2020 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Thunder Shaker]

Lack of points isn't a problem, just burn some 2021 points if we need to. We have seen that our guys are at the forefront of clever pick shuffling both within a draft and future draft.

A pick before matching bids for Campbell and Gulden is a dream haul

The only problem would be if we have enough draft points to match a bid on Campbell at pick 5 to 10 after using our early pick. I feel we need to gain a few hundred more points. If we don't need those extra picks, we could do some live trading later to swap them out for future picks.

What I consider to be the ideal scenario: the scenario you mentioned (pick before matching bids for Campbell and Gulden), retaining our 2021 1st round pick and ending the night with no points deficit.

[707]

It's all in the hands of other clubs and when they bid on Campbell and Gulden. A big difference between a bid at say 5 compared to 10.

We got lucky last year with Blakey drifting out to 10. What will be will be.

[Steve]

Best case scenario for us this year was to get a very early draft pick and use it before we had to bid on Campbell, and we’re on track for that.

Other than Daniher, I think the main list management question is whether we can target fringe players lacking opportunities at top clubs, or any who might get squeezed out in list size culls. That is where we’d have to make some tough calls on some younger players.

In terms of Daniher, the current reality is far less dramatic than the media are portraying it. Personally if we still want him I think the best thing for us is him to play a few more blinders, have the media and Essendon fans continue to hyperventilate over him etc. That would just confirm to him that getting out of Melbourne and leaving behind that attention is a necessity.

He’s played 1 game this year - he played a similar game against Collingwood last year and only lasted 2 more after that.

He is happy and engaged being away in the Essendon hub - in case anyone has been living under a rock, that hub is outside the footy bubble of Melbourne and Daniher being happy living outside of Melbourne for a few months might actually accentuate his desire to leave Essendon.

His issue last year was with his injury and how it was managed, which is now resolved - well has it been any better, if this was a normal season he’d have missed the whole H&A season by now after setbacks and other niggles.

His teammates think he’s been happy and committed since requesting the trade, so he no longer wants to leave - maybe he’s just a smart, logical and respectful person who thought that if he was to stay another year he should do it in a professional manner and make the best of it.

The only reason I see Essendon still having an advantage is they’re the only ones who might be willing to pay overs or take a greater risk in a long-term contract.

[Thunder Shaker]

Eight things we learned (R14 2020)

Sydney desperately needs a ruckman this Trade Period

The Swans were smashed in the clearances 30-10 to half-time on Saturday as the Power opened up a comfortable buffer. It prompted John Longmire to flip the magnets, throwing Aliir Aliir into the centre bounces, Tom McCartin to defence and ruckman Callum Sinclair to full-forward. It had some success in the third term, but it's not a long-term fix. Sinclair has been a loyal servant at the Swans and more than held his own in his five seasons in red and white but turns 31 in September. And with Sam Naismith (ruptured ACL) to be sidelined for at least another 12 months, 27-year-old rookie Michael Knoll is next in line. The Swans will be searching for the next big man to grow with their young group, and despite being contracted, Port Adelaide's Peter Ladhams (22) and young Tiger Callum Coleman-Jones (21) should be front of mind.

[Aprilbr]

I totally agree with that prognosis on our Ruck stocks. The question is who to chase and what are we prepared to give up to get them?

[Ralph Dawg]

I'm going to stick up for Sinclair and say our problem is more our inability to win the contest. Sinclair often gets the ball into a contest which our midfielders invariably lose. Or he tips it to advantage and our guys either drop it or dispose of it poorly. Often Rowbottom was flying through and over running a tap to his advantage. Our inside work has been average to poor for the last 2 seasons and it's easy to blame Cal. But perhaps we need to look at our midfield mix and make some tough decisions, a bit like when the Lions moved on Rockliff, Redden and Beams.............

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Be good if we could actually stick a tough tackle at the contest as well.

[Mark26]

I'm going to stick up for Sinclair and say our problem is more our inability to win the contest. Sinclair often gets the ball into a contest which our midfielders invariably lose. Or he tips it to advantage and our guys either drop it or dispose of it poorly. Often Rowbottom was flying through and over running a tap to his advantage. Our inside work has been average to poor for the last 2 seasons and it's easy to blame Cal. But perhaps we need to look at our midfield mix and make some tough decisions, a bit like when the Lions moved on Rockliff, Redden and Beams.............

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Be good if we could actually stick a tough tackle at the contest as well.

I simply disagree. Call gets his hands to it, but not to the advantage of our mids. If our inside mids were to blame for our clearance work, things wouldn't have improved when AA rucked in the second half.

[Ralph Dawg]

I simply disagree. Call gets his hands to it, but not to the advantage of our mids. If our inside mids were to blame for our clearance work, things wouldn't have improved when AA rucked in the second half.

Port dropped their intensity in the third and we lifted ours. Our mids can't maintain the intensity against committed opposition for more than a quarter. Ruck contests aside, look at the contest in general. We lose more than we win, get bumped off the ball, pressured into crap disposal, just can't lock up the ball and drop off tackles. Sure, Sinclair is no Gawn or Grundy and we would obviously be a better side with a dominant ruckman. But our midfield just gets beaten too often. They create minimal opportunities for our forwards (look at all our goalless quarters in the last 2 years) and allow too many attacking opportunities for our opposition. Sinclair is only part of a big midfield issue we have and it is convenient to blame him as it allows us to avoid the harder issue of what to do with some of our midfield personnel.

[longmile]

I think a crash-bash ruck like Nankervis would be perfect for us.

[Mark26]

Port dropped their intensity in the third and we lifted ours. Our mids can't maintain the intensity against committed opposition for more than a quarter. Ruck contests aside, look at the contest in general. We lose more than we win, get bumped off the ball, pressured into crap disposal, just can't lock up the ball and drop off tackles. Sure, Sinclair is no Gawn or Grundy and we would obviously be a better side with a dominant ruckman. But our midfield just gets beaten too often. They create minimal opportunities for our forwards (look at all our goalless quarters in the last 2 years) and allow too many attacking opportunities for our opposition. Sinclair is only part of a big midfield issue we have and it is convenient to blame him as it allows us to avoid the harder issue of what to do with some of our midfield personnel.

Again, just my opinion, but we looked like a different midfield prospect when we had a fit ruckman is Crayfish, controlling the guts. Some ruckman do this through getting first hands on the ball, others have good follow-up or ground work. Great ruckman like the Gawns, Grundys and Nic Nats do both really well consistently. I don't think Sinclair does any of it consistently. I can't fault his effort; he's given a lot. I would like us to target a ruckman sometime soon. It won't fix everything in our midfield, but it will go a considerable way to sending the pill into our forward 50. You make some valid points about not sticking tackles and poor disposal.

[barry]

I simply disagree. Call gets his hands to it, but not to the advantage of our mids. If our inside mids were to blame for our clearance work, things wouldn't have improved when AA rucked in the second half.

Sinkers is 30, which means his best football is behind him.

[Markwebbos]

Port dropped their intensity in the third and we lifted ours. Our mids can't maintain the intensity against committed opposition for more than a quarter. Ruck contests aside, look at the contest in general. We lose more than we win, get bumped off the ball, pressured into crap disposal, just can't lock up the ball and drop off tackles. Sure, Sinclair is no Gawn or Grundy and we would obviously be a better side with a dominant ruckman. But our midfield just gets beaten too often. They create minimal opportunities for our forwards (look at all our goalless quarters in the last 2 years) and allow too many attacking opportunities for our opposition. Sinclair is only part of a big midfield issue we have and it is convenient to blame him as it allows us to avoid the harder issue of what to do with some of our midfield personnel.

I think that might be part of it. Also think we lifted ours, plus moved AA to the ruck. The outcome was that we won the second half (on the scoreboard) and almost halved the clearances (think we lost by one in the second half).

I think it’s a little of everything: ruckman, personnel, structure and tactics that needs fixing.

Which personnel do you think need to be cleared out? (Btw I think Redden and Rockcliff left what was then a sinking ship not vice versa).

Rowbottom had been out best clearance player. Not sure what happened, injury, tag, change of role etc.

[Nico]

I'm going to stick up for Sinclair and say our problem is more our inability to win the contest. Sinclair often gets the ball into a contest which our midfielders invariably lose. Or he tips it to advantage and our guys either drop it or dispose of it poorly. Often Rowbottom was flying through and over running a tap to his advantage. Our inside work has been average to poor for the last 2 seasons and it's easy to blame Cal. But perhaps we need to look at our midfield mix and make some tough decisions, a bit like when the Lions moved on Rockliff, Redden and Beams.............

- - - Updated - - -

Be good if we could actually stick a tough tackle at the contest as well.

I've been saying this for years. Have a close look at Thursday's game to see what our mids do. It doesn't seem to matter who gets the tap or what direction it goes; our blokes go where the ball 'aint. When they get it right it is either a scrappy kick or we fumble. "Oh no, I've got the footy what do I do now. I know I'll hand ball to a non existent team mate, not my responsibility". Or they hand ball to a team mate when running forward and clear, when they don't need to.

[Ralph Dawg]

I think that might be part of it. Also think we lifted ours, plus moved AA to the ruck. The outcome was that we won the second half (on the scoreboard) and almost halved the clearances (think we lost by one in the second half).

I think it’s a little of everything: ruckman, personnel, structure and tactics that needs fixing.

Which personnel do you think need to be cleared out? (Btw I think Redden and Rockcliff left what was then a sinking ship not vice versa).

Rowbottom had been out best clearance player. Not sure what happened, injury, tag, change of role etc.

It all comes down to who would be willing to come to us and what price we would have pay. The reality is that JPK is on the decline, Parker is ageing and the youngsters all too raw and inconsistent. There is a big gulf between JPK / Parker and the rest. So if we can position ourselves to get a quality midfielder (s) in their mid 20's, then I say anything is on the table.

I do agree though a better ruckman is part of the midfield requirement. I just wanted to make the point that it's not the silver bullet.

[Markwebbos]

I agree there is a gulf between the old guard and the new.

Hewett sits in the middle as do Heeney and Mills. I’m yet to be convinced about the former. The other two have never really been allowed to have a run at it.

Good mids are extremely hard to prise out of other clubs. And would cost a lot in terms of salary cap and draft picks.

I do wonder whether, after it’s worst performance in a very long time, the club will hold a review and/or get pretty ruthless with the list.