I'm only talking about Moore and Stengle being upgraded and Chol being delisted due to the statement made earlier that the rookie list will be removed and the list (senior) expanded.
As far as Chol is concerned, I just think watching him over the last couple of weeks in the VFL that while he has the talent to be a very good tall defender, there is a worrying inconsistency of effort. At times he seems to be coasting and satisfied with just being on a list as a professional footballer.
I've listed who I think could be delisted or traded and that allows us plenty of room without making drastic decisions. We have between 5 and 9 fairly obvious changes.
Musing on this over the last couple of days there are some points worth thinking about.
1) We have a shortage of key position players with only Rance and Astbury in defence and Riewoldt and Griffith (possibly) forward.
If we can get a Schache-type in trade this will help. A tall forward who has a couple of years of development under his belt. Himmelburg would have a been a prime candidate but injuries to Cameron and Mumford have shown him he may have a future at the Giants. Without those injuries he may well have not played in the finals. The key here is to not pay too much. I've posted already that a trade of Miles for Schache can be done with the proviso that we should be paid a bit more for our current player over the potential of theirs.
We can draft to add to our key defenders. There is not the same urgency here as there is in the forwards. I note there is talk of Balta as a forward. I would have thought he is a perfect fit for us as a developing key back.
2) We have a shortage of rucks with only Nankervis, a doubtful Hampson, a developing Soldo and a dodgy Griffith.
We can draft a young ruck or trade for one. It is up to the list management committee which way to go here. I would like to see us draft Hayes as the young ruck/forward but that may be tricky given our picks and depends on trade options.
3) We seem to be okay for current and future options for the midfield.
It is interesting that there seems to be a set-up in our midfield to play a tall and a short wingman on opposite sides. I'm not sure if that's planned but it seems to be a given. We have Grigg, McIntosh and Menadue on one side and on the other we have B Ellis, Rioli or Graham.
If we continue to do this, and I've got no problem with it, perhaps Naish can be the next in line to take over from Graham when he moves into pure midfield as I expect. As with the previous we have a problem getting Naish with our current draft picks but I can understand the emotional attachment to Naish and he does fit with the apparent model of short and tall.
4) The wheel turns quickly on game plans.
While our much-discussed one key, small forward line is working wonderfully and hopefully for another couple of weeks there is a big chance that over the off-season this will be picked apart and countered by the opposition next year. That's okay. It's what happens but we must try to stay ahead.
What hasn't been discussed as much is the use of Caddy and Townsend as defensive forwards. They have taken over the roles of second and third tall forwards simply by halving the aerial contests and using their strength and agility to beat their opponents on the ground with the help of the harrying smalls like Rioli, Butler and Castagna. This is also added to by the use of Martin and Cotchin resting forward - a key aspect pointed out by Hardwick on the Talking Footy interview.
The thing is that we have a chance to stay ahead with a few tweaks.
In Moore we have a classic third tall with some extra skills. He is very, very quick and can cover a lot of ground becoming an important link player. Riewoldt is currently the perfect model for what we want from Moore. Usually the link player is the backman coming forward like Houli or Shaw. If Moore can develop it changes this whole structure. The backs don't have as much demand to rebound and can maintain their structure at all times. A player like Moore coming down the ground as the link player also has the benefit of opening up space in the forward line. I think this is a style that Clarkson has been trying at Hawthorn over years but he hasn't really had the players. Gunston would be the closest he has come but now he's the classic rebounding half back.
What I want:
Schache as a swap for Miles with an upgrade of picks.
Balta as a key defender with a first rounder.
Hayes as a ruck/forward if we're really lucky with a first rounder. Or a young ruck from elsewhere in a low cost trade like Nankervis.
Naish with a mash-up of points from Miles and any other trades we can rig together. It's not essential but it would be nice to get a Richmond kid. Maybe it's even worthwhile to go into deficit for next years picks. I don't like the idea but, after all, this year could fix most of the holes on our list for years to come.
Of course that rosy optimism depends on the recruiters getting each and every pick perfect and no potholes along the way.
