Well Jack's heard Simmo is staying and Gus is going
but ignoring that for the time being.....
The list management has to be planned over the next 2 years (3 drafts) at least. It's too big a job to try and do in just a single off-season. Whether we like it or not we need to bottom out. It'll be tough on Hardwick in his first 2 years and some supporters will call him a dud but if he wants to be the coach to turn our Club around it's what he and us need to do.
Now we start off with picks 3, 19, 35, 51, 67,.. straight away. Next year even with GC17 hogging the draft a bottom 2 side will still have either pick 4 or 6 or thereabouts. Say it's 6, 26, 43, 60, ... It's not a complete disaster with the intro of GC17 as long as the Club is SMART and PLANS AHEAD unlike most of the past 23 draft/trade periods. We'll at least still have a top pick when most existing clubs won't enter the draft until the 20s. So we need to sign up our best young players going forward (those capable of playing in premiership side) now so they're out of reach of other clubs and then trade for picks with the rest. That will be the key for us.
We should be aiming for a minimum of six National draft picks for the next couple of years. Add PSD, rookies and rookie promotions then 12 changes per year is a realistic outcome. Do that over the next 2 years and we will have basically turned over 3/4ers of the current list only keeping hold of the current cream (which even by the club's estimation is only 12 faces).
Mine changes are pretty much the same as yours Popelord.
2009 - *
Outside senior listRetirees: Johnson, Bowden*, Brown, Cogs
Delist: JON, Hughes, Petts, Polak, Simmo, Gourdis*, Silvester*
Attempt to Trade one or more for picks: McMahon, Tuck, Raines, Patto
= 8 senior list outs (at least). Any trade would be an extra out for an extra pick. Would like to offload more but you need to match a draft pick for every out. A priority pick would've been useful here
.
Promote: Nahas
Draft Picks: 3, 19, 35, 51, 67, 83 (Free F/S), PSD #2. Plus any extra picks gained in 2009 trade week.
= 8 senior list ins (at least).
Rookie ins: O'Rielly*
2010Retirees: Richo*, Cousins?
Delist: King, Thomson, Hislop, Schulz and any other of those lucky to survive purely because they have a contract and that we couldn't trade away this year.
Uncontracted player to GC17 for a pick: Raines?, one of our tall defenders?
Should be similar number out to 2009.
Draft picks: 6?, 26, 43, 60, GC17 pick, PSD. Plus any extra picks gained in 2010 trade week.
2011A final sweep out of who currently doesn't come on and develop within 4-5 years of being on our list.