Liam Baker [merged]

[Francois Jackson]

2 time premiership player, potential next captain and he can really play. Any club chasing him hard should be prepared to pay up.

Read this post crawski. There are 100 examples of players who are seemingly not worth a top 10 pick that go for a top 10 pick

Lachie Schultz is the most recent. Gee what a dud pick that is turning out to be for them.

[Andyy]

2 time premiership player, potential next captain and he can really play. Any club chasing him hard should be prepared to pay up.

Read this post crawski. There are 100 examples of players who are seemingly not worth a top 10 pick that go for a top 10 pick

Lachie Schultz is the most recent. Gee what a dud pick that is turning out to be for them.

If you listen to the pies fans they love him.
All about that pressure.
Castagna was better lol

[Francois Jackson]

2 time premiership player, potential next captain and he can really play. Any club chasing him hard should be prepared to pay up.

Read this post crawski. There are 100 examples of players who are seemingly not worth a top 10 pick that go for a top 10 pick

Lachie Schultz is the most recent. Gee what a dud pick that is turning out to be for them.

If you listen to the pies fans they love him.
All about that pressure.
Castagna was better lol

Not the ones I know Andy. 

I just hope Fremantle offer us something similar as he is worth every bit of a pick 10 to a team that is seasoned.

[Tiger Khosh]

2 time premiership player, potential next captain and he can really play. Any club chasing him hard should be prepared to pay up.

Read this post crawski. There are 100 examples of players who are seemingly not worth a top 10 pick that go for a top 10 pick

Lachie Schultz is the most recent. Gee what a dud pick that is turning out to be for them.

If you listen to the pies fans they love him.
All about that pressure.
Castagna was better lol

Not the ones I know Andy. 

I just hope Fremantle offer us something similar as he is worth every bit of a pick 10 to a team that is seasoned.

I suspect the pies fans that say they love him are just copping with the fact that they gave up what now looks like will be a top10 pick for him.

[the claw]

2 time premiership player, potential next captain and he can really play. Any club chasing him hard should be prepared to pay up.

Read this post crawski. There are 100 examples of players who are seemingly not worth a top 10 pick that go for a top 10 pick

Exactly my point. Of course clubs have been hoodwinked before the Schulz one is a perfect example.
Would take Baker before Schulz in that situation for what it is worth.

My personal opinion is no way would i give up a pick around 7 or 8 for a player who is okay in most things but is not elite in anything.

As i stated if i was in charge of Fremantle i would be wanting to keep my  four very good picks in what is a deep draft.
 plan my succession for four aging players  with those very good picks. Rather  than give up picks on a player whose roles are well and truly covered by players i already have.

Im not trying to denigrate a tiger i really have a lot of time for. He is liked not for his brilliance and skill but  the way he goes about it on field we all love blokes who crack in and never give up.

My personal opinion is im keeping those picks if fremantle and going to the draft with them because they have Baker covered in what he will bring either forward back or midfield. They also have more than enough experience in their squad now to start taking strides.

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Freo in the window. Bakes gives them both leadership and versatility as a small. Every bit worth one of their 3 top 10 picks - if they only had one then I might agree….
You sometimes sound like Kane Cornes with that obvious bias…

[camboon]

Great news then, Baker will stay at Richmond because he goes into the draft as Richmond won’t agree to trade for less than a 1st  and the WA clubs will only give up a third rounder he will choose to stay , I bet north would give their second in the draft and I doubt he would want to go to a WA club   , I’m not buying it  , he is worth at least a late 1st but I hope he stays , we need leadership.

[the claw]

Freo in the window. Bakes gives them both leadership and versatility as a small. Every bit worth one of their 3 top 10 picks - if they only had one then I might agree….
You sometimes sound like Kane Cornes with that obvious bias…

As a small what?
Have you even looked at their list. They are not in dire need of leadership  versatility well maybe.

So if you have three top 10 picks its okay it makes him worth a top 10 pick but if you only have one it doesn't!!! where is the logic in that.

Im not being biased im just stating what i would do from a fremantle and personal perspective. im not giving up a top 10 pick on a bloke i don't really need.
So im biased because i dont think he is worth what you think he is or i dont think he is an elite player. No mate thats a different opinion.

If we got a top 10 pick for him  that would be great for us, but if at freo i would not be doing it.
They may well agree with you and cop one up i just would not do it. While i love him as a player and think hes a good player i just don't rate him that high or think he is a desperate need to give up such a pick.

[camboon]

I value him that much  I  would prefer him to stay than get a first round draft pick and so does Richmond , they are working hard to keep him . if Freo don’t rate him why send a few of their leadership group to convince him  , actions speak  volumes. In saying that WC need his leadership and character more, I suspect they will compete if he decides to go home and they are very competitive with each other!

[the claw]

I value him that much  I  would prefer him to stay than get a first round draft pick and so does Richmond , they are working hard to keep him . if Freo don’t rate him why send a few of their leadership group to convince him  , actions speak  volumes. In saying that WC need his leadership and character more, I suspect they will compete if he decides to go home and they are very competitive with each other!

Good, great even thats your opinion mine is different. I hope you are right.

All clubs talk to players ? Wanting a player and what they are actually prepared to pay are two different things.

Id rather let baker go for a lot of the reasons ive said but i think its important we can hang onto a few decent ones around his age.

The main reason id let him go as i said is i dont think he is elite in anything and i think even with us we have him covered in the back half long term.   while not so much in the midfield i don't think him an A grade mid. I would certainly let him go if he got us a top 10 pick.
Trouble is they are not going to trade out of what is pick 6 atm for Baker. The pool of mids in the top 10 is too good to bypass.

They currently have pick 6 which is collingwoods first rounder  with finals diminishing for the pies that pick may go even higher.
They have Ports first rounder, this team is so flakey they could finish  outside the 8 its currently pick 12 but could end up 8 or 9.. Pick 15 is theirs from this year.

As a mid we have better options Taranto, Prestia, Hopper Bolton when he is played there after that it gets a bit dicey. So he would be our 5th best mid.Pick one next year would hopefully play midfield in front of him and i really like the thought of McAuliffe with another hard preseason behind him.

We don't have a say with Liam he is uncontracted he will go if that is what he really wants.

I still think pick 15 which will likely blow out to a pick around  18 19 odd and an exchange of our pick 34 for their 24 could get it done.
There is no way in the world they will give up that pies pick. If P/A  stay in the 8 or top 4 they may give that up.

I just know i would not do it if i was in freo's situation.

[camboon]

Good summary of your opinion  and respectful, hats off, I know the club is very keen to retain him for his leadership and we sure need it .  If he decides to go , and we finish last it will be interesting but currently it’s just speculation!

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Freo in the window. Bakes gives them both leadership and versatility as a small. Every bit worth one of their 3 top 10 picks - if they only had one then I might agree….
You sometimes sound like Kane Cornes with that obvious bias…

As a small what?
Have you even looked at their list. They are not in dire need of leadership  versatility well maybe.

So if you have three top 10 picks its okay it makes him worth a top 10 pick but if you only have one it doesn't!!! where is the logic in that.

Im not being biased im just stating what i would do from a fremantle and personal perspective. im not giving up a top 10 pick on a bloke i don't really need.
So im biased because i dont think he is worth what you think he is or i dont think he is an elite player. No mate thats a different opinion.

If we got a top 10 pick for him  that would be great for us, but if at freo i would not be doing it.
They may well agree with you and cop one up i just would not do it. While i love him as a player and think hes a good player i just don't rate him that high or think he is a desperate need to give up such a pick.

A small anything. Forward, back and in the midfield. Pretty straightforward really.
And ah yep. If you have 3 x top 10 picks, it makes perfect sense to trade one out for a proven, experienced leader with 2 flags. Perfect for a team in the premiership window. One that’s played 1 final in 9 years and lacks finals experience and leadership.
He’s perfect.

[lamington]

Didn’t GCS off load Bowes and pick 7 to free salary cap room or something? If a club has a surplus of round 1 picks and already has an established core it does allow a club like Richmond to demand a first rounder for a player like baker.

[yandb]

Claw this draft has been described as deep mainly because there will be players picked in the 40's who would normally go in the 20's in other seasons. (Shifter Sheehan)

It is not deep in terms of super high quality at the top end.

It is a good year to rebuild if we can get enough picks in the top 40.

[the claw]

Good summary of your opinion  and respectful, hats off, I know the club is very keen to retain him for his leadership and we sure need it .  If he decides to go , and we finish last it will be interesting but currently it’s just speculation!

I think he is going. Rumours aside he has bought a house in Perth people forget that. Two if he is going to make the move at age 27 its probably his last chance.