MadAsHell

Unfortunatly by the time St. Kilda and Port receive their free agent compensation (which I suspect will be mid 1st round picks) that our pick 20 will turn into pick 22 and can't see Kennedy slipping that low. Laine Wilkins is my personal favourite for around there. Quick outside goal kicking midfielder who's a good mark. Another WA kid, so having 2 of them come over at the one time may help them settle. Or it could make no difference and I may be talking rubbish!

This is the order of KPF I'd like us to target and what I'd be willing to give up for each of them. 1. Chris Dawes (Collingwood) trade for Pick 20 2. Scott Gumbleton (Essendon) trade for Jordan Gysberts 3. Mitch Brown (Geelong) trade for Jordan Gysberts 4. Jesse White (Sydney) trade for 4th round draft pick. 5. Khan Haretuku (Frankston) Pick 3 in PSD. 6. Mason Shaw (South Fremantle) take a punt at Pick 4 in National Draft. 7. Cameron Pedersen (North Melbourne) trade for 4th round draft pick. So White comes in at about half way for me. Certainly wouldn't be against it if we luck out with Dawes and Gumbleton. Edit: Added Brown.

I'd certainly rather him in any trade for Gysberts ahead of a 3rd round pick as has been mentioned a few times in the media.

I'm not against recruiting Gumby. Gysberts for Gumby in a straight swap?

Next season to help combat this clubs holding off on signing free agents to help their compensation, there's an easy solution. Next year make it that you can't trade for a free agent (restricted), unless the origonal club has matched the offer and that you can't trade an unrestricted free agent at all. Will do away with all this ducks and drakes shenanigans

If they were off to Adelaide maybe they were going to have a chat with either Matt Thomas or Ben Jacobs? Sydney then maybe Jesse White was being spoken to for a cheap KPF option until Hogan's ready to go?

O'Rourke certainly has more pace then Wines. I'd say kciking is about par between the two. However Wines is better at clearance work and would be ready to go round 1. O'Rourke I'm not as sure on. Haven't seen enough of Mayes to compare.

Again, Wellingham isn't a free agent so you can't really compare. Also Chaplin was still playing reasonable footy with Port, Moloney wasn't with us. Neeld isn't into gifting players games and nor should he. If that means we only get a end of 2nd round draft pick for our net loss through FA compared to a mid 2nd round pick or end of 1st round then so be it.

Inside/Outside Midfiedlers: Sam Lowrie, Rory Atkins Outside Midfiedlers: Laine Wilkins, Matthew Haynes, Dean Towers, Jackson MacRae (if available) HBF/Midfielder: Nathan Wright (if available), Sam Colcohoun (if available) KPF: Kristian Jaksch, Tim Membrey Would be happy enough with any of those 10. I'd also be happy enough to trade if for Dawes.

Thanks HG. That's great news! Viney, Hogan, Wines. I'm sensing a theme here....

Get along to as many Dandenong Stingrays games as possible and keep a keen eye. Otherwise it's just the usual making enquiries with a few people I know who work in the industry and played/ are still involved with some of the TAC teams. Only other resource is watching TAC Future stars. Having said that, I'm no expert and could be well off the mark.

I did my own phantom draft mid year and at that point I had my top 20 as. 1. Lachlan Whitfield 2. Brodie Grundy 3. Jimmy Toumpas 4. Oliver Wines 5. Jake Stringer 6. Mason Shaw 7. Sam Mayes 8. Matthew Haynes 9. Lachlan Plowman 10. Joe Daniher (FS) 11. Nick Vlastuin 12. Tanner Smith 13. Ben Kennedy 14. Josh Simpson 15. Troy Menzel 16. Jonathan O'Rourke 17. Dayle Garlett 18. Nathan Wright 19. Sam Colquhoun 20. Liam McBean As mentioned, this was done mid year. I'd probably rank Haynes as my slider and O'Rourke as my bolter from inside the list. Laine Wilkins and Kristian Jaksch as my bolters from outide.

Nope. They traded pick 24 (2nd round) to St. Kilda. Pick 20 (compo pick from Adelaide traded back to them last year) is still there to be used.

Happy with this pick up. Experience, pace and comes from a good culture. Just the type of player we need n the short term. Look forward to what he can bring to the table!

2011 was only Gawn's 2nd season after he missed most of 2010 with injury. Don't think there's to many ruckman who command a spot in the 22 in only their 2nd seasons. I thought he showed a lot in the 5 games he played last year and if he can get over his injury will be the goods for us to take over from Russian. Reckon from 2014 onwards he'll turn the heat up on Jamar. Giles is a no for me. Jamar, Gawn, Spencer as 1st rucks. Clark, Martin, Fitzpatrick and Sellar all capable of playing 2nd ruck. No need for Giles.

I will be suprised if Hrovat goes inside the top 20 personally. There's every chance he'll still be available by the time it gets to our 3rd round draft pick IMO. Will be interesting to see what happens with Viney. End of the day I reckon the decision that the FD have to make is who would they prefer, Viney or Grundy?

Not quite the same. Unlike Fitzroy back then, we're not about to merge with an interstate club, we haven't not been able to pay our players and our facilities are a little better then Fitzroy's were. A better comparison may have been Carlton and St Kilda in 1995. I do agree with the main point you're making though. We're not overly attractive at the moment an there for will struggle to land big fish unless they chase $$$$ or possibly if they were a massive Dees fan growing up? We're going to have to target players outside of other clubs best 22 and grow stars from within IMO.

Wont happen. Lets keep it realistic and turn our attention to one of Butcher, Gumbleton or McKernan.

Well I mentioned that Farren Ray was a handy shut down/run with player in the midfield. Considering McKenzie has that role in our team at the moment I thought it would make sense that if there's more competition for that role in the squad, then McKenzie would need to lift his game to keep his spot. Just like if we were to secure Jordan Russell. It would put the heat on someone like James Strauss or Dan Nicholson.

The wife's a St. Kilda fan so I've seen a fair bit of him over the last few seasons and I reckon he'd be a very handy player. No world beater, but a very solid midfielder/HBF. After Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard Ray was the next player who nearly got the Saints over the line in the 2010 drawn Grand Final with a great shut down game on Dane Swan after half time when Clinton Jones had no impact on him in the first half. Farren Ray in the team would put the heat on someone like a Jordie McKenzie to lift his game to stand in the 22 IMO. I'd be happy to secure him for the right price. 3rd round draft pick at the most.

Will be a good signing if true. Fills a need for at least 2, possibly 3 years. Mature and physically tough player who can help set good standards at the club. Would love to see Shannon Byrnes swooping on the crumbs of Q Lynch next season!

Will be very happy if we secure Byrnes. Very handy goal sneak who will fill a void and serve a purpose for us for a few years. Comes from a winning culture and will be a very good role model/mentor for a Kennedy or Garlett if we were to draft one of them at Pick 13. Goldsack's a pass for me. Good footballer but he doesn't fill one of our main areas that need addressing with ready to go experienced players which for me are: Small Forward: Shannon Byrnes will fit the bill nicely Tall Forward/CHF: Fingers crossed for a Scott Gumbleton, Mitch Brown (Geel), Aaron Cornelius Inside Midfielder: Koby Stevens, Steven Salopek, Simon Hogan Outside Midfielder: Ben Jacobs, Sharrod Wellingham, Clinton Young Small/Mid sized Defender: Jordan Russell, Josh Toy, Gavin Urqhart He's a utility type who can play tall and small either forward or back. I reckon Garland has that role and in a better team would have the equal results to Goldsack.

Bit harsh I would have thought.....

I know what you mean mate. I've got my first due anyday now. Was actually due on Tuesday but it's sleeping in. It's going to be a boy, the mothers a Saints fan but I've got the green light to [censored] Melbourne to death. She had the green light if it were to be a girl. I'm doing the membership, scraf, toy bear and all that stuff. We're even looking at building near Casey Fields so I can walk him to sumemr training and the Casey games. It will be a battle. Even my dad lost me for about 5 years to Carlton a fair while back now before I saw the light and came back. Hopefully my young one will be thick skinned and stand firm when it gets to those dangerous years and they can decide for themselves!

BUMP. http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/players/playerprofile/mitchbrown/tabid/7302/playerid/15318/category/senior/season/2012/selected/bio/default.aspx I'm assuming this Mitch Brown? Would be cheap. Could he be our answer at CHF. I'm hearing that he's very keen to return to Victoria. He along with Gumbleton, Cornelius and Geelong's Mitch Brown would all have to be reasonable candidates I would have thought?