Trade target discussion (merged thread)

**rojo** · 17 October 2015, 03:40 PM

+1

**Ludwig** · 17 October 2015, 04:24 PM

Originally posted by liz

I think banking on a homesick Mills wanting to return in two years is folly. He comes across as a highly intelligent, professional young man, and once he is set at which ever club he lands at, there is every chance he will settle down there. Sure, in time, an increased percentage of players originating from NSW might balance out the "returning home" factor but I don't think you can rely on it for a specific player.

Matching a bid for Mills - or not - has to be made on a dispassionate assessment of assembling a list. Is he worth whatever pick is bid for him, based on the current and future make-up of the list, other recruitment needs, and who the alternatives are. None of us can make this assessment. We need to rely on Beatson and his team to make the assessments unemotionally. I have every confidence he will, and that the club will allow him to, without any undue pressure to recruit the local boy, regardless of cost.

No doubt he will take into the account the relative strengths of the list, and the areas we need to recruit to fill not just this year but in the next couple of years too. The reality is that, while top quality players are highly valuable, regardless of position, mid-paced inside midfielders probably should be our lowest recruitment priority at the moment, given the state of the list. It's a shame, in some ways, that both Dunkley and Mills fall into this category.

As a general observation on our academy production line - and it is early days yet - it seems to be doing reasonably well in identifying and attracting medium sized midfielders but there's not been a huge amount of variety on show. I am not referring just to those good enough to be in draft contention, but even those at the next level down, the group who have got chances to play with the NEAFL team. There are a couple of tall players the club has nominated this year, but they are far from assured of a spot on even the rookie list. Sure, they take longer to develop, so 18 year old talls are less likely to be thrust into the NEAFL than their smaller counterparts. But when you compare to Brisbane, who have found Hipwood and Andrews (and a few at a level down), our academy output looks pretty homogeneous. The academies are about development programmes, but they are also about trying to improve AFL's ability to compete with the other major sporting codes for the best talent, and helping to retain that within an AFL development path. I can't believe there is less tall athletic talent in Sydney's zone than in Brisbane's (or GWS') but the Swans don't yet seem to be doing as well to attract and/or retain and/or develop that talent.

I agree that we should make a dispassionate assessment of the cost and value of any player drafted, regardless of being an academy player or not, but I don't think it's folly to orchestrate a return home for a player that has been in the Swans organisation for quite a long time. A prearranged return home should be one of the factors comprising the total assessment of any bid. If not, we are just letting those who have been shafting us for years get away with yet another shafting. We have to show we can play the same game or we can end up like Brisbane. They were once at the top of the heap as well before Eddie McGuire got his claws into them. I realise that there is some considerable risk in such a strategy, but should be considered nonetheless.

I think it's just a matter of chance that the really good players coming out of our academy have been predominantly midfielders, Abe Davis being the one exception that comes to mind. I haven't been too impressed by the KPPs on display this year from the academy. Behaeg looks the best of the lot. Beatson has done a very good job of late identifying talent far down the draft order. Hopefully he has at least one good KP prospect in mind for this year because we won't have any high draft picks to use.

If we did let Mills pass to a bidder and kept our pick 14 there's a reasonable chance that KPD Kieran Collins would be available. He's likely to go somewhere in the teens. I noticed that Callum Twomey has him ranked at 19. I was very impressed with his play in the the championships. He would make a great replacement for Reg. That's one reason I would hold onto pick 14. We (the fans) are not going to be privy to the kind of inside information about players' plans and desires, but I would be very tempted to let Mills go if he were 'committed' to coming back to the Swans in principle and hope to get another player (Collins perhaps) with pick 14. If we know that Dunkley will nominate us, then we can take him with our later picks.

We always seem to be the good guys in these deals. I'd like to see us play the game better, especially knowing the forces that have been plotting our downfall have manipulated the game to our disadvantage.

**6'2, 220, 4.53** · 17 October 2015, 04:45 PM

I'm aware that players are human and my views can be perceived as cold.

What I cannot tolerate is players holding all the power. Cam McCarthy decides he is homesick and people say "okay mate let's get you home".

There are professional sporting organisations around the World that would laugh at Cam McCarty and he would be flipping burgers at McDonald's within a year if he brought his current attitude to training.

It's time for the clubs to regain the power, stop indulging players and focus on doing all they can to win premierships. If that means doing deals that involve club legends then so be it.

It can never be forgotten that the Hawks became a better football team after Buddy left.

**0918330512** · 17 October 2015, 05:00 PM