2017 Trade and Draft period now concluded. Good luck to all.

[robevpau1]

Devon Smith good mates with Tay Adams. Looks possible according to this report in today's sun,

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/clubs-rush-to-secure-gun-giant-devon-smith-and-pie-taylor-adams-could-sway-his-decision/news-story/1ac5680a4a7ddd8a8893b7181e37d88c

[HAL]

Are you still it?

[Pa Marmo]

[Tannin]

[AN_Inkling]

[ronrat]

Darling is soft as butter. Their first round pick would do but with their ageing list they will want to keep it.

[swoop42]

Pick 6 to Brisbane for Pick 18 and Schache.

Pick 18, Pick 36, Fasolo to West Coast for Pick 13 and 30.

Pick 13 used on Balta.

Key forward and defender secured.

[piedys]

[qldmagpie67]

My only issue with Faz is he thinks he's 6ft10" and gets in the way of Grundy Cox Moore etc trying to take hangers over them. He and Elliott and nearly the same size yet Elliott plays his role very well. Faz is a decent player maybe just doesn't suit our structure perfectly
Not interested in Darling softer than melted ice cream
Smith whilst not a noted goal kicker lays loads of tackles and pressure something we lack but I'm not prepared to give anything much up for him would rather wait for Daicos or Brown to improve for the long term.
We might end up with a couple extra draft picks no one has considered for Faz and Aish and possibly another midfielder who I've been informed is being quietly offered up to a few Melbourne based clubs just can't confirm it at the moment and the source is a relative new one to me

[Geek]

[Geek]

Actually Swoop, looking at it closer I reckon we could do a lot better than #18, #36 and Fas to WCE for #13 and 30. At the least, I'd say we could hold on to pick 36.

Fasolo is worth more to both us and the Eagles than and late first round upgrade and #36 -> 30.

WCE are crying out for a capable medium forward to take over after LeCras leaves. Fas has seemingly sorted out his issues around preparation and defensive pressure (to an acceptable level at least) and is only 25 years old.

Even with our sclerotic ball movement, his case of the yips this year and battling the black dog, he was still good for a goal and a half per game, kicking 29.29. He could easily transform that into a few 40+ goal seasons back on his home deck before he is done. For a player that hasn't out and out stated he wants to leave, those numbers are sounding a lot more like a late first round pick (I tested that assertion on an Essendon supporting mate at work. He reckons early 2nd rounder easy).

Fas and #36 for #13 wouldn't be accepted by the Eagles but I think it is closer to the mark than the deal you suggested

[Geek]

Posted this one on Hotrods just now. Could it work?

#6 to GWS for D Smith, #23 and #25
I think this favours us a bit too much but just one of those 2nd rounders isn't enough. Gets GWS back into the top 6 which is good for them as they have no first round picks and only a couple of second rounders this year. Means they have an outside chance at getting Brander after all. May need a bit more from us like #36.

Fasolo and #25 to WCE for #13.
West Coast picks up its successor to LeCras - a 1.5 to 2 goal per game medium forward who is still only 25 at the start of the next season but drop their first pick by 12 places. It is the flat section of the draft though. We get back into the first round at the point where Balta/Clavarino/Etc are still available or we can trade for Schache/Weideman

I think this works if we can somehow get and keep the 2nd 2nd rounder from GWS. Essentially:

Out: #6, Fas, (#36?)
In: #13, Smith, #23

We lose a forward that, due to the way he plays, we can probably replace relatively easily and pick up a hard running mid/fwd with a lovely kick on him. We still have access to the talls we are likely to have access to anyway and we get ourselves back in to the early stages of the 2nd round

[AN_Inkling]

[Rizzo32]

I am quite the optimist I’ll warn you in advance. Given some recent boring travel I’ve had time to ponder the future of the mighty club I’ve supported for the past 30+ years, and I don’t see the short term doom and gloom I read a bit of. The window is very much open in this era of equality and less than dominant forces allowing the Doggies and Tiges to surprise all with their ascendency to the top.

So here’s my 2c worth, starting from the back.

A strong reliable back six ALL of which can kick the ball is integral, no more can we survive with the Nath Brown/Frost/Sinclair/Adams/Smith/Maynard clanger count coming out of the back as this is where good teams generate a large portion of their F50 entries.

Dunn, Reid, Howe, Scharenberg can all kick, Crisp for run and Goldsack for effort, with Varcoe and Wells dashing from wing/HB. Anyone who can’t consistently hit a target 30m away is banned from being within 20m of the D50 (looking at you TA).

Midfield rotations of Grundy, Pendles, Treloar, DeGoey, Aish, Maynard, the latter trifecta have shown their best form when plonked in the guts, so we need to find time for them in there. Phillips, Sidey, Varcoe and Wells giving outside run and carry, and all but one is good with ball on boot, but willing to give Phillips time.

Cox and Grundy to switch from the goal square.

And so here is the issue, kicking enough goals, we need to kick 100 points to consistently win, 14-15 goals per game, therefore a minimum 300 goals for the season (Fwiw we kicked 278 in 2017). Ideally 170 goals from your six key forwards. Adelaide are the only team that appear to run the same six forwards each week all with unique skills and roles. I don’t understand why more teams don’t play dedicated forward six such as them, as kicking goals is what wins you football matches, so have 6 blokes paid to do just that. Look at the Crows, two bigs Tex 50 goals/Jenkins 40, hit up runner Lynch 30, xfactor speed and tackling Cameron 20/Betts 50/McGovern 20). That’s over 200 goals from their forwards of 350+ goals for the 2017 season!!

So who kicks ours? Cox has looked unstoppable when running at the ball, he (and Grundy) needs to set up in the goal square for any stoppage or centre bounce within 90m of goal, our bail out kick should therefore be to around 30m from goal where the big moving target cannot be out-marked (as opposed to trying to nail a 20m pass to Blairy against the boundary vs two opponents!). However Mason appears to have a high centre of gravity, so kicks on his head to a stationery target he is easily outbodied and often out-marked. We’ve signed him so now play him, I think it’s realistic to count 30-40 goals and pinch hit in the ruck, an extra 10 from Grundy would be a bonus.

Darcy Moore as the lead up target (30 goals), Elliott (40) as the other marking option, let’s face facts that for a little bloke he plays tall and is always dangerous in marking contests, however defensively (38 tackles) he isn’t great (Betts 77, Cameron 95) and I don’t like both Jamie and Fas in the same team, only room for one and Elliott is far superior. So around these three we need pressure players that can each contribute 20-30 goals.

Hoskin-Elliott (2017 18 goals 70 tackles) has some tricks about him, is quick enough and he chases.

I think Taylor Adams has a certain Toby Greene look about him, while his general field kicking is often problematic, he laid 140 tackles and kicked 9.8 in a season he rarely saw F50 time. I think DeGoey, Maynard and Aish can cover him in the middle, so I’ll concede 10 possessions per game from TA and instead get 100 tackles and 20-30 goals.

This leaves the last F6 spot, and it really isn’t clear to me who fills it. I like the idea of Kirby but we all know he needs the preseason of a lifetime to be fit enough, Mayne is on the books and this is the role he was brought in for, but does he have much left in the tank? I think Daicos will be great in a couple of years, Cal Brown loves to tackle, we can surely do better than Josh Thomas & Blairy. Let's get one thing perfectly clear Ben Reid is not a forward, if things are going to the crapper I’d prefer to see Howe or Goldy move forward.

So this is what it currently looks like to me:
B: Goldsack ~ Dunn ~ Howe
HB: Crisp ~ Reid ~ Sharenberg
C: Sidey ~ DeGoey ~ Wells
Foll: Grundy ~ Pendles ~ Treloar
HF: Adams ~ Moore ~ HoskinElliott
F: Elliott ~ Cox ~ (Mayne/Kirby/recruit)
Int: Maynard ~ Aish ~ Varcoe ~ Phillips

Depth: Daicos, Brown, Thomas, Wills, Schade, Ramsay, McLarty, McCarthy

Jury out/Goneskis: White, Blair, Crocker, Sier, Smith, Mackie, Lynch

Superfluous to requirements (aka trade bait): Fasolo, Langdon, Broomhead, Greenwood, Sinclair, Keeffe, Oxley

Some other random thoughts…
I do like Langdon, but unless something completely left field takes place (ie trade Ben Reid, getting older always injury worry) I can’t see where he fits in the back half and Sharenberg & Goldsack are slightly ahead of him in my eyes.

Fas for Harley Balic would be nice, a few alarm bells when he fell down the draft board, and missing time this year is a worry, but super talent and worth a punt.

Cam Ellis-Yolmen anyone? Brendan AhChee? Hayden Crozier? Lincoln McCarthy? James Rose? Trent McKenzie needs a new home, Brandon Matera (though he tackles less than Fas), chuck em in with the Tom Lynch deal Ben Lennon would be cheap, Devon Smith would not be cheap, Michael Walters would be perfect.

Jarrod Brander is the obvious pick around #6, would love Rayner or Davies-Uniake, but don’t think that’s likely to happen. Aiden Bonar looks fascinating, would like Gryan Miers if there around 30's. But watch Liam Ryan highlights and you’ll fall in love.

The Premiership’s a cakewalk!

[RudeBoy]

I like your analysis Rizzo32. However, I disagree on a few points.

Firstly, I think you underestimate the value of Langdon. He was coming off a serious injury this year, but got better each game. He's a great mark and reader of the play. He is also strong.

Secondly, as I've posted several times (too many for some I guess), I still am unconvinced of the woth of Scharenberg. He still seems to be very slow and lacks agility - due to his 4 serious operations on his knees and feet. Also, he lacks any physicality at all.

Thirdly, while he has some skills, I don't see much of a future for Aish, as he doesn't add anything to our team. Also, he is not particularly quick.

No doubt we'll find out next season, but fwiw, I'd be happy to trade out Scharenberg, Aish and Broomhead.