Progression of the side this year

[Brown26]

Everyone loves the "A grader" debate - and according to the week we either have 2 or 20 - but for me this year I've been impressed with the kids who have done enough to cement a spot this year and have shown they will be good enough to play in a premiership side - they just need consistency and fitness.

As an interesting exercise (and mostly to see where we needed to trade / recruit), I put a team on paper comprised of 'A graders', good role players capable of playing in a premiership side (Brown, Frost, Goldsack etc) and up and coming players who took the next step or cemented their spot this year (ie. Williams, De Goey). Whether they're A graders or good players it doesn't really matter - they can still play in our next premiership team. There are obviously a few kids who we think will be good but don't know much about yet (ie. Scharenberg, Maynard) and they should have the opportunity to get a game. BUT have a look at the list and work out where they're going to fit in! When you put in all the kids who have proved this year that they're the real deal then there is no room left at the inn!

The point of that exercise shows two things - one, if we recruit someone we have no where to put them so they better be good cause they're taking a good players position (ie. Treloar in, ... out) and two, we have an excess of ok players. Players like Patty K, Kennedy, Sinclair, Blair, Seedsman have had opportunities this year but haven't taken them. This doesn't mean they wont get there but we should certainly be looking at them carefully cause opportunities will be limited next year.

We are in the interesting position of being 2 players down on the list at the moment - Keefe and Thomas - so we don't NEED to trade or cut many players to change the list over; we could just hit the draft and fill the list, but I think we have an opportunity to get something for some of our players who are not going to make much of a contribution next year for lack of space in the 22.

I hate trading players who have bled for the cause BUT the reality is if we don't trade someone decent we wont get any return. I'm not talking about trading a gun player for a number one pick, but trading any or all of those ok players or role players for second round picks or upgraded picks would be very sensible I would think. Then we may be able to float a first round and a couple of second round picks to GWS for Treloar AND have something in the bank for us. We can also trade for next years picks which might be sensible (deep draft apparently).

If we really think that Goldsack, Toovey, Sinclair, Seedsman, Karnesis and Blair are going to be on the outer next year we should be looking at trading them for a few second round picks or ideally upgradeing our second round pick for quite a few spots. We could bring in Treloar and Aish for our first and second round picks and Seedsman, Blair and Toovey for example (although suggesting trading Tooves is almost criminal IMO...) by trading Blair and Tooves for second rounders and on trading them to GWS and Brissy. GWS need picks to get their academy players in so they'll be much more interested in picks than players. Ideally, we'd then trade Goldsack for a second round pick, then trade that pick and Karnesis for an upgrade on that pick and then that upgraded pick and Sinclair for a late first round pick, for example.

That'd be a massive trading period and I think it's very unlikely BUT very interesting given the list we've got and players who probably wont get much of an opportunity next year.

- Ben

Team (for completeness):

FB: Williams, Brown, Toovey
HB: Langdon, Frost, Oxley
C: Sidebottom, Swan, Crisp
HF: Elliot, Cloke, Varcoe
FF: Fasalo, Reid, Moore
Fol: Grundy, Pendlebury, Adams

Int: Greenwood, De Goey, Goldsack, Broomhead

Emerg: Ramsay, Witts, Maynard

Others: Scharenberg, Marsh,

The issue for me in that team is the backline and I suspect by next year Reid will be down back, Scharenberg and Ramsay and maybe Sinclair will be in and Frost and Toovey will be pushed out. If Cox or Abbot or Witts can step up and play FF in place of Reid it would be a very potent forward line too.

List break down:

A graders: Langdon (21 years old), Sidebottom (24), Swan (31), Elliot (23), Cloke (2, Reid (26), Pendlebury (27).

Cemented position: Williams (22), Oxley (23), Crisp (22), Varcoe (27), Fasalo (23), Moore (19), Grundy (21), Adams (22), Greenwood (26), De Goey (19), Broomhead (21), Ramsay (21), Witts (23) (if Grundy wasn't there).

Role players: Brown (27), Frost (23), Toovey (2, Goldsack (2

Young, minimally tried: Scharenberg (20), Marsh (20), Maynard (19),

Young, untried: Abbot (20), Cox (24), Goodyear (19), Freeman (20)

Unsure: Kennedy (21), Karnesis (23), Sinclair (24), Blair (25), Macaffer (27), Seedsman (23)

Likely VFL or gone: White (27), Dwyer (29), Young (29), Armstrong (26), Gault (23)