DeeSpencer

Are the Saints desperately looking for speed and X factor? They bought in Hill and Butler last year to go with Billings, Gresham and co but this year they’ve recruited Brad Crouch to thicken the soup. They might be stuck with Lonie and Kent. Clearly they have interest in Higgins but speed is just a part of his game to go with class They might’ve decided Butler, Kent and Lonie/Higgins is enough. Can we say the same about Pickett, Spargo and Bedford or are we better off to keep searching?

I don't agree with the first part. Saad does more defensively and his pace is a weapon. Agree with the second to an extent. Yes and no. Line breaking is a gamble that often doesn't pay off if you just run in to trouble. Houli when fit and healthy is the best at quickly breaking a line but still hitting a short pass rather than the big long run. That's what I want to see from Salem and he's not far off it. Burst run in to hit up. We lack at least one penetrating kicker from the backline. May can do it. Hore's one to watch with his boot which is sometimes shaky but has upside. Rivers hopefully. Salem can do the short hit up corridor kicks but these days it's the big 60m diagonal switch or 45m dart that unlocks gaps as much as any.

Have you seen him play recently? Could be the worst footballer in the AFL. Genuine space cadet.

We have them for top end midfield talent, but need to get more from that advantage. Their backline is clearly superior. May's the best defender of the group and Salem is up there but Wilkie, Clark, Carlisle, Howard, Paton, Coffield, Long are way better than our 3-7th defenders. They have 7 competent AFL defenders with a 2 talls, 2 mediums, 3 good smalls balance. Our best 7 defenders features probably 3 question marks. The forward line could be a similar tale where Ben Brown might be the most accomplished but Butler, King, Membrey et al form a far more consistent group. We need a little internal development to catch up and then we probably need a year adding a few pieces. I get the feeling we probably know that but we want to spend a year getting the cap in order and the coaching right before we try to fill holes.

We aren’t going to get anything based on location. Although if we use what is currently a car park we aren’t detracting from the Olympic park/Goschs’ area. We have to make a case based on what the facility will do. Richmond have their Indigenous centre. Other clubs have promised use by paralympians. Ideally we need some sort of venture that both makes money - because we’ll be putting a stack of cash in to this - and is a good social cause.

Home sickness is a real thing, I don't want to diminish it. But I think this bloke just wants to pick and choose and do things on his own terms which isn't really a team mentality. And to be fairer too him he's also talking to Irish reporters about a move in a few years time. He's not planning to fly back over here in June. So the time to assess it is in the future not now.

Has a bit of height and aerial ability that makes him more like Hannan and separates him from the small smalls we've got. Wouldn't be rushing to sign him but he's not the worst. The Saints are loading up with midfielders and probably trying to get Billings and Gresham through the forward line more. Maybe with Jack Higgins too. With or without Lonie. That puts a squeeze on their list spots.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/202143/future-trading-given-goahead-but-with-restrictions

To trade a future first you have to possess a future 2nd, 3rd and 4th. We are now light on for a future 3rd. But there's plenty of opportunities to get it back. Could be the Preuss trade for instance. I'm a bit of a skeptic on Mahoney's plan to get deals done early to then be in a position to evaluate later in trade period. But these are probably the deals best done early so there isn't any snags when it comes to making more important deals. I don't think we'll be trading our future first though. It's likely too big a risk to take it out of a clean draft and try to move up in to this mess of a draft.

Frost, 42 (very little difference with 50), 61 (no value) and a future fourth-round FOR 50 and Hawthorn's future second-round selection (23) We then spent a future second and redeemed a future 4th with Langdon. Which allowed us to do the Pickett trade and keep a 2nd, 3rd and 4th this year. So we aren’t trying to get more picks, at this stage we are just trying to get better picks. A core part of Mahoney’s job is to try to get players in whilst still giving Jason Taylor something useful to work with at the draft. I think that’s worth bothering with.

We can't trade our future first now (not that we should) until we get a future 3rd back, but we've got Preuss and Hannan maybe others who could make that happen. It's a bit early to know where the academy matching bid picks will fall. There's a chance a number of picks between 43-53 get sucked up and the picks end up nearly identical and we look stupid. But I'd suggest this is part of a bigger deal to get up the order early. So whilst I generally think trading up is a silly idea that chips away a draft capital without much gain I'll wait and see what else we can do with this pick 43. One thing our move last year indicated was if you're going to trade up you're best to do it aggressively and early rather than on or near the draft night when clubs fall in love with players and pay big overs.

2-7 make sense. We’d be mad to knock back any decent deal for Brayshaw. The only case to keep him is if Oliver goes next year and if that happens were in trouble anyway.

Played a ripping game against Grundy earlier in the year, then faded. Struggles for consistency and staying healthy but otherwise is solid enough as a back up. We could take more of a chance on someone with more versatility but if we want a cheap back up ruck he fits the bill

Remember when Hawthorn were actually good and Clarko had a rule 'if you can't kick, you can't play'. Doesn't seem to apply any more

Good tagger. Kicks like he doesn’t know which foot he uses. Not sure we’d be adding another inside mid.

Hannan’s not worth that and the pick scale always undersells the value of first round picks. We’ll have to add more to get that deal done

What were the club thinking giving a 26 year old key forward who just kicked 50 goals after a very good ruck/forward year a 4 year deal? Should’ve just had him year to year. Maybe even made him pay subs. Same for Harmes. 24 years old. Best 22 for 3 years. Can play a variety of roles. Silly giving him a 5 year deal through his entire prime and likely getting a discount for it. Should’ve paid him far more money for 2 years and risked losing him in free agency, that would’ve been a much smarter move.

Should we take a stab at him?

The way his form has gone we might be better off keeping him for 2021 then paying him to retire in 2022. It’s hard to see a club taking a chance on him for anything more than the minimum

And it cost us drafting Rowan Marshall and Ladhams, so hopefully we won’t make that mistake again

I doubt it, I think we'd want someone cheaper, with a bit more appetite for the ruck and probably younger (which goes against McKernan)

Purely guessing: Nathan Vardy (likely stays at Eagles if Hickey goes to the Swans) Max Lynch - out of contract Collingwood ruck Sam Hayes - 3rd in line to ruck at Port Callum Coleman-Jones - Tigers could dump him for poor behaviour Majak Wylie Buzza - delisted by the Pies

I'd say that this part of his job would have to come in as footy department work. Although how the AFLW and VFL/W work applies to AFL cap I wouldn't know. Where as this part might not be So there could be something too that but overall I think it's moving Mahoney sideways to get a more experienced football person making strategy decisions. But not a more experienced person in the role. Perhaps the best we could do given the circumstances.

141 afl goals. I’m guessing that’s probably in the top 8 for most goals from all forwards coaches.

We identified a player who brings on and off field skills and had worked with our incoming midfield coach, that’s not the same as saying we desperately needed outside run. Improving coaching and team work will be the biggest improvements we can make. After that we need to add good players at the right price rather than paying up for short term additions