Pick of the Bunch

[Stripes]

Anyone seen the 'Pick of the Bunch' article on the AFL website? It details the concessions the GWS team will get in 2011 and beyond. Basically it is similar to what the GC is gaining plus more!

This is really going to screw us over now that we are having to rebuild once again. Basically we will have 2 years (three if you count this years compromised draft) of very poor recruits. With the uncontracted player pilfering from both new clubs it means even more pain because you won't be compensated for years after.

Looking even further ahead, all these concessions are going to create two very powerful teams for over a decade which means, even if we do rebuild well, we will be competing with not only the other 16 clubs but two super power teams as well.

Sorry to be a doom prophet here but all we can hope for is a minor miracle to occur and we become successful in the next 3-6 years because beyond that it will be a GC v WS grand final for a long time to come!   

Stripes

[wayne]

You what else I can see happening that will disadvantage teams like us. Geelong, St. Kilda and Hawthorn will have players that they can trade for early GC17 and GWS draft picks that won't hurt their list as much as it would ours.

ie. Had this year been the GC17 draft, the Saints could have picked up a top ten pick for Luke Ball.

Sure we could get an early draft pick or two for a Deledio, Cotchin or Riewoldt, but it's robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[TigerLand]

The obvious key to success is:

Getting the best out of your list
Researching the best recruits in 2nd round and beyond
Trading up and not losing out over time - what is meant by this is for instance Andrew Raines was picked up at pick 70 odd. 5 years later we groomed that pick into a pick 44. Unfortunately that could have been pick 20 if we traded at the optimal time. You can't afford to lose out in players like a Dean Putt where at pick 40-50 they have no currency. Improving currency and picking the optimal time to cash in on player currency is the only way you can better your list with diluted and concession drafts.

This is why I believe we should have traded Foley and Newman this year. Brisbane would have happily traded for them and possibly would have had two top 20 picks for them both. Foley was as rookie so we've upgraded a Rookie selection to a top 10 pick at the expense of losing 150 games from Nathan Foley. It'd be hard to swallow but you start combining numerous trades like this you turn over your list whilst upgrading previous draft picks to higher current ones.

[TigerLand]

You what else I can see happening that will disadvantage teams like us. Geelong, St. Kilda and Hawthorn will have players that they can trade for early GC17 and GWS draft picks that won't hurt their list as much as it would ours.

ie. Had this year been the GC17 draft, the Saints could have picked up a top ten pick for Luke Ball.

Sure we could get an early draft pick or two for a Deledio, Cotchin or Riewoldt, but it's robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Not entirely.

Would you rather Deledio in your side or add a Cunnington and Butcher to your list? In trading you just need to upgrade as you said Robbing Peter to pay Paul is useless but if you upgrade even if its just a little bit combined with 4 or 5 trades over time you've upgraded a player or two overtime without losing anything.

There is also a theory that is you restrict your club to a minimum of very small amount of retirements this results in rotating players of the list instead of losing currency.  For instance we lost Brown, Johnson, Bowden, Couglan who all at some stage would have had currency of a top 5 pick. Unfortunately we held on to them all and have nothing to replace them with expect the general order of draft picks.

We have a situation where we have tried to trade Shane Tuck but has lost all currency on the trade table. 2 years ago we would have got minimum a 2nd rounder. We held on for maybe sentimental reasons or poor analysis of Shane abilities to perform for a period of time in teh future, it's costs us replacing his spot on the list with some quality.

[tiga]

I live in Western Sydney and I can see a genuine need for an AFL team but at what cost?? Thinning out the talent may come back to bite the AFL but there is the possibility over time that they may be an increase in talent pool. I've coached Auskick and I can tell you that there are some very talented youngsters that I have coached that have gone by the wayside due to limited opportunities.

Sometimes I think that maybe they should permanently base the Swans at Homebush rather than have a GWS team but all I know is that Western Sydney is screaming for more AFL. The SCG as far as location goes is one of the hardest venues to get to in Australia, especially from Sydney's west.  Look at the crowds they generate for every Homebush Swans game, Better than many SCG games and considerably better than any non finals league match that's for sure.

Personally I would encourage a GWS team and maybe even go to some games, but I will never support them as I will always be a Tiger fan through and through.  

[Judge Roughneck]

SW are allowed to have 50 players on the list + rookies ...

They get extra money in the cap untill 2019 ...

[Mr Magic]

I live in Western Sydney and I can see a genuine need for an AFL team but at what cost?? Thinning out the talent may come back to bite the AFL but there is the possibility over time that they may be an increase in talent pool. I've coached Auskick and I can tell you that there are some very talented youngsters that I have coached that have gone by the wayside due to limited opportunities.

Rational approach from a local perspective.
A team in WS will work.
Auskick is booming in Sydney.

[bojangles17]

If we can extract a couple of gems from this years draft then I believe we can actually keep the wolf from the door over the lock down of 2010/2011....we will have the cornerstone of an excellent midfield in Cotchin, Lids, Foley, Tambling, Collins and Martin...it's no secret that we need to find some KPP of star quality to emerge and really build some momentum...all clubs will feel the pinch , there are others with more aging core groups that will be more exposed than us to replenish depleted stocks

[Stripes]

We are desperately dependent on the hope and possibility that first Graham can step into the 1st ruck role and then that Post and Vickery can become KPFs. If in particular Post can not become that KPF then we are once again in a desperate search for a KPF which we have been doing for over a decade....not a promising prospect.