Earl Hood

I have put this option up before. Hogan to cut his teeth as a CHB while we off load Frawley in trade week while we can get maximum return. If he won't commit now I think he is as likely to go and from what I am hearing the AFL is moving to get rid of free agency compensation. So potentially we lose Frawley for SFA. So much depends on a Roos lead resurgence up the ladder. Let's hope it happens and Frawley resigns for the journey but what are the odds, especially if he has a big year and the team struggles? He will be in big demand by the top clubs, who always seem to have excess room in their salary cap. Funny that!

Interesting isn't it. I agree with your optimism but what makes you and I so confident? It is that he is physical, passionate, aggressive and confident. His skills may or may not be elite, who knows at this stage but we are confident he will make it. These guys find ways to compensate and develop their strengths. Now there are one or two of these personality types in every draft but not always blessed with sublime skills. I really believe you should zero in on these types when drafting, they won't all work out but if you got 2 or 3 of them right you could be suddenly playing finals footy.

That would be spelt Jorge, if it is pronounced horhay!

I have heard a 15 year deal myself.

Hey on reflection can I change my question to " Key point to this trade is what do B&B bring to us?" Sorry for this lapse in grammar.

Key point to this trade are what Bugg and Buntine bring to us? Can anyone enlighten us?

Yes you are right we will have to stamp out that stuff.

Can you please give me your Powerball numbers for next week?

Please let me know how you go. May I suggest that Alamos Malbec is a cheapy but a goodey.

Might as well just put AFL logo on our jersey front and back to reflect reality.

Gee I hope Rfpc is correct and he is a FA band 1 compensation pick because otherwise we will be screwed. And come to think of it losing a full back of his quality equates to us being screwed no matter the draft compensation.

I have recently returned from South America. May I suggest that you try some Argentinian Malbecs. You won't have too many half full bottles of red left to clean up in the morning, they'll be empties.

I am still not sure, let us use 2014 to judge where he is at. Also let us hope there is a competitive inside mid field operating to get the ball out to him so he can maximise his skills.

Sorry I meant Leviticus 10 verse 8: "Do not drink wine nor strong drink thou......" Alas I believe it is a lost cause with you and a half empty or half full bottle of red.

It seems we will always be paying overs for anyone. That is our lot.

Leviticus 10 verse 2?

Pick 5 as compensation? Rpfc you know how it works but this seems optimistic. Of course if true then yes we stay the course and see what happens in 2014.

I have just payed up, I admit I should have and meant to earlier but I can be a skinflint at times. Anyway got to keep this site operating so I encourage others to cough up.

Roos talked about players being traded before they reach FA status. I would hope we are gauging his current value, if it is a first rounder to someone then we should be putting some options to him to sign now or we look at a trade before next year when we might get a second round compensation pick maybe. He can counter this of course if he wants to. Let us just say I am a pessimist in this whole FA bargaining. We will be working uphill into a headwind just to stay competitive in this environment. Our only hope to keep Chip is that the side gets totally fit, develops some kids and we start winning games big time a la Port A. If he sees there is hope he may stay. One alternative is to trade Chip now and look at Hogan to cut his teeth as a CHB a la David Neitz for a few years to fill a need as we hopefully have Clarke and Dawes up forward and we know Hogan played both ends as a junior.

What you say makes a lot of sense. God knows we have stuffed these kids up with a revolving door of coaches, game plans and experienced players, leaders being pushed out the door. Tough love coaching, getting rid of player counsellors and so on. It has all made things difficult. The lack of leadership on the field has been telling since Neitzy retired. Unfortunately he was our last real leader, I think. But we were just as dysfunctional in the 90's but we could still pick some X factor players out of the draft system. Players with that something special that allows them to stand out in their first season, however they may not always go on with it. But at least they had. that X factor. I just have not seen any X factor from our plethora of first rounders. They have all been nice types, some skills, ticked some boxes but no excitement factor at all.

Can someone define in detail what player development looks like? I am sure we haven't done it well but at least for the past two years our players have had elite training facilities, development coaches, altitude rooms, bike training, weights training, Dave Misson to get them fit, and on and on it goes. Now I would expect first round draft picks, properly chosen after appropriate interviews to be talented, self motivated, confident, ambitious and courageous. It should then just happen, barring injuries, but it hasn't. I just think we made some poor choices of kids who may have had talent but lacked confidence, commitment and courage in the contest. I'm thinking Morton, Gysbert, Maric, Cook and we can all have arguments as to whether you would take Watts vs Hurley, Trengove vs Martin and Cook vs say Darling that everyone else ignored. Development can make a difference but you would expect every first round draft pick to easily play firsts at least, how well may depend on further development. Some of our early draft picks barely managed a game. That is a sad indictment on our selections, I think. I just don't think we picked the right type, confident, aggressive types who may present some challenges but also present the possibility of greater success.

Look here is an idea. Could we just have Roosey coach for a three year contract and if he wants out we look at the next best coach available at that time? Radical idea I admit but after what we have endured can't we just do this coaching thing well and by the normal formula. Succession plans are great but do they always give the best outcome? I think the jury is still out on this one, after all you may have groomed an apprentice to take over in a year when Ross Lyon is available. Why are we in our poor position playing these games?

However we are seeing a lot of young players wanting out and rumour of Voss, Brown and Black being very insular and blokey. Who knows but something wasn't right up there however they did win a lot games late in the season. But why do these kids want out?

Agree. Adelaide may be desperate to get some picks and therefore some of their older midfielders may be available for a trade but not Crouch, this guy is a superstar in the making I am sure they can see that. I have seen him play in what 2 or 3 games and been gob smacked. why can't we snaffle one of these guys in an early pick? If you Manage to do that once or twice and add a bit of luck and suddenly you are in the premiership window. A la the Hawks in 2001 pick up Hodge and Mitchell then 2004 you go back and pick up Buddy, Roughy and Lewis. Then add on Cyril and Sewell and you have the recipe for a flag. Oh hold on we can then have a long debate about player development versus pure talent picked in the draft.

Agree so surely we can play with the upper hand as they need draft picks big time and they have ample mids and perhaps we have a key forward they might be interested in to get a deal done?