2022 List management, trading, drafting

[Aprilbr]

It is certainly an important trade/draft period coming up for us. Other teams like Richmond are likely to improve with who they will bring into their squad. We also need to continue to improve.

The first piece of business is to see where Lloyd is at. He hopefully will re-sign but he may opt to exercise free agency and take big bucks to join another team. If he does, then we will most likely pick up another second or third rounder as compensation.

Our draft hand is good for a team playing off in the GF. Our needs in my view are key position players, a developing ruckman and a topline mid. We already have good possibilities in these areas in our squad but they are unproven so far. I would tend to use most of our draft capital to go to the draft again rather than to bring in players from elsewhere, unless a really good player in one of these shortage areas presents himself. We have to manage our Cap carefully as we still have to re-sign players like Papley in the coming 12 months. Spending big on a new acquisition from another club, unless we really think that player will enhance our team, may not be wise. We have great recruiters so let them go to work!

[dejavoodoo44]

So, time to fire up this thread hey.

I think we’re building good midfield depth with Sheldrick, Campbell, maybe Roberts all having capacity to go in there next season. We’ve seen with Chad guys with quick feet matter in there, as they can both move quickly to a ball on the move, and then explode away. But one or two more emerging options wouldn’t hurt. And our wings look good.

We definitely need a long term partner for Logan. I don’t view Amarty or McLean as more than solid depth. This is priority number one in the draft for me.

We also need to be hard headed about our ruck stocks. Hickey was knackered today after carrying the load last week. Despite his brain fades this year, Ladhams can play. But a good young ruck would be nice.

I also think a high speed small forward to accompany Paps would be nice. Clarke has done a good job, but I don’t think he’s the long term answer as he doesn’t offer enough offensively.

And my long term pet obsession is a 200cm defender as we enter the era of giant key forwards.

I know that sounds like a lot, but I think our list is building well. We just need to be ruthless about what will give us the best chance of sustained success over the next five to seven years given the elite talent we already have on board, rather than a sugar hit next year.

Yes, tend to agree with those priorities of targeting key position and ruck. According to the draft predictions, the talls that are around about our first two picks, are the ruck/forward Keeler, the KPD Hayes and the ruck Barnett. I'd be content with any two of those three. Although in the past, I haven't been that convinced with the need to spend a high or highish draft pick on a ruck, when you can usually fill that spot through the rookie list or a trade. But with the reliable Sinclair retired, Hickey aging, Ladhams unreliable, McAndrew finding ways to be concussed and the rest part timers, there's probably a need to go for a project ruck. And the ones we have drafted in the not so distant past, have been good picks, it's just unfortunate that they've done their best work with other clubs: Nankervis at pick 35 and Cameron at pick 48.

[Roadrunner]

1. You don't need to give two firsts to get Grundy, Pies are desperate to sell
2. Grundy will not leave Melbourne, has stated that
3. Ladhams is already on our books, is young, got Brownlow votes in a couple of games despite limited senior appearances.
4. It's never as good as it seems, it's never as bad as it seems

Plus we have Crayfish!????
Realistically, we may need 1 more ruckman as they do tend to get injured more often and make a huge difference at clearances as well as marking around the ground. Hickey has been terrific but can’t be expected to ruck on his own like most of yesterday.

[tlock]

Swans should identify players that are mentally weak based on stats during finals and trade them for players that have a proven track record during finals.

[Roadrunner]

Swans should identify players that are mentally weak based on stats during finals and trade them for players that have a proven track record during finals.

Seriously? Based on 1 finals game? We may as well ditch the whole team by your reasoning my friend, as only about 4 were any good- but we know that yesterday’s performance was not their true form!

[Blood Relative]

1. You don't need to give two firsts to get Grundy, Pies are desperate to sell
2. Grundy will not leave Melbourne, has stated that
3. Ladhams is already on our books, is young, got Brownlow votes in a couple of games despite limited senior appearances.
4. It's never as good as it seems, it's never as bad as it seems

Well said, 707. We are all feeling pretty crap this morn, and will do for most of the week. With the exception of Sam, we had a good team out there yesterday but didn't do what we do well.

[111431]

I agree that what we do at trade is very important. It has been obvious for 2 years at least that against the better sides we don't get enough ball out of centre bounces. This was brutally exposed yesterday.

Hickey had run out of gas and needs another quality ruckman in support.

This is radical I know but I would seriously consider giving our 2 1st round picks to Collingwod to get Grundy who has 5 years left on his contract and Collingwod looking for a salary cap dump.

I'm up for this

[Ludwig]

I think we made a mistake signing Franklin to another year. We should have used the money to take the salary dump of Jack Bowes + pick 7. Like Freo got Will Brodie and a first rounder in the previous salary dump by GC. Those kind of moves can really make a big difference for many years to come. With Franklin, we get another year from a great, but aging player in decline who is a roadblock in the development of our younger key forwards.

I don't see us being active in the trade period. I don't see key players going in either direction. None of the big names talked about have been linked to us in any way. Most have already chosen their preferred destination. We really don't have any spots open to offer to a player looking for senior team opportunities, because all of our spots are taken and we still have several good players in the reserves looking to break into the side.

I've been amongst those looking to add to our KPP stocks through the draft.

I suppose by next week we will hear about most of our delistings and any decisions to take up free agency or re-sign with the club. Then we can look in more detail about the specifics of the trade period.

[707]

Wonder if there will be any shocks in the delistings? Don't we usually wait until after the B&F?

Clubs often don't delist players that might have draft currency, however little that may be, before the trade period ends

[Markwebbos]

I think we made a mistake signing Franklin to another year. We should have used the money to take the salary dump of Jack Bowes + pick 7. Like Freo got Will Brodie and a first rounder in the previous salary dump by GC. Those kind of moves can really make a big difference for many years to come. With Franklin, we get another year from a great, but aging player in decline who is a roadblock in the development of our younger key forwards.

I don't see us being active in the trade period. I don't see key players going in either direction. None of the big names talked about have been linked to us in any way. Most have already chosen their preferred destination. We really don't have any spots open to offer to a player looking for senior team opportunities, because all of our spots are taken and we still have several good players in the reserves looking to break into the side.

I've been amongst those looking to add to our KPP stocks through the draft.

I suppose by next week we will hear about most of our delistings and any decisions to take up free agency or re-sign with the club. Then we can look in more detail about the specifics of the trade period.

It’s an interesting comparison $600k for Buddy or the same $$ for Bowes and pick 7. I do think Buddy’s value has been diminished by the finals, sadly.

His role next year will be interesting …

- - - Updated - - -

Will 2023 be a year of redemption for the Swans and Buddy?

[Roadrunner]

It’s an interesting comparison $600k for Buddy or the same $$ for Bowes and pick 7. I do think Buddy’s value has been diminished by the finals, sadly.

His role next year will be interesting …

- - - Updated - - -

Will 2023 be a year of redemption for the Swans and Buddy?

Buddy is still good value but most likely will be “managed” next year, thus giving more opportunities to Logan and Joel to see how they can form a partnership up front. Could Buddy be moved to the flank? His field kicking is usually superb, and he could feed Logan’s leads.

We defo need KP’s in this draft and 1 ruckman to develop for the future. I can’t see any star player wanting to come to us so expect to have a quiet trade, even if Lloyd decides to go. Our main weakness seems to me in marking power.

[Aprilbr]

We could do a lot worse than go to the draft and pick 3 or 4 hungry and talented young players! The current side has largely been built around that approach of prioritising the draft as we have hardly brought in anyone of note through trades since Buddy. Hickey and Ladhams were not big name signings! Our approach contrasts somewhat with Geelong, who seem to mainly focus on poaching players from other clubs to build their side eg Danger, Cameron, Smith.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Isn't half of buddy's contract under third party

It's all good in the hood

That is peanuts for someone who kicked over 50 goals in 2023

[Captain]

Buddy is still good value but most likely will be “managed” next year, thus giving more opportunities to Logan and Joel to see how they can form a partnership up front. Could Buddy be moved to the flank? His field kicking is usually superb, and he could feed Logan’s leads.

We defo need KP’s in this draft and 1 ruckman to develop for the future. I can’t see any star player wanting to come to us so expect to have a quiet trade, even if Lloyd decides to go. Our main weakness seems to me in marking power.

He would be the worst value $600k player in the comp. Absolute waste of cap space.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

I think we made a mistake signing Franklin to another year. . . . With Franklin, we get another year from a great, but aging player in decline who is a roadblock in the development of our younger key forwards.

This morning I saw this hedline, and felt a wave of relief because I thought he was considering not playing next year. Then I read what turns out to be a blind-Freddy piece, simple stating that Buddy isn't what he was and is now unable to play as a key forward or up the ground.

Aging Buddy Problem #1
All great forwards attract more than the optimum amount of attention of their midfielders, if there's no time to assess all the options then kick it to Boddy/Plugger/Barry/whomever. While they are still capable of converting a good chunk of these opportunities into goal all is well and good. But Buddy isn't any more and our midfielders seem incapable of resisting the Buddy temptation.
Aging Buddy Problem #2
Buddy has alway put his other forwards into the shade, opportunity wise. Effectively any key forward playing along side Buddy ends up in starvation corner. This is a particular problem when you've got a high draft pick kid that you think has the goods. So in the absence of any clinically recognised form of Buddy-Aversion-Therapy for midfielders - it's up to the selection committee.

I just hope that body has the strength to limit Buddy's appearance to 50% or less next season, before the tabloid sub editor's start churning out "Beautiful Swan to Ugly Duckling" headlines.