can Adelaides interest and ability to pay the price to get him out of final year of contract. As far as defensive stocks, even if the case Is that not why we have D Turner and Adams drafted? If we really want to take swing all of Weitering (UFA), Sam Taylor (RFA) and Charlie Ballard (RFA) are out of contract before we look at trading for someone else in in contract. Additionally plenty of cases of mature key backs filling needs quicker than developing elite mids. I would state confidence we have quality key backs is a lot more than confidence we have our next elite mid. I am not stating we should take a mid at all costs. Take best available but if the difference is a top tier mid or top tier defender its the former for me.

It has been rumoured all along that we are more into Duursma than Reid. Whether that’s just based on outright expectations or the cost difference is unknown.

I dont think we or he see him as a flanker longer term. We should be looking for our next elite addition more so than a few quality players. If we make the move JT clearly thinks its worth it and he has the runs on the board for that to be enough for me. I have seen enough of his set of attributes to think its likely the thinking.

B/B+ is right for us. We landed three money ball players for various needs that at worst offer positional depth at best have upside to make our 23 better. We cleared 3 non top 23 players requiring top 23 wages off the books. We protected our first current and future pick and moved up into the range we think has most quality. I look at all of the deals done for our needs and cost and the only ones I would have liked for us is Flynn (who chose WC to be number 1 ruck) or Sweet (who chose going to his home state). The other deals for cost (McKay) or contract length (Schultz) for the player value for need for us were not for us.

I assumed with Hawks taking Ginnivan and their lack of key backs that they would shifty attention from Watson to Curtin. If not though he Bradbury’s to us and we would be silly not to swoop. In saying that I think there is still more likelihood we push up to 3 and jag Duursma in some form of Nth, WC three way deal.

Alternate words/thinking. We have cleared 3 players not in our best 23 who require salaries commensurate with players in your best 23. Who has been traded thus far to a club who you think we should have taken for the cost? Matt Flynn is the only one I can think of and if I was Matt Flynn I would choose being clear first ruck now at West Coast over being back up for Gawn for at least the next 2 years (which he would then be 10 years in the system). You can only trade for whats available then need to have them agree based on something you think is fair and reasonable and then in some instances get their club to agree to clear the way.

Wow. Lets trade a pack marking kid who kicks 28 goals in his debut year of AFL footy. AND pick 6 for a pick 1 messiah. Whilst there lets take a washed up undersized forward who has shown a lack of work rate. I have now heard everything.

You want us to offer Schultz a 5 year deal?

Butters is better than both and went at 12. Worth considering Ports position in that year having picks 5 and 12 is very similar to ours this year. If you trust in Jason Taylor and his record would you back in the potential to trade for pick 1 (Walsh) instead of gaining a Rozee and Butters equivalent quality.

Anyone know where we can get the full list of positions and votes. MFC has only published the top 10. It’s always good to calculate the leader board by votes per game played vs total votes. It usually says a lot.

Fair but this guy already has. We would be asking him to wait 2 more. Do you think Gawn would have come to us at that point under that scenario?

Williams is a forward forced to play first ruck and Barnett is a kid. Flynn I guess is looking to plant his flag as number 1 ruck somewhere now not as a transition.

Do you think after 8 years on GWS list Flynn wants to leave to wait another 2 years to play regular senior football?

They dont have a ruckman, We have the greatest of the last 15 years.

I think its because neither of them intend to. Nor has there been any idea floated at any point other than blind hope by supporters in an attempt to free up list and cap space.

I would like to see us target McQualter and/or Barlow.

Remind me when our backs have been flakey over the journey? I assume you will describe a sustained period not a game here and there. Maybe they have but I cant recall.

All we need now is to hear that McKay's deal has not triggered the top tier band and that would be 3 from 3 for the best we could have hoped for.

I suggest the 3 year contracts for top 20 picks make both parties more comfortable with these decisions.

Impossible to call Brown a howler we took over his contract and without him we dont win a flag. Knowing TMac had been up and down in form and injury we should not have extended him a year earlier than when he came out of contrat and certainly not for the length we did. He had just come off a good year and we were trying to not allow free agency get in the way. We should have rolled the dice.

The ones that play on a postage stamp sized home ground which would suit him well.

Because they are not top sides with our starting midfield. He could not land a consistent spot even with Clarry out for an extended period. He had a great opportunity to show his wares without Brayshaw on the weekend and had no impact. He will have more players go passed him in the next 2 years. He will get his opportunity elsewhere to play more consistent AFL. I just hope wherever he goes their supporters learn how to consistently spell his surname.

With Petty planned forward the role is there for him if he is playing well enough, I suggest moreso with Hibberd retiring. He is in contract. We like playing three talls and we dont want to be relying on Turner or Adams to play the role for most/parts of the year. This also doesnt mean we don't pick a mature back from a state league as well.

I love this time of year :)