2019 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[stevoswan]

Tom Browne Names Likely Destination For Sam Gray | Triple M

.....which is us. I think he's definitely worth a look.

[bloodspirit]

Delisting Maibaum and Menzel and re-signing Wicks is big news. That's everyone accounted for. Don't think anyone tipped, or advocated for, Pink, Maibaum, Hirst, Menzel and Tucker all to be delisted, or anything close to that. I didn't. Pretty ruthless. I like it. I imagine Annie will approve too. If she had to pick between KB and ruthless I don't know how she'd cope but she won't have to - they're on the same page this time.

Bennell will be an exciting signing, even if high risk. If he does sign with us, the point of meeting with all the other clubs may have been a strategy by his manager to drive his contract price up a bit. He'll still be cheap. Right now, I don't have an opinion about Gray. Have been impressed seeing him in games at times. How old is he? I'll have to check him out a bit more.

We must be recruiting at least 1 DFA as we only have 31 senior players on the list now. I figure we go to the draft with our 1st 4 selections, elevate Bell to the senior list and make room for another Cat B from the Academy. That would leave 2 primary list and 2 rookie list selections to go. So could be 2 DFAs that we know we can sign. Bennell must be one of them, especially that he met with JPK. Could be some announcements on Friday.

Maibaum could our last rookie selection.

Clearing the KPP decks to make room for Joe next year. I think both McLean and Amartey have a future in the AFL. I'd like to try McLean as a defender and keep Amartey as forward/ruck.

I've got a good feeling about Barry O'Connor as well. Not for next year, but he could be a player, And maybe Thurlow can step up next year.

We really aren't that shallow in the KPD department, but we have a few young players to sort out next year and see what they can do at AFL level.

I agree with pretty much all your analysis, Ludwig. Probably select a tall in the draft with an eye to the future, maybe two including the rookie draft. Glad to see you putting in a word for Thurlow. I haven't written him off yet. But if he doesn't improve he is a definite delisting at year's end. In his exit interview there was comment about him losing form in the back half of the season. Who knows why but hopefully he can regain his form. I'm thinking the delisting of Pink and Maibaum is also a vote of confidence in McLean. I think the club really likes what we've seen from him and if he can be turned into a reliable one on one defender he will be perfect for taking care of the oppposition's beast KPFs, leaving Rampe et al a less oversized direct opponent to deal with. I'm still hedging my bets with Amartey. I don't know if he's going to get there. Time will tell.

I'm hopeful about BOC too. We have good connections with Irish talent (via Tadhg) and there have been a lot of highly touted Irish talent we have let slide by - but not BOC. Makes me think he's an excellent prospect.

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Reid doing the thing he does (let's not start that argument)

[Markwebbos]

Don't forget that the Great Dane will be 30 next year. We have to start thinking about his replacement.

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Power cut one more, but will the clever forward find a new home? - AFL.com.au

PORT Adelaide has parted ways with small forward Sam Gray, but the experienced goalsneak is expected to continue his AFL career as a delisted free agent.

Gray, 27, kicked 83 goals in 96 games for the Power, with 20 of those coming in 20 senior appearances this year...

While Gray was unable to find a new home during the NAB AFL Trade Period, his manager Peter Rohde told AFL.com.au that there had been some interest for his services.

"We're hopeful and expecting he'd find his way to another club," Rohde said.

[Markwebbos]

I listened to the podcast, so I don't agree, based on what I heard, that the Demons pick three is between Luke Jackson, Tom Green and Hayden Young. But Cal Twomey may have more information than was in the podcast.

Who'll go at pick No.3? Dees narrow it down to star trio - AFL.com.au

[bloodspirit]

It's looking increasingly likely that Sam Gray is headed to the Swans with an announcement impending. What's happening? We're shrinking! Goodbye Cameron, Pink, Maibaum. Hello Taylor, Gray, maybe Serong. And next year probably Gulden and Campbell. Hello mosquito fleet!

Does this mean we are adjusting our list to a new game plan? A quicker one? One where we play on more? A bit like Richmond? Will we play Papley, Taylor and Gray in the same side? As well as Florent and Hayward? Goodbye Ronke. Good luck Foot and Wicks. What is happening?

I have to say I am impressed by the way we are targetting the players we want and unrushed in securing them and securing them cheaply. We ignored Butler for instance. Incidentally, Gray will be 28 years old at the beginning of next season so we can't be envisioning a long career for him with us.

We have also cleared a lot of cap space which obviously won't be used in 2020 but we will have a serious war chest in 12 months from now, even allowing for all the players that will be getting pay rises. A JD sized war chest?

[bloodspirit]

A more positive take on our trade period and the JD non-trade from AFL media: The Data Game: Why Swans dodged a bullet in Daniher bid - AFL.com.au.

[Markwebbos]

Category: | Herald Sun

Melbourne has surged ahead in the race for Harley Bennell, who is excited by the prospect of playing at the Demons alongside former teammate Steven May

Bennell on Wednesday met with the Demons, who put on the full court press in showing him the opportunity in front of him as a half forward at Melbourne.

He could see himself fitting in at the club, and felt comfortable after speaking to former teammate May about his prospects.

[Blood Fever]

Category: | Herald Sun

Melbourne has surged ahead in the race for Harley Bennell, who is excited by the prospect of playing at the Demons alongside former teammate Steven May

Bennell on Wednesday met with the Demons, who put on the full court press in showing him the opportunity in front of him as a half forward at Melbourne.

He could see himself fitting in at the club, and felt comfortable after speaking to former teammate May about his prospects.

Not fussed either way

[stevoswan]

Better appraisal of our "'bid for Daniher'. It makes more sense than virtually all other Vic based appraisals but still reiterates that we went for JD hard....I still dispute this, believing the club always preferred targeting him as a free agent next year.....

Their 'we dodged a bullet' opinion was more based on 'how would we fit him into an otherwise stacked forward line?'.....not the obvious 'he was an injury risk who has only played 11 games in two seasons'.....but at least it doesn't try to make us look bad.

The Data Game: Why Swans dodged a bullet in Daniher bid - AFL.com.au

Oh, I see bloodspirit has already posted this.....good work!

[Sandrevan]

This is a very big change of personnel.

Reg, McV, KJ, Nick Smith ----retired
Jones, Cameron ---- traded
Rose, Maibaum, Menzel --- delisted
Pink, Tucker, Hirst ---- rookies delisted

9 senior players + 3 rookies.

Swans now have a huge war chest. They're not targeting anyone this trade season. At the end of 2020 both Daniher and Brodie Grundy are off-contract. If Daniher can stay on the pitch this year....maybe that's why our recruiters are focussing on small players. Who wouldn't want Brodie Grundy? I'd love to see Grundy at the Swans.

[stevoswan]

Not fussed either way

If he turns out to be a gun for Melbourne you won't be so 'unfussed'.....we should go harder IMO.

[Markwebbos]

If he turns out to be a gun for Melbourne you won't be so 'unfussed'.....we should go harder IMO.

It's hard to read between the lines with all this Bennell activity. I wonder who's driving it and I suspect his manager. It's also hard to know how much all this talk of being over his calf troubles is talk and how likely that is.

The Swans spent a lot of time trying to figure it / him out. It may be that the goal is to get him picked up now rather than later. If the Swans genuinely think he's going to make it, then they may try and do that in the next week or so.

I'd love to see a fit Bennell playing for the Swans and worry that all this talk about Melbourne, Geelong etc implies we have decided we are not interested.

[jono2707]

I hope we give Maibaum another shot (as expected). It'll be good to see him develop further in 2020 and you'd expect he'd get a few games somewhere along the line.

[Markwebbos]

It's looking increasingly likely that Sam Gray is headed to the Swans with an announcement impending. What's happening? We're shrinking! Goodbye Cameron, Pink, Maibaum. Hello Taylor, Gray, maybe Serong. And next year probably Gulden and Campbell. Hello mosquito fleet!

Does this mean we are adjusting our list to a new game plan? A quicker one? One where we play on more? A bit like Richmond? Will we play Papley, Taylor and Gray in the same side? As well as Florent and Hayward? Goodbye Ronke. Good luck Foot and Wicks. What is happening?

I have to say I am impressed by the way we are targetting the players we want and unrushed in securing them and securing them cheaply. We ignored Butler for instance. Incidentally, Gray will be 28 years old at the beginning of next season so we can't be envisioning a long career for him with us.

We have also cleared a lot of cap space which obviously won't be used in 2020 but we will have a serious war chest in 12 months from now, even allowing for all the players that will be getting pay rises. A JD sized war chest?

I agree bs that we have been have a clear policy of recruiting quicker players recently. There were definite signs of a change in style last year. But I'm not convinced we are going to start playing the same way as Richmond. It would be better if we could improve at locking the ball in our F50.

We did also lose some smaller players e.g. Hirst, KJ, Smith, Rose, Jones and the drafting of Serong is far from certain. Gulden and Campbell are what's in the Academy next year, we haven't actively created small players.

[bloodspirit]

Gray was a gun midfielder as a junior: A long friendship from the country - portadelaidefc.com.au. Nice interview with him and Scott Lycett about their friendship starting in their junior years.