2020 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Steve]

I think Aliir will be a star at Port Adelaide and I don't think much of Hickey. Nonetheless, I don't mind the trade. We tend to evaluate trades in a non-contextual setting. So a trade that's roughly a player swap doesn't look all that good at first glance.

...

It was very astute trading by the list management team.

Absolutely.

We needed a ruckman and to improve our draft position this year to match academy bids. We have done that.

Based on half the comments here you'd think it was an option to trade pick 82 for Max Gawn and then the players we are delisting for a bunch of second round picks.

All along we were going to need to get a second round pick in to be able to do what we needed to. Clubs aren't going to give that up for our leftovers - guys like Aliir and Hewett were the only realistic candidates.

I don't have a problem with our general approach to trades - it is pragmatic. There's no egos or bluffing (leaving it to the deadline trying for an extra 1% out of a trade). Overall I think we benefit from that - clubs seem to be happy to do these picks swaps with us because we are happy to find win-wins and don't play games (and we have benefited significantly from the picks swaps in recent years). And we don't get left at the alter by other clubs moving on with other deals because we muck around asking for too much.

[waswan]

In summary, we relieved some salary cap pressure.

Do we know this do we ?
We moved a 1yr obligation for a 3yr obligation, doubt we saved a heap.

This is a better return than what we got
BREAKING NEWS!

It's official, Lachie Fogarty is a Blue.

Carlton also get Pick 38.

Geelong get Picks 30 and 51.

Before you ask.....exactly who the f8ck is Lachie Fogarty

[Meg]

On reflection I also think Ludwig’s summation is on the mark.

I’m sad to see AA go but can understand why the club has done the deal and the flow-on to WCE to get Hickey. Trade and draft periods are a complicated game of chess.

I also think it is a great deal for Aliir - job security for next 4 years, presumably on at least same salary as in Sydney which will make him financially much better off, and in a footy-mad city with a strong Sudanese population I reckon he will be offered third-party deals which he would not get in Sydney. And make lots of friends [emoji3]

[Markwebbos]

Despite losing a better player than we gained, I think we did improve the team..

I think that is the perfect summary of why people are upset about losing AA, but it was still the right thing to do.

[rb4x]

Bit of backs to the wall in this years trading compared to the brilliant performance last year when we brought in L Taylor, Gray and Brand.

[mcs]

Ah the one time of the year when RWO looks more like a facebook fan page... trade time. The meltdown is always important.

We may have got a little unders on Aliir - but I don't actually think the trade value was too far off the mark. Hickey is no long term solution sure, but it gives us more depth in an area that has been our absolute achilles heel in recent years. Its a stop gap measure - sure. And I'd have loved to have kept Aliir at the club, but I'm neither sold he will suddenly become a superstar at Port, neither am I sold that he will suddenly be hugely missed. Fact is, bar one really good season, he's always been broadly on the fringe, almost 'breaking through', but never quite achieving it. Will miss him and his infectious smile at the club, and hope he rips it up at Port, but I don't think its the horses riding for the apocalypse some are suggesting either. Only time will tell.

[Auntie.Gerald]

I suspect the part that hurts is why a team coming third last on the ladder could NOT keep AA and also gain good old cheap contract second string Tom Hickey?

If we had the money for Grey, Thurlow, Taylor, Menzel etc how come we can't afford to keep AA ?

Or is is that our coaches don't really rate as much as the team that came 1st last year and do rate him highly with a 4 year contract and come and play attacking footy at Port Adelaide in 2021 and beyond.

Or is it that our deficit could even be worse than we are anticipating ie Campbell at 7 and Gulden at 14 to the Saints?

[Auntie.Gerald]

But u are a swan now
Welcome !!!

Thank You, Tom Hickey - YouTube

[caj23]

I swear we could trade out Papley for pick 72 and there’d be posters on here justifying it because we have a glut of small forwards and he was never that good anyway.

The AA trade in isolation is so so at best, but the issue is that we’ve been trading out young best 22 players for 6-7 years now and trading in some pretty sub par replacements. We have turned into a feeder club.

Well managed clubs simply don’t lose players the caliber of who we’ve lost.

Can’t you just accept that the club isn’t being managed as well as it was 10 years ago and that if there is a grand plan, it’s extremely flawed

[MattW]

But u are a swan now
Welcome !!!

Thank You, Tom Hickey - YouTube

Thanks for posting.

He has good hands.

[Roadrunner]

Thanks for posting.

He has good hands.

Let’s welcome Tom Hickey and wish AA all the best- of course we are sorry to lose him but he has received a great deal from Port which we probably couldn’t match. That being said, it is totally acceptable for us to question trading decisions especially in light of the players brought in last year. We are not finals level yet and so we need top talent. We all know our ruck situation and we did the best we could with who was available. From here on, let’s not lose any of our first 25 as they are needed for depth. The ruck situation is still problematic as big Sam is a huge question mark at this stage. I can’t see a satisfactory solution just yet!

[Ralph Dawg]

But u are a swan now
Welcome !!!

Thank You, Tom Hickey - YouTube

I'm going to move on and say welcome to Tom. His highlights package looks great and the overwhelming feeling from Weagles fans (some of the toughest in the country) is that he's a good player who will be missed. Being stuck behind Natanui is no shame. I think at very least he will push Sinclair to play better and in all likelihood, will be our number 1 ruck.

Aliir I will miss. Love the spectacular things he does on the field. Off the field, he is a fantastic ambassador for modern Australia. I hope he kicks on at PA and finally fulfills his potential there.

Bring on the draft!

[Ralph Dawg]

Let’s welcome Tom Hickey and wish AA all the best- of course we are sorry to lose him but he has received a great deal from Port which we probably couldn’t match. That being said, it is totally acceptable for us to question trading decisions especially in light of the players brought in last year. We are not finals level yet and so we need top talent. We all know our ruck situation and we did the best we could with who was available. From here on, let’s not lose any of our first 25 as they are needed for depth. The ruck situation is still problematic as big Sam is a huge question mark at this stage. I can’t see a satisfactory solution just yet!

I think our ruck situation looks a little better now. Hickey and Sinclair as 1 and 2. Although Amartey is not a 2 metre monster, he is very athletic and mobile. Perhaps he could model his game on Stef Martin, another sub 2m ruck who has done extremely well. Reid can give the chop outs. His ruck work is actually pretty good.
Then IF we can get Naismith consistently playing.................

[neilfws]

Thank You, Tom Hickey - YouTube

A half-dozen nice taps in that video and some other strong work. If he brings plenty of that to our games I'll be happy.

[caj23]

In isolation the Hickey trade is fine, the fact is that he will be the best ruckman on our list by a significant margin. Even though he will be 30 by the time the season starts, he doesn't have many miles on the clock due to his inability to hold down the no 1 ruck spot at 3 other clubs.

It doesn't say much about our list management that we've managed to get ourselves into this position in the first place.