binman

I love the idea of getting Hogan. Does't worry me in the slightest that he won't be able to play until 2014. Sounds pretty advanced physically but add another year of full AFL level training and he'll be a bull come round one 2014. He'll play for Casey for the 2013 season you'd expect and train with the main squad. This is a huge advantage for us as he will not only be AFL ready fitness wise but know the game plan and his team mates. Also unlike next years draft picks will enjoy a full preseason. Bring Pederson and/or Dawes in an we have coverage for big men and he can slot in as the 3rd big (a la Darling) and then get the third defender. A forward line with Clark, Dawes? Pederson and Hogan sounds pretty bloody good to me! Also i love the idea of getting a gun centre half forward type as a youngster. The first time since Shwarta we will have this sort of player from the get go. Get it done!

Bingo. I just worked out who this "new poster" is. Should have clicked with the anti Watts diatribe. Apologies if this has already been pointed out.

If the Suns have not planned to have Viney in their side than they have alot to lose by picking him. A huge amont of effotrt, planning and thought goes into choosing draft picks and there is a massive risk picking a player to basically spite another club. If we don't take him they're stuck with him and we essentially get the 2nd pick in the draft. That's huge for us, particularly as many pundits suggest Viney would fo perhaps somewhere 8-10. All their plans will be around a specific player as they know Whitfield will go one. And i bet they don't rate Viney the second best player in the draft. Huge risk and they won't take it. He'll go second round. As for benefiting us they don't want to start a war with us, its bad business. Caddy will be just the first of many Victorian players coming out of contract who might want o come home. The last thing the Suns need is a Victorian club targeting those players. Its funny in a way. If they nominate him with the expectation that we will take him it is form of draft tampering, albeit one they would get away with

I'm with Chook. With an injury free pre season i reckon we will see some terrific footy from Col next year. I get the feeling Neeld has found a way to get him going and this is a big call but i would not be shocked to see him in the LG, perhaps not next year but maybe in 2014

Who are these people who with one of their first handful of posts write such nonsense? There seems to be quite a few popping up of late, often with a little bit of of silliness to stir the masses. Watts for Mitch Robinson? What the?

How many senior players do we have? And of these how many do we want to keep? I mean seriously, assuming Rivers go our senior players (defined lets say by more than 80 odd games or 5 seasons at the club) are Davey, Bate, Dunn, Pettard, Morton, Jamar, Sylvia, Jones, Frawley, MacDonald, Bartram and Garland. Of that list for me the definite keepers would be Jamar (who signed a 3 year deal mid season, despite being a FA), Jones (who has committed to the club and seems to love it) and Clark (ditto to Jones), Sylvia (who if he wanted out we could probably get a pretty good trade going, so i suspect he is fine) and Frawley (who is contracted but perhaps has not had the same level of buy in as the others) and perhaps Garland (who i'm not so sure he is super in love withe new regime). I also like MacDonald and suspect he is happy at the club. Add to that list Dunn, who seems to be happy enough and i still think has a lot to offer the club. The others? To honest i doubt they are part of Neelds future plan and few Demon fans would worry too much about them going (assuming they could get a club to pick them up). Apologies here to Bartram, but his injury is chronic and may be close to retiring unfortunately. I also would assume almost all of the non keepers would have been discusse as potential trade bait so no wonder they might want out. So Denham suggests the industry is shocked by how many senior dees are shopping themselves and want out? Of the senior list with any currency whatsoever in the market my sense is only Frawley, Sylvia and perhaps Garland have perhaps not fully bought in and maybe have put the feelers out (but perhaps not). And my sense is if they really want out Neeld will be happy to accommodate them if they it means getting very high draft picks or players in return who will buy in from the get go. The other keepers have all bought in in my opinion and wont be looking elsewhere. That leaves the rest who might be making some noise but as i said don't have much currency. I know its all theater but Denham's shtick is very tiresome.

Also don't forget if he is the only FA we get he won't dilute potential compensation for Moloney and Rivers too much.

Just watched his presser. Seems a solid citizen with his head screwed on. This is what Neeld is after. Great get i reckon.

This is what they will be focusing on, of that i have no doubt.

Yep. Gun.

Its interesting that there has been no talk about Wellingham to Carlton given they seem to be after Caddy. I'd rather Welingham and you probably wouldn't need to give up as much (Wallace had him late first round if he went into the draft). I assume they have the cash given they were apparently making a play for Cloke. I wonder if that suggests Malthouse doesn't rate him - he certainly would know all his strengths and weaknesses.

I wonder if the offer might be pick 4 for Dawes, Wellingham and their first round pick, which i guess would be around 18?

Whoah, spooky. On trade radio Damien Barrett just stated talking about how a super deal involving Dawes and Wellingham to the dees might work! So frustrating though, the link to the show keeps dropping out on my computer. Very annoying.

Which is one key factor in our favor. How keen will the pies be to trade with Swans given that to do so will help a team that is likely to be battling with them for a top 4 position next year? Also Swans would likely have to give up a player (or perhaps a trade pick but i reckon it is unlikely the swans will want to give up picks) which i doubt they'll be keen on given the Swans much vaunted bloods culture. We are a huge chance to get him, with the Saints perhaps our only competitor (given the Neeld and play at the G factors i reckon he'll prefer us over the dogs). The Saints would have the appeal of being more likely to play finals but i think we could probably better the cash offer to Dawes and the trade options for the pies. If Dawes goes Martin might be back on the table for a trade. It wouldn't be far off a straight swap for Dawes either, perhaps Martin and a late pick for Dawes. Throw Wellingham into the mix and we have the makings of a pretty big deal. What about pick 13, Martin and Petterd for Dawes and Wellingham?

A problem for the dees in getting Wellingham is who would the pies really want from our side (that we were prepared to give up) now they have Lynch and probably don't need Martin? Is Petterd enough? Perhaps Petterd and a late pick?

Jack Watts will be AA by the time he turns 25 and after that will be considered by pundits to be one of the best players in the competition. That's another 3 years away. In the mean time he will steadily improve and his value as the number 1 pick will be questioned less and less. Neeld has come just at the right time for Watts. He was a great pick at number 1 and he'll prove it to be the case. If i'm still posting in 2016 i'm going to love bumping the various Watts post, including this one.

Straight swap? Perhaps Martin not quite enough so could chuck in a late draft pick or perhaps Morton. The question is do we need another ruckman. Gawn should right ot go, I rate Spencer and Fitzy can play back up role

Dawes would be a good pickup for the dees right now as as a poster above noted his value is low and Collingwood may want to get rid of him (good Supercoach pickup!) Ás i have said before Neeld wants a twin tower set up and he would fill that role to perfection. Even this year, although he had a poor season he still needs a big gorilla type to match him which stretches defenses when there is a Cloke as well (or a Clark if he was at the dees). The post above that notes he said he struggled playing the second ruck role is interesting as at the dees he wouldn't need to do that and could just stay down forward, and possibly play out of the square. He was poor this year but i wouldn't be surprised if Neeld could turn him around. Which raises another point. Neeld would know Dawes, his capacity etc and i would trust his judgement on him if we decided to go after him. In an article i read this week about the Swans (i think about Morton) it was noted that new players were recruited specifically for a role and were told as much. Their job was to play that role. Also it noted they had a focus on getting players who could train at the elite level and were more interested in this than talent per se. All about players able to meet the Swans standards and buy in to the culture from the get go. Sound familiar? I have no doubt that this will be/is the approach to recruitment that Neeld will take/s (and has done already with Magner and Couch). Dawes would meet this criteria IMO. Buckley noted a few times what a terrific trainer Dawes is and that this was one of the key reasons he wasn't dropped earlier. He can play a role, he'll buy in to Neelds vision, he trains at an elite AFL standard, he's from a successful club, he knows and has played with our forward coach, he'll be at a reasonable price and he's still young. He's also a braniac and that suits the MGC. Get him

Neeld wrote in the Age on Saturday morning analyzing how the Swans would go about their business (Voss did the Hawks). He likes their style no doubt about it.

I thought he said in early pressers but perhaps i'm wrong and i'm just assuming he has made it clear. I'm guessing he was playing ducks and drakes with his comments about building a small forward line around Clark. I would be shocked if two big power forwards wasn't part of his preferred game plan. As Buckley was quoted as saying "You can't have enough marking forwards in front of the ball in this day and age,". If we are into Lynch, which i assume we are this would appear to be proof of Neeld's plan to use the twin tower approach.

I think they have found him his role. He'll stay down back from now on.

Didn't this fella kick the first and last goals of the GF?

No worries, will do. Only one problem - i have no idea what you are talking about!

Shizen.

Hopefully we'll meet them in the middle next year as they drop down and we rise up!