Not doing anything at draft time

[The OX]

I Love/Hate this time of year, I love it because of the opportunity it presents and I hate it because of the opportunity CFC don't capatilize on. There are good players on the market this year, and those good players have other sides names as a prospects next to them, never Collingwood. Heath Black this year, then talks go cold and Gehrig last year, and we all know what happened there. We done well last year in the end, but they all could of turned out duds. If all the players that we picked up mimicked there previous seasons at there previous club, we would of been rocking Judkins car, as he drove out of Vic Park for the last time. But these mid range players stood up and showed they could play. Molloy was as good as he was earlier with Brisbane but then lost it with them, and given his last two seasons was a risk that passed for us. Previously Rintoul, Clement, Wakelin, Holland and Steinfort all showed climpses but nothing that resembled consistency. Molloy, Clement, Wakelin and Holland are in most of our best line ups, and Rintoul and Steinfort are in some, and most of us think they may do better next year, given they have injury free runs.

The previous year we got O'Bree, Ukovic, McKee, Clark and Hawking. I believe of these 1 will be there next year in O'Bree, and he was preseason draft not the National draft. So we don't seem to go all out, to get stars from other sides. What has been up for grabs. Last year alone saw certain clubs get the likes of Bell, Murphy, White, Rehn, D.Wakelin, Capuano, Gehrig, Hamill, Lawrence, Moyle, Gale and Merenda. We in the end probably done better not to get these players, but in the long run some of these players once settled into there new club, will make us regret not going for them.

This year is the same, the likes of Mercuri, Misiti, Croad, Vardy, Black, Porter, Moorcroft, Barnard, Bizzell, Both Hollands, McKernan, Hall, Everitt, Stafford, Morrison, Wirrpunda and West. I believe if we miss all that I have just mentioned we will be a step behind all those who include one of these players to there list. All of these teams that these players played for have looked forward, they believe that they can do a deal with there past star, to better the club in the future.

Presti, Burns, Licka are good players, they have there knockers and there fans, but the truth is the have been good for the pies, as close as this season. These three are my picks of the good players that might be offered, to better the club in future years with someone on offer this trade period. The rest of the players are just too valuable, Tarrant NO, N.Davis NO, Lonie NO, Didak NO, O'Bree NO, L.Davis NO, Fraser NO, Buckley NO, Lockyer has been mentioned, but he is our future so NO. Then we have Johnson, Betheras, Scotland and Freeborn are the next level of players that could sweeten a deal or get another borderline player from another club. All players picked up last year can not go, they are in contract and need to be given two years at least, so that rules out a few names. The others on our list would not get the interest of the other clubs to swap decent players.

So I say bite the Bullet, Presti, Licka and Burns are my three that I would hate to lose but am prepared to.

Some borderline players that I wouldn't mind getting if thats all we offer are, Lade, Picken, Knobel, Massie, Fevola, Fletcher, Bandy, Street, Travis Johnson, Bourke, Fitzgerald and Ellis. Some of you will say no way to some of these but they might play for Willi all year, and I say this, so would of the guys we trade off for them, so thats no loss, also they could do a Holland, Clement or Wakelin and turn it around.

My preferance is to let a good player or two go for a good player or two, but failing that go Borderline for Borderline, I hope we don't not do nothing like some of the Unshaw years.

[MarkT]

I think I get your point, but boy are there some condractions in there.

Look at it this way:
We missed some good players over the years but picked up some as well. In the past we had nothing except draft choices to offer for trades. We would not have the promising list we have if we had traded more because we would not have had the draft choices to use.
Could we have traded smarter?
Absoluely. We waisted draft choices, gave up useful players (Schuable, Sanderson etc) and recruited players who did not produce. All in all we had little to work with though.

Things are a little different now. Now I am scared to let our young players go because they look so promising. We will probably be relatively quiet this week but I am relatively happy with that. So long as we get a ruckman, we will be well placed next year and for years to come.

[The OX]

What do you think about Brendon Lade, he was an absolute gun, before injury struck, if he gets past medical checks, could he be our answer in ruck??????

[MarkT]

I thought he was more a CHB. Could be handy but a risk. Not sure of his age either. I wouldn't take anyone over 27 because ythey would be retired before we hit our best.

[The OX]

199cm 103kgs and was born 10/7/76 which makes him only 26. He was a ruck.