SaberFang

I agree that we have a "missing generation" now, with Scully/Blease/Tappy/Trenners/Strauss either gone or looking unlikely to play again. There's no shortage of youth coming in though with Salem/JKH/Hunt last year, Stretch/Brayshaw/Lever/pick 23 this year, and Lovett next year with 2 others. I fear the youth won't matter if we can't get off the bottom, because we'll keep bleeding free agents and contracted youngsters faster than we can replenish them. The Boyd (first year pick 1 player) and Griffen (club captain) defections set an ugly precedent for what's to come in the landscape of player movement.

Just reading between the lines but Mahoney publicly saying we're keeping all our picks looked a bit like they were putting pressure on another club who might have been umming and aahhing about a deal with us. Basically "these picks are there, take them or leave them and we'll gladly go to the draft."

As long as a trade for Membrey doesn't get done, I'm calm. Our hand might be forced if one does. Strategically makes a lot of sense if they are chasing someone in the PSD. They can force us to use pick 2 on Frost and get whoever they want at pick 3. We might be targetting the same player. (speculation)

GWS will end up with 3 or 4 top 10 draft picks for the next 5 years. It'll be an endless stream of players leaving that joint.

The fact that decent midfielders are moving all over the place when we've brought in none, would indicate our shopping list was very narrow. If Roos is happy to bring in 3x 18 year old midfielders as his Plan B, I have full trust in him... but I'd be surprised if that's his preferred option to trading in mids with 3+ years development under their belt. Hallahan would've been a great get for pick 23.

Both talls will be gone by pick 6/7 if they give up 4 to St Kilda to secure Petracca. All depends on how badly GWS want him, and how badly they want a replacement for Boyd as well.

Picturing Mahoney sitting in the corner saying, "Hello... anybody? Pick 3 and 23 up for grabs... anybody?"

We could probably swap 3 for 4 if they throw in Frost, but pretty pointless. At least it frees up pick 2 in the PSD for us though. Actually works against GWS to do that though, so they're probably happy to let Frost slide.

I think most of the highlights were last year, before his knee reco?

Happy to be proven wrong but it almost appears like we went incredibly hard at the one target, and when that collapsed we were too far out of the game to go after anyone else. Plenty of decent players (NB: none 'great') have moved clubs this year for picks worse than what we're still holding on to. Really frustrating.

It's almost a fait accompli that GWS will offer picks 4 and 6/7 to Saints for pick 1. Or maybe picks 6 & 7, and hold on to pick 4, so they can get Petracca AND a key tall to replace Boyd. Saints would obviously argue for the former.

Did a spectacular job breaking Pederson's nose. Wouldn't mind seeing him in our colours.

If Cooney could've matched Cross' output from last year he would've been a decent pickup. Might have been more of a 'cultural' decision avoiding him, given he obviously doesn't take well to criticism.

Massive steal. Would've done pick 23 for Giles + Frost. Still doesn't help our midfield stocks but at least we'd have a fallback plan if Jamar starts the year injured yet again.

Bingo. Especially when they have us over a barrel one way or the other. They either get "overs" via pick 23, or force us to use our first pick in the PSD on him which lets another player slide to their first PSD pick.

I was pretty dismayed by Howe's performance in the first half of the season (clearly Roos reached his tether at one point as well) but there were some really encouraging signs in the second half that he was finally getting that defensive role nailed. He had some brilliant goal-saving marks in the last few matches (from memory in the Port game he took a cracking mark against Schulz at one point late in the final quarter), and also showed some very promising signs as a forward early in the year when our key stocks were down (3 goals vs. Richmond in the NAB cup IIRC). He's incredibly fit and supposedly one of our hardest trainers, so I think his slightly lazy performances where he made zero impact weren't reflective of his actual ability. Roos needs to find a way to extract more of that natural talent, because it's undoubtedly there. And if there's no room for Grimes down back with Frost/Lamumba coming in, there won't be much room for Howey. I'd guess he's going back forward, and Roos kept him down back this year to ingrain a defensive mindset into Jeremy.

Can someone remind me why the hell we aren't going after Merrett? Strong, marking, bullocking, aggressive key forward or key back. Can picture him lining up with Dawes/Hogan.

When Mahoney starts spouting off riddles about Lancelot and a black mouse, we'll know he's taking the [censored].

Pick 23 for Merrett + Brisbane's third rounder. Brisbane's third rounder on-traded for Frost. Take best available midfielder in the PSD with pick 2, rather than having to burn it on Frost (see what I did there?) Get anyone who is better than Evans/McKenzie as a DFA. Burbury has my vote, would cost peanuts and kicks goals. Delist Strauss/Tappy/Blease obviously.

Insulting to dogs.

We were only paying the minimum, and Clark/Frawley leaving probably freed up $1m/year. Not sure where that money is going to now?! Lamumba wouldn't be on more than $300-400k surely, and Garlett/Frost wouldn't command much either. Hopefully we just front-end a delicious new contract for N. Jones to secure him for life.

I know we went cold on Merrett but why not Merrett for 23? Another experienced player, wouldn't be too expensive, is very aggressive, takes more pressure off Hogan and stops other teams for double teaming Dawes all year... if that's overs for him, Brisbane could send back a later pick and we secure Frost with it. We can then take another player with pick 2 in the PSD.

I don't buy that the only reason Danger fell through was because we couldn't get pick 12. As if we wouldn't have thrown up Howe/Watts/Toumpas/Grimes that very instant and seen what was on offer. Toump still has currency in the first round IMHO.

If we got pick 6 for Howe, Roos would be doing backflips off his hotel balcony.

I don't think anyone would be complaining if we got Kennedy or Dangerfield in exchange for speculative draft picks that could up like every other early draft pick we've had.