Blues87 wrote:
Blues87 wrote:
I'd be open to Redpath. We just need a stop gap to fill that role while McKay, Kerr, Curnow, Silvagni (x2?) mature if Levi departs. If clubs see the best of what Bryce and Levi offer, there'll be no better time to part ways and capture some value for them. An off season I'd like to see would focus heavily on building the quality and depth of our midfield. Perfect case scenario based on some rumours that have circulated.
Departing Players
- Gibbs (to Adelaide, part of three way trade with the Bulldogs. Gibbs -> Crows, Lever -> Bulldogs, Pick 10/Redpath -> Blues)
- Casboult (hopefully contract offer from Richmond is enough to trigger Band 3 compo, pick 19/20)
- Boekhorst (to Freo for Balic)
In
- Josh Kelly for pick 1/2 (or keep and use on Cameron Rayner)
- Jacob Hopper for pick 19/20
- Pick 10, use on Nick Coffield/James Worpel (midfielders)
- Pick 37, ideally use on Jordan Houlahan (classy goal kicking half forward)
- Harley Balic (for Boekhorst)
- Redpath (part of Gibbs trade)
- Anthony Miles (DFA or trade for low pick)
We lost one current 1s midfielder + 1 fringe player and gain 4 likely 1s players + 1 fringe while improving the age profile of the list. With Cripps, Murphy, Curnow (x2), SPS, Cuningham, Pickett and Fisher we'd suddenly have a midfield. Docherty can resume his place down back along with Byrne's return from injury and we're actually looking like we'd be a contender for finals when the team gels.
In fact, with some top end talent touted for next year, would GWS be interested in our first pick next year instead of this year as a trade for Kelly? We might need to package it with something else to seal the deal but it could allow us to keep our pick#1 this year to select Rayner (who I think perfectly fits our needs), in addition to gaining Kelly, Hopper, Coffield/Worpel, Balic, Houlahan and Miles.
We'd instantly have one of the best midfields in the comp, with genuine competition for spots. I'd back that midfield along with Kreuzer to ease pressure on our under siege backs and they'd be a dream putting the ball lace out to our young forwards.
How?
Kelly is a great addition.
Rayner will need a year or two to adapt...he's not going to do a Judd in his first 2 years IMO....because he's not Judd
Hopper has a way to go, and shows a lot of potential to share the inside job with Cripps, but not immediately. Needs a year or two.
Lose Gibbs and gain top 10 pick for mids who need to be developed before they prove to be of a high standard.
Miles? Geez...I think he may have peaked already. He's not an A Grader.
So we lose an A Grader, and pick up an A Grader...doesn't make our midfield one of the best. It will be a developing midfield group. We still lack depth in the midfield.
I hope I'm wrong, but I feel we need to be adding not subtracting, or our window will be further down the track...which isn't a bad thing, because we can and I assume will continue to build midfield depth beyond the next 2 years.
Miles would just be a depth player, you can almost disregard him but I think he'd be worth having on the list. Rayner is a jet. He'd walk straight into the ones and play a full year, probably at a higher output than SPS this year.
It just means that people like Kerridge and Graham who (despite their admirable traits) have demonstrated their limitations will likely spend the majority of their time in the 2s and be replaced by players who will have the requisite skills, athleticism, toughness and game sense to thrive in the AFL. Most of our improvement will just be the benefit of another preseason into our young guys. They certainly won't be peaking in 2018 but they will be on the way up.
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