Personally I would take advantage of the currency we have created. We have never really had that before. Had players who are highly rated in AFL circles and can demand some decent concessions.
I'd go heavy for a pick in the top 3. Make sure we are playing our kids as much as we can. Waste of time Aaron Edwards, play McBean. Not ready? Don't care. Play them and if we win, great for development if not then great for draft picks. Anyone that thinks we can build a premiership list from any other way is crazy. We can have culture all you like but without a decent playing list you may as well be the Bulldogs.
I'd look at seriously trading our best players out for draft picks. Deledio could command easily 2 top 10 picks. Easily. Someone like a Collingwood or North would through kitchen sink at Lids. 2 draft picks in the top 10 as long as 1 was in the top 5 we can look at having 3 top 10 picks on our list next year. Lids is replaceable, as is Cotchin and Riewoldt. Need to do something ruthless, being safe hasn't worked for 30 years. I'd keep our backline in tact with Rance, Grimes and Astbury and build around them.
There is no easy way of building a list, we've stuffed it up with recycled rubbish. Understand the new franchises had monopolies on the drafts but clubs like Port found a way.
