Its Time for Another

I'm one of your babies. Did I want Lever? You bet. That doesn't mean you can't have an opinion on whether we had to give up next year's first rounder to get him or you're a baby. The net points total for the Lever deal was 2057 which included their pick 36, this is actually closer to pick 4 than 5. If we'd let them keep pick 36 and given them the Watts pick 31 it would have been 2091. So a better result for the Crows and we would still have had a first rounder in a very strong draft next year and a second rounder in this year's weak draft instead of 3 second rounders. It's actually closer to pick 4 not 5 and using this to justify . The Crows were desperate for Gibbs. This time Carlton went to them not the other way round because they realised this was the last year they'd get any real value for him as a 29yr old and they had players they wanted to bring in and are rebuilding. Last year they didn't want him to go and so demanded a ridiculous 2 first rounders. This year they initiated the trade so I therefore have no doubt there could have been a three way negotiation so they effectively got what we gave for Lever which I have no doubt wouldn't have required our first rounder next year. We are all happy now that we've got Lever but it's going to hurt next year when we don't have a first rounder in a top draft and that could have been avoided.

You're joking right. 84 will be used to upgrade Smith. So you are proposing to draft a player with 102. He'll be a gun.

Nope. He was giving up 36 as well

Doesn’t leave us with enough picks in the draft

Nice one Ignition. Hats off to you.

This is a really good point. On the face of it they look like they've done really well but when you put it this way it gives it a lick of reality. Motlop is going home to have family around him but the other two aren't. Hinkley has backed himself to turn around players that Scott, Fagan & Roos/McCartney/Goodwin failed to turn around. He hasn't been able to turn Hartlett around and they are paying him a fortune. He seems like a great kid and I wish him the best. The most over scrutinised player in the history of the AFL. I wish him the best but will be very surprised if we see a transformed performance from him next season.

We like it both ways. In and Out.

You can have him. Just follow Port.

I posted this two weeks ago but hey knock yourselves out for 4 pages.

DS you're right on Lumumba & Trengove. Shame on me for forgetting them. But I think you'll find our primary list last year was 39. I just rechecked again. Not sure where I've got that wrong if I did. So far we have 6 out 2 in. So primary list of 35 plus Smith upgraded in the draft. If there's no more trades that would leave a min of 2 or max of 4 draft picks. If that smokey player Siren has mentioned is traded in it would be 1 less. This all still leaves the potential for up to another 2 Rookie A's and 1 Rookie B or 1 Rookie A 2 Rookie B's. Or no more Rookies. Clear as mud.

Thanks MAH. Can't take the credit for the graph. It's actually from the AFL's official rules book.

That's correct. Both our current ones are going off that list so it will be empty and therefore can take up to 2.

Here's an explanation of how many players permitted on a list from the minimum on a Primary list of 38 to max of 40 and the consequent number of Rookies you can have making a max total on the list of 47. Primary List Size Category A Rookies Category BRookies Total Rookies (Maximum) Total 38 (Minimum) 6 3 9 47 39 5 3 8 47 40 (Maximum) 4 3 7 47 We had a Primary list of 39 this season. If Watts goes we have 4 out and likely 2 in. So our list will be 37. Departures so far should be Watts, Hulett, Spencer, Kennedy and ins should be Lever and Balic. A team has to have 3 draft picks in a draft which would increase our primary list to 40. So we can't use more than 2 decent picks anyway. We can use pick 100 or whatever for a Rookie upgrade for Smith. We had 4 A's & 2 B's this year. Mitch White is the only A lister delisted so far. Maynard has been elevated onto that list and Smith we assume will be elevated onto the primary list. So we can potentially take on 2 more Rookie A players and 1 Rookie B or 1 Rookie A and 2 Rookie B's.

I'll be very annoyed if Hogan decides in the next two years he's going to go home and we had the chance to get Schache for next to nothing now. Same with Tom Lynch by the middle of next year if he decides he wants to go back to Vic and Hogan then tells us the following year he wants to go home. I really hope that by the middle of next year he signs up for 5 years and puts end to the endless speculation. Same with T Mac. Hope he doesn't carry on as a leader of the Club and hold off till the end of the year again. It's a downer for everyone else.

He's in there as one of the U23's. He's barely out of draft age.

Yeh! You've been around a bit...... know what I mean....know what I mean.....so what's it like.

Lets argue about it after 2pm next Thursday. I think I'm hoping more than believing anything that comes out of anyone's mouth in this industry.

Fair point. But we have plenty of time to start bringing in younger players in a few years time.

For those worried about us losing out on youth by trading out the two years of first rounders. Have a look at this demographic breakdown of the list. We don't need to worry about getting youth into the list. 22 players, half the list is 23 or under. 6 20 or under. Melbourne players who are 20 years and under: Oliver, Weideman, McKenna, King, Johnstone, Filipovic 23-21years : Viney, Petracca, Hogan, Hunt, Brayshaw, Salem, Harmes, McDonald, Stretch, ANB, JKH, Kent, Hannan, Wagner, Joel Smith and now Lever. 24 years: Tyson Frost Bugg are 24.

What he specifically said in response to the question about Balic was we both have "other priorities at the moment". Interpret that how you like but it clearly indicates we are doing something else other than Balic. We all know Watts is in play so he may well only be talking about that but why would that hold up Balic. Whatever the Balic deal it won't be effected by the Watts deal. So is it so extraordinary to interpret that statement as there are other things in play as well. Or not. But maybe. But maybe not. Or perhaps. Or perhaps not. Whatever.........

Free Agency nominations end Sunday 5pm.

Any update now the Lever deal has cost next year's first rounder. Is it still alive.

Plus Tom Lynch for nothing as an FA

Last year was no first rounder because we brought it forward to the year before and got Weideman. This year & next is to get Lever who is 21. We have the 3rd youngest list. We don't want to be going to the draft for top end talent anymore. We'd have to wait 4 years for them to be ready. We don't have that time anymore. We can bring in kids in a few years.

Too true. Interesting seeing the actual numbers. I’m pretty sure a less than 10% success rate would be way below the industry wide average. Also pretty sure our strike rate is going to be a lot better in this rebuild.