Mach5

There’s no point burning a future pick if it only lets us have the choice between Lucas Cook & Brock McLean.

It’d want to be more than just a first rounder! But agree. We could be hitting the draft hard... at just the right time?

I also think we’ll be active next year and targeted in trading to get the targets we are set on. It’s worth noting that along with our first & second picks next year, and those of Freo, we’ll also have our futures available, so possibly 3x firsts & 2x second picks for trade to climb the order. I think we actively try to use next years pick now, but I think this year in particular is maybe a bad year to do it.

If the above was correct, I think it’d have to be either Phillipou or Ginbey.

Neat kick & good hands... all icing, no cake?

What’s his tank & work ethic like? Looks good in a 1v1 out of a goalsquare, but can he find the footy around the ground?

It seems everyone is trying to move up the order, because this draft is so shallow. Probably related to covid & the age these kids were being a key formative year in their development. I’d be open to going “early” on Darcy Jones or the GWS kid Barnett if there’s not a decent “slider” on offer

In my limited knowledge of this years crop, I can only get excited about Ginbey, Allen, Hollands, Hewett or Phillipou, aside from the sure-thing top 5 or so. Not sure which would be available at our pick, if any. I expect in 5 years time I’ll look back & shake my head at this.

I honestly hope we keep our powder dry & keep a strong draft hand for next year. I’ve found it difficult to get excited about many of the prospects in this draft. Chances of a gem falling our way appear to be slim.

This attitude is precisely my point. Unless we finish on the bottom, or miraculously end up with a draft pick haul large enough to trade for a top 3 pick (likely top 1), we ain’t getting Reid. It took the injury season from hell for us to end up with the pick 3 for Jackson. It’s all fantasy stuff, but let the other clubs enjoy having their imaginations run wild with long long shots - I think there is still some horse trading of picks to be done now that the players have all moved, and I think we’ll be aiming to climb the order. My guess at the target: Phillipou.

I think we’ll be trying to get up the order, but we will probably find there aren’t too many clubs looking to slide back or wait for next year. GC & GWS the most likely.

I think Serhat Temel would be a good option for this pick. Maybe Matthew Panos if Temel is already taken.

God no. It’d be totally in opposition to our culture, choosing talent over character and work ethic.

I think it’s a clear and deliberate strategy for us to consistently trade our future picks for current picks, and I think it’s a sound one. Every year your future picks replenish, so you’re able to keep front-loading talent onto the list a year ahead of time. You might not get the exact pick, but you should have a fair idea. Barring a disaster drop in form, I think it’s one we’ll try to continue this year. Others will always get seduced by the dreams of absolute top end talent falling to you the following season, like we are thinking of our future pick haul, but as they say “a bird in the hand...”

The AFL website is actually doing a half decent job of tracking picks, for this year & future: afl.com.au/draft/draft-order

Bastards. I didn’t think they’d get quite so much for Lobb.

Schache? I know nothing.

I imagine if he’d demonstrated that he has the requisite work ethic, hunger, character, etc. he’d be in the conversation for top 5 picks. On highlights alone he looks an exceptional talent.

This draft a very midfielder heavy draft, and I feel we’re currently served fairly well in that regard. I think we should be targeting explosive pace to replace Hunt, and project key forwards & rucks. But I like that we’re currently loaded for next year’s draft that has a deep top end.

We’ll have further plans. No need to agree to this deal just yet if that’s not the case. I expect we’ll be on the phone to GC fairly quickly.

Why would I do that? What a stupid suggestion.

That’s another way the WC deal can be “held up” while Freo sweats.

The way I would approach it? (Glad you asked). Dangerous game, but I’d play Freo off against WC. Set our firm & final demand to Freo, say pick 13, F1, F2 (NM). Make it abundantly clear that anything less will see us make a deal to accept less from WC on principle. Prepare the paperwork, provide it to them ready to go at any moment they’re ready to sign off on it. I’d make this clear to Freo on Tuesday after slowly working on building towards this idea with WC in the background. With WC - their ideal situation is for Jackson to get to them in the PSD. They’ll do some sort of deal with pick 2 & get 8 in return. Make out that we are happy to accept pick 8 for Jackson just to spite Freo & set a precedent that we don’t [censored], which is a good deal for them & they would tentatively accept based on ironing out the finer details, but then find ways to “let” WC draw it out. Use WC’s eagerness for the deal to fall apart & time out so they get Jackson for free in the PSD against them. They’ll let time run down. Stony face. Don’t blink. Freo will feel the pinch late in the piece as it becomes clear only they can close this out by acting. They won’t let the deal slip away from them all for nothing & to the benefit of WC. All the work they’ve done to this point would be a waste. It’d take balls of steel but we’ve got them.

I should add, while we may be perceived as doing the same thing as Freo (particularly in the eyes of Collingwood), I think the distinction (as far as we’re concerned) is that we would happily keep Jackson despite Freo doing their best to pry him out of our hands, whereas Collingwood are actively pushing Grundy out the door and we are happy to be on the receiving end, at the right price. The catalyst and agitator in both circumstances is the other club, not us.

We’re also seen to be doing the same thing, so that we can hand over only 27 for Grundy, but Freo is holding it all up. I’d like to see us then move picks to GC for next year so that we can get back in earlier for this draft.