2021 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[bloodspirit]

I’m pretty sure that the Suns can still preselect their academy kids and get them without using a pick. They just magically appear on their list. It means they can draft one player using their only pick and two from their academy for free.

Thanks for that explanation - I do remember reading about that last year. I think this is something a number of phantom drafts are overlooking.

Today they have posted the best results from the various State combines (combined!): COMBINE CRUSHERS: Woewodin blitzes, Swan's bro flies, record smashed (afl.com.au). Corey Warner's results are impressive - comparable to Alleer who is much vaunted for his leap (although I guess in his case he combines it with being about 2 metres tall). Can we infer from Warner's high leaping that he has a lot of explosive power, like Chad?

[bloodspirit]

I’m pretty sure that the Suns can still preselect their academy kids and get them without using a pick. They just magically appear on their list. It means they can draft one player using their only pick and two from their academy for free.

Today this is written on afl.com.au: How many picks will your club use in the 2021 NAB AFL Draft?

AFL rules mandate clubs using three picks at the national draft, but with the Suns only having space for their top draft selection – No.3 – on their full list, clubs can also fill the other two spots via re-selecting their players or upgrading rookies.
I don't know how to make sense of this. Is this the end of the idea that clubs have to draft 3 players each year? I thought that the whole point of the rule is to ensure that clubs turnover their lists and bring in young talent. If you can just re-draft your own players, what's the point?

Also, does this mean that the Suns will or won't select Bodhi Uwland??

[TheBloods]

Thanks for that explanation - I do remember reading about that last year. I think this is something a number of phantom drafts are overlooking.

Today they have posted the best results from the various State combines (combined!): COMBINE CRUSHERS: Woewodin blitzes, Swan's bro flies, record smashed (afl.com.au). Corey Warner's results are impressive - comparable to Alleer who is much vaunted for his leap (although I guess in his case he combines it with being about 2 metres tall). Can we infer from Warner's high leaping that he has a lot of explosive power, like Chad?

Hope we get him

[Markwebbos]

That is very confusing about the Suns... Can we bid on their academy players? Does it work like normally bidding except if they "match" it doesn't cost them anything (other than a spot on their list, which could be a problem this year)

[bloodspirit]

I have looked into the Suns thing a bit further. I think AB is right. GCS can (and, contrary to what afl.com.au, apparently will) just pre-list some of their Academy players and they won't even need to match any bids. According to a Zoom meeting the Suns held for their members, they intend to select one NT player (apparently Stevens) and one QLD player (likely either Uwland or Bella), as well as taking pick 3 and re-signing some of their other players.

[bloodspirit]

Corey is a different player to Chad - apparently he's a hard running outside player, whereas Chad obviously has an inside game.

Apparently there are two younger aged Warner brothers too: Ashton (aged 14 years) and Troy (11 years). BS, do you reckon we should be lining them up now too?

[Markwebbos]

I have looked into the Suns thing a bit further. I think AB is right. GCS can (and, contrary to what afl.com.au, apparently will) just pre-list some of their Academy players and they won't even need to match any bids. According to a Zoom meeting the Suns held for their members, they intend to select one NT player (apparently Stevens) and one QLD player (likely either Uwland or Bella), as well as taking pick 3 and re-signing some of their other players.

That would mean they do bring in three new players but only use pick 3. No wonder they traded the rest for 2022 picks!

[bloodspirit]

The cultural and financial shift required for the trade period to evolve (sen.com.au)

I'm not sure I agree it is better for fans and the game for players to be able to be traded without their consent. I do agree it would be an evolution and it would be in a "modern" direction. I think our game values its traditions and it can afford to be different from American sport and less corporatised. I think that eventually the players may be sold on agreeing to being traded without their consent because they will eventually be offered a big enough carrot to get them to agree. But I hope that it's a long way off. Even if it allows teams to haul themselves off the bottom of the ladder faster and improves the on-field look of them game (neither of which are givens) I'm not convinced I want it. At this stage there is still some room left in our sport for quaint notions of 'loyalty' and 'team spirit' and I like it that way. I think making this change would erode those things I like and the new things on offer aren't good enough to tempt me.

[AB Swannie]

The cultural and financial shift required for the trade period to evolve (sen.com.au)

I'm not sure I agree it is better for fans and the game for players to be able to be traded without their consent. I do agree it would be an evolution and it would be in a "modern" direction. I think our game values its traditions and it can afford to be different from American sport and less corporatised. I think that eventually the players may be sold on agreeing to being traded without their consent because they will eventually be offered a big enough carrot to get them to agree. But I hope that it's a long way off. Even if it allows teams to haul themselves off the bottom of the ladder faster and improves the on-field look of them game (neither of which are givens) I'm not convinced I want it. At this stage there is still some room left in our sport for quaint notions of 'loyalty' and 'team spirit' and I like it that way. I think making this change would erode those things I like and the new things on offer aren't good enough to tempt me.

I don't think it will occur until there is an economic incentive in it for the players. At the moment, they have a right of refusal. No way this right is disappearing without some significant cash being included.

[dejavoodoo44]

The cultural and financial shift required for the trade period to evolve (sen.com.au)

I'm not sure I agree it is better for fans and the game for players to be able to be traded without their consent. I do agree it would be an evolution and it would be in a "modern" direction. I think our game values its traditions and it can afford to be different from American sport and less corporatised. I think that eventually the players may be sold on agreeing to being traded without their consent because they will eventually be offered a big enough carrot to get them to agree. But I hope that it's a long way off. Even if it allows teams to haul themselves off the bottom of the ladder faster and improves the on-field look of them game (neither of which are givens) I'm not convinced I want it. At this stage there is still some room left in our sport for quaint notions of 'loyalty' and 'team spirit' and I like it that way. I think making this change would erode those things I like and the new things on offer aren't good enough to tempt me.

Seems more like a couple of SEN presenters filling dead air, rather than a genuine proposal. I don't think Whateley put forward any compelling arguments. His first salvo was that because they do it in America, then we should do it here. Which is a rationale that I've never found convincing, even more so now. His second try was that Hawthorn wanted to do it, but couldn't. To me, that suggests more of a problem with Hawthorn, rather than the system. And lastly he claimed that everybody, especially the fans, found the current system intolerable. However, he didn't back that up with any stats or survey results. Personally, I can't recall hearing any fan saying, that they find it intolerable, that clubs can't trade players without their consent. At a guess, I think many fans would find it perfectly tolerable.

[Faunac8]

The cultural and financial shift required for the trade period to evolve (sen.com.au)

I'm not sure I agree it is better for fans and the game for players to be able to be traded without their consent. I do agree it would be an evolution and it would be in a "modern" direction. I think our game values its traditions and it can afford to be different from American sport and less corporatised. I think that eventually the players may be sold on agreeing to being traded without their consent because they will eventually be offered a big enough carrot to get them to agree. But I hope that it's a long way off. Even if it allows teams to haul themselves off the bottom of the ladder faster and improves the on-field look of them game (neither of which are givens) I'm not convinced I want it. At this stage there is still some room left in our sport for quaint notions of 'loyalty' and 'team spirit' and I like it that way. I think making this change would erode those things I like and the new things on offer aren't good enough to tempt me.

Be very interested to hear Bangalore’s viewpoint on this given his self confessed love of American sport????
To be honest I tend to think that you sign on for the highs and lows when you choose to become a professional sports person and if to remain a part of it requires that you ply your trade in a different location every couple of years then so be it.
I know the compensation on offer is not on a par with the US or European sporting environments but maybe it is time to accept that becoming a professional sports person requires a certain level of adaptability both personally and professionally.
I like the attitude of Steven Adams a Kiwi NBA player just about to start the season with his third team in as many years

"It's all a part of the business, getting traded. That isn't really the difficult part. The difficult part is the relationship you build within it, then you have to move on," he said.

"But it's not like I died or anything, I'm going to see them again. So that's fine; it ain't that sad."

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Corey is a different player to Chad - apparently he's a hard running outside player, whereas Chad obviously has an inside game.

That's a relief, I was a bit worried about drafting duplicates.

[Markwebbos]

Seems more like a couple of SEN presenters filling dead air, rather than a genuine proposal. I don't think Whateley put forward any compelling arguments. His first salvo was that because they do it in America, then we should do it here. Which is a rationale that I've never found convincing, even more so now. His second try was that Hawthorn wanted to do it, but couldn't. To me, that suggests more of a problem with Hawthorn, rather than the system. And lastly he claimed that everybody, especially the fans, found the current system intolerable. However, he didn't back that up with any stats or survey results. Personally, I can't recall hearing any fan saying, that they find it intolerable, that clubs can't trade players without their consent. At a guess, I think many fans would find it perfectly tolerable.

It's the media that found trade "week" intolerable because there wasn't enough action. I would have been much happier if we'd seen less action than we did, JD wise.

[bloodspirit]

Here's a cheering thought: it's probably better that the JD deal went through this year than the JD deal 2 years ago went through. If I had to choose I'm glad we didn't overpay for Daniher (I can't recall the details now but I have a feeling we basically offered them two first rounders: the one we'd get from Carlton for Papley plus our future first that we used to draft Logan) and would prefer to have lost Dawson. Imagine losing Papley and Logan and getting just Daniher back!! That would be way worse than losing Dawson for Melbourne's future first.

[royboy42]

As always your judgment of young Swans players is very astute.

I think most of Red and White (many too proud to admit it) are very excited about Marc Sheather after you tipped him to be a senior regular in the 1st four rounds of 2022.

And the soap opera continues.....