demoncat

Very interesting considering multiple reputable journos have reported his keenness to come home (unlike the very unreputable ones reporting on Oliver)

Yeah pretty sure I’d take a player who is rated the second best kick in the entire comp over a bloke who can get 30 but who butchers every possession I thought people have been crying out for us to improve our kicking skills? Now we target someone who would improve us massively in that regard and we shouldn’t ask the question?

Firstly Houston is a far better player than Jacob Hopper (or Tim Taranto for that matter) Secondly our list is in a far better position to contend and far more balanced on age profile than Richmond’s was at the end of 2022 Our only top line players over 30 next year will be Max, May and Viney (TMac and Melksham too if they continue on) Meanwhile we have the likes of Trac, Oliver, Lever, Fritsch, Langdon and ANB in their prime years Not to mention a strong cohort of younger players who are starting to become stars in their own right - Kozzy, Rivers, JVR, McVee, Windsor to name a few Richmond were super top heavy with all their best players over 30 and nearing the end of their careers, with essentially no top line talent in either the middle or younger age bracket of their list (save for a couple of players like Bolton and Balta) I get that we need to balance contending with bringing in young talent from the top of the draft, but I think we’re in a far better position to do so than either Richmond or West Coast have been in recent years when they’ve traded away picks to try and keep their windows open with essentially no young talent already on their lists

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…

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

Now that this is gathering steam - how much is too much for Houston? Clearly a first rounder is unders, but two first rounders seems like overs, and I’d be loathe for the club to miss out on the first round for two years in a row Plus we still need to add to our young midfield bridge - can we afford to trade our first pick and take a punt on a midfielder or two in the second round? It’s a deep draft so maybe

Another option would be to trade our first round pick for Houston but then try to trade back into the first round by putting our 2025 first rounder on the table - potentially ending up with Houston and pick 16-20 in a deep draft

There may be a bit more smoke to the Dan Houston rumours than it initially seemed…

Houston is a gun and would be worth a first rounder at minimum on the trade market But I personally don’t want to give up our first pick this year unless it is very late That’s why I’m glad we’re into Cumming - while not as highly rated he is a similar positional player who would cost us nothing as he is a FA Plus at 25 he’d fit our age profile nicely

Regardless of whether or not the rumour is legitimate, you’d be negligent not ask the question of any good key forward, especially one who might have a connection to your club I reckon a lot will depend on a) what pick we end up with and b) how confident we are in players like Rivers becoming regular midfielders You’d be loathe to pass up an opportunity to draft a top midfielder with a top 10 pick, but it would be easier to pass on say pick 12-14 if it got you an established player, not least one in a position we’ve been in need of for years And if Rivers continues to show his wares as a midfielder, our need for another midfielder might decrease Time will tell

Paging @goodwindees

He’d be a great get but the reports state that he’s keen to stay at West Coast and that it’s actually him and his management who have raised the prospect of an extension I’d be shocked if they didn’t come to an agreement by the end of the year or early next year Having said that we’d be negligent not to throw a big offer his way to at least make him think about it!

Hawks have reportedly offered Josh Battle a six year deal We’re still interested but no reported offer from us yet

Ned Moyle has re-signed with Suns for four more years And the search for our post-Gawn ruck continues…

Speaking of Butters - he could be a bit of a watch in the next year or two depending on how Port fare and what happens to Ken Was reportedly not committed until Ken re-signed last year given their closeness - if their season comes undone and Ken gets given the boot, do we come hard? Contracted until 2026 at this stage