Trade Targets ~ Free Agency & MSD player discussion

[The Black and White Lion]

No thanks for Hobbs. Shame about Davies but I didn’t see him as our midfield fix. Prefer we go out and find our own Jai Newcombe from country Victorian stocks.

[Haff]

This is HOW Collingwood Trade for Bailey Smith...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGtG9-pF4PM

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Cant see it. Basically a first and third for smith? No way the dogs are taking that.

Package up McRae but they don’t really want for any line. Almost rather target Lobb as a CHB…

[Newelly]

Seven news said Smith has “multiple business interests on the surf coast” down Geelong way.

That’s how Geelong rorts the salary cap

Yes.....Jeremy Cameron has dairy farm interests in the Geelong region as well. Their magic beans for the salary (cap) stalk

[Presti35]

Ok, so Davies has said no. Keane has stayed with the Crows. And Peatling is in high demand. The 'Trac saga seems to have blown over. Smith is almost assured of requesting Geelong. But what is the trade going to look like?

We really need to get involved here. Nobel is going to the Suns (No Davies in return), Joe is off to Port (unlikely to get Houston). Ash, Reef, Fin, etc may or may not bring in mid-tier picks?

We'll all start feeling better if we were able to obtain a new player. Someone that can have an impact and reinvigorate the list a bit. We can win it in 2025, but also feel like we need to get this trade/draft period right.

[Presti35]

SEN saying that Fin Macrae has spoken to Essendon.

[SLORT]

SEN saying that Fin Macrae has spoken to Essendon.

Feel like we're being strung along by a two meter stringer...could be a ringer-ding-dinger...

[Mr Miyagi]

Keane just signed three years with Adelaide.

And I’d only get Peter Wright if Cox retired. He’s not the player we need — midfield and key position defender .

[piffdog]

Hobbs for MacRae? Do we know if Hobbs even wants to leave or has been asked to explore his options? Noting he was a prior pick #13 who now has 3 years in the system and almost 50 games. Thats probably what we would expect out of an "average" top 20 pick who is still only 21.

Feels like the "targets" we have (maybe not all of them were ever real) are thinning out.

[Jen2310]

Hobbs for MacRae? Do we know if Hobbs even wants to leave or has been asked to explore his options? Noting he was a prior pick #13 who now has 3 years in the system and almost 50 games.

Would be strange, given they have Hobbs who cant get a game and they are very similar players
Essendon have no picks either, just their 1st and round pick, and they need picks to match Kako so not sure they should be chasing anyone, unless they trade out players for picks.
Player for player trades dont tend to happen these days.

[Pies2016]

Ok, so Davies has said no. Keane has stayed with the Crows. And Peatling is in high demand. The 'Trac saga seems to have blown over. Smith is almost assured of requesting Geelong. But what is the trade going to look like?

We really need to get involved here. Nobel is going to the Suns (No Davies in return), Joe is off to Port (unlikely to get Houston). Ash, Reef, Fin, etc may or may not bring in mid-tier picks?

We'll all start feeling better if we were able to obtain a new player. Someone that can have an impact and reinvigorate the list a bit. We can win it in 2025, but also feel like we need to get this trade/draft period right.

I’m actually starting to warm to the trading out of the above mentioned depth players and then bundling ALL our picks up and getting really busy in this draft.
If we don’t trade much back in and only rely on a free agent or two, our draft hand should at least really hold us in good stead come draft night ( especially if we did move on our F1 )
This is such a strong draft, particularly for midfielders and it wouldn’t take much for an 18 year old first round midfielder to contribute as much as what Fin and others delivered in 2024.
While I’m not against loading up for a flag one more time in 2025, I feel like the chances of pulling that off are slim.
Maybe it’s smarter to just play the long game and bring in some quality youth while it’s staring us in the face. The best way to build optimism for the future is to see a couple ( early ) picks from this draft show plenty in their first season at AFL level. Add the possibility of Allan, Dimattia and maybe Long stepping up and all of a sudden, things have the potential to look so much better quickly.
We tend to undersell the draft because it lacks that instant gratification of a trade but it costs a lot less to bring an A grader into your club as an 18 year old than it does at 24. I’m happy to trust the club to make the right list management calls but I can certainly the benefit that comes with choosing to attack this draft with a strong hand.

[Presti35]

@Jen2310 I also feel like Hobbs and Macrae are similar players. Hobbs is a couple years younger and has played 20+ more games. It's a tough one and I'm not sure what the right move is?

[SLORT]

Just a bit of reference for those saying take it to the draft ~
2001 Superdraft ~ best draft class of all time. 17 players out of the top 30 went on to play 100+ games. So this would be the best case scenario.

https://www.draftguru.com.au/years/2001

[Presti35]

Are we 100% out of getting Huston and/or Smith? We still have a Future 1st. We still have returns for Joe and Noble to think about.

Without Lukosious and now Davies coming to Pieland, what will the Suns hand over for Noble? And are we a realistic chance to get Peatling?

Really looking forward to see what happens, but trade week is still ages away!!

[Presti35]

2001 Superdraft

I see what you're saying. Take out Judd, Hodge, Bartel... and to a lesser extent Luke Ball ans Stevie J... and it really isn't THAT great.

[The Black and White Lion]

^ well lets not use our drafting at the 2001 superdraft as a precedent, it was another draft bomb.

One boring fact is Luke Hodge is one of the very few No.1 Draft Picks to win a flag. Check the stats you'll be surprised and leads me to think that if we ever end up there again we're better off trading out of the No.1 draft slot for multiple picks and or players if we want to improve the chance of future premiership success.

Another boring fact is 9 of the top 30 players from the 2001 superdraft have won a flag. Luke Hodge - Hawks x 4, Luke Ball - Had to move for Pies x 1, Chris Judd - WC x 1, David Hale had to move for Hawks x 3, Jimmy Bartel - Cats x 3, Rick Ladson - Hawks x 1, James Kelly - Cats x 3, Mark Seaby - WC x 1, Steve Johnson - Cats x 3 and Lewis Roberts-Thomson - Swans x 2