Red and Blue realist

Assuming Tairon doesn't get picked up tonight or tomorrow, does he then qualify moving forward for our NGA as well? The new rules allow his brother - with the addition of Pacific regions and the age expansion to 21. There is a clause saying the aplication had to be submitted in their 15th year, but looks like we may have done that and been knocked back under the old rules? Looks like he could be someone who could mature into a player, needing to work on endurance, so another year in the system could really help.

Be very interesting to see if we use 2 picks tonight or just 1. We know White will be coming hopefully as a F/S rookie pick, and we have the potential to pick Sinnema as a NGA, but it looks like he has been offered a training spot rather than being picked up tonight or in tomorrow's rookie draft. So will there be 2 picks tonght - 30 & whatever 56 becomes. Will we take another slider and risk Sinnema being picked up elsewhere?

Yes, but they could be tempted to go for more high end talent, in particualr a local who won't be there at pick 13 (or whatever it becomes). 1, 5, 6 & 13 is a very handy reset, with additional asset for next year. Something like 2, 34, 41 (2026 4th) for 5, 6 & 2026 2nd. Essedon then could trade a combination of their picks to Cartlon for 11. West Coast then have 4 high end players, rather than 3.

I think you're right, Essendon are desperate for CDT, whereas West Coast would be happy with Farrow and one of Cumming or Sharp. Essendon would need to add additional future picks I would think to move the Eagles. Might upset their play for pick 11 from Carlton.

With all the players we seem to be linked with falling much lower than 7 or 8 in most phantom drafts/expert opinons, we could look to take the best at 7 (Robey, Taylor, Cumming, Sharp etc.) who falls through from earlier picks, but trade 8 out. Say 8 & 37 to GC for 15, 24 & F2nd (either 26 or 27 - ours or theirs). Then we could look at a Robey/Sharp/Taylor/Cumming, Pickett & Nairn combo, without over reaching for the later 2, while picking up an asset for the future.

Wow, that's a good way to wreck hours of work time!!

I wonder if the players we highly rate are off the board by 7 or 8, if we could look to manufacture another first round pick from next year. There are a few WA & SA players prjected to go around our pick, so could be something like the following (examples) trade 8 to Adelaide for 16 & F1; or 8 to Port for F1 & FF2; or 8 to WC for 13 & FF1; or 8 to Freo for 20 & F1 & FF2. See if we can tempt some teams into moving now. SA in particular have a strong field of projected players this year, while WA has Farrow which might end up around WC 13 anyway, but they might be tempted to jump early or Freo could try to move up.

The list of Free Agents for 2026 is out - it doesn't seperate free or restricted - but there could be a few names on here we could look at. We know we've got far less salary cap restraints after the recent trade period. From the list below the bigger names are obviously Butters, Walsh, Bailey and Ben King, but Mitch Lewis, Jordon Butts, Hinge, P.Voss, Amartey and B.Williams are all under 28 and could fill roles for us (talls at either end). Interestingly we have the most names on the list, but I think at least 4 of ours will retire (May, TMac, Melk & Campbell). Fox SportsQuartet headline 2026 out-of-contract stars as every AFL...Quartet headline 2026 out-of-contract stars as every AFL club’s list of free agents revealed

Not ranked in the top 40 or 50 from most online judges, such as Cal Toomey, Rookie Me, ESPN etc. So will be a late or rookie pick

The club has committed to White, but not certain that Sinemma has that commitment yet., it's very likely we do take him. Seems like Woey will be forced out at this stage.

All the best to him, while we all loved the grand final performance, I wanted to point out that whatever he had going with the club and teammates - for the fans he (IMO) was always great. At gather round this year, after the training session, the players hung around and signed jumpers, posters etc. for the fans who turned up. They had been out there a fair while (much longer than the actual training session), and someone came out and yelled out to the players that the bus was heading back to the hotel. Trac yelled back to go and grab one of the trainers car keys because he wasn't going without getting to all the fans first - he Oliver, Fritta and Salem then stayed another 20 minutes or so, and asked if everyone had a signature.

Our pick 66 will come in massively, with Gold Coast for instance, their 3 Acadamey picks will take up at least their 7 first picks, Brissy, Essendon and Carlton will also lose picks, so 66 might end up being 52 or 53, which should be enough points, if White gets an earlier bid. Not unusal for players like White to not be ranked highly on a draft board, but that doesn't mean this draft is weak - it's just very comprimised with the Academy and F/S early picks.

Makes a lot of sense, we still need in and under extrators, so he along with Viney protect Langford - who I think will be out main man but not for another 2 or 3 years - while also allowing Windsor, Rivers, Pickett etc to play the combination of inside/outside without burning them out too young. I wouldn't be surprised if we strech his contract out another 12 months, giving us more space while keeping him in a semi-coaching role like checkers.

Howes could play as a running/mid/smaller back (only 191cm), and given he's played some wing he could be the McVee replacement. This I feel will be more natural for him, than the 3rd tall, but as a bonus he's also a good intercept mark. Turner, Petty, Adams, Lever and Aleer are all over 194cm, so good depth with height down back, with May & McDonald likely to only be around for another season, and being real depth now. If we got Aleer it locks in our tall backs for the next 5 years.

Might be a case where he could be a SSP signing if, as expected GWS delist him. Come back sign for Casey or another VFL team, tell him if a tall goes down over the preseason he's in with a shot, no promises.

I'd be asking for 12 & 44 for Judd, 27 & 41. Equates to around pick 27 (on the draft pick index), which seems about right. Helps us move up with our current first pick, while they don't move back a heap.

Gold Coast will trade Fiorini and Rosas, maybe Budarick as well, so will have extra points from those trades, which then might change what they are prepared to give/take back.

I would think he's a quazi coach, hopefully he's been told it's going to be a non-automatic selction season, but he's to help JVR, Jeffo and Kenterfeild with their leading patters and be happy to play . Mihocek will also help in this regard.

I imagine King would have been involved in the chase for Oliver at Geelong - purely as all senior assistance coaches would have been consulted, so I think that makes it more likey he stays. Not sure where it leaves Trac - with Buckley I feel he would have wanted to prove he was a good coach from the get go, so keeping and trying to get hi back to his best would be the easiest way to do this. I'd still love both to stay, but King doesn't have the win now baggage Buckley would have, so maybe that alters the view on these 2?

Was hoping Alex Davies might have ben given a similar run under King at GC, but he only played the 1 game. Incidently Flanders averaged 18 disposals in his first 7 games of 2023 and then 30 for the 7 King was in charge (he was subbed twice in those first 7 games though).

His brother was a NFL punter, while his father has worked high up in sports for a long time.

This, there's every chance the Saints will want to say thanks to him for playing 150 odd games for them as well. So to put it in with a group who combined played only a small handful of games would have been seen as insincere from us. He would have been close to All Aust in 2017 and again in 2019 if he could kick straight.

Adelaide were allowed to sign a player, and not have it listed until today (surely he would have told his teammates Friday?) Crows sign former Swan as injured ruck moves to inactive list Anyway, it should surely open the door to replace poor AMW.

I'd happily trial may, lever, Petty and TMac in the same team. Have both may and lever play as intercepting/ smaller defenders, without McVee and now AMW, we've only really got Salem and Bowey but I see both being better at rebounding, with the duke and rivers, maybe Lindsay being the mids who can also support. Howes would be the alternative, but think TMac might be ahead at the moment

Don't disagree, but money talks, and potentially the difference between a VFL (and then subsequent lower league team) having their finals impacted by the loss of a good player, could mean that club refuses to let that player go. From memory at the mid season draft there has been talk of compensation for the clubs that lose a player.