Spot on analysis as usual Ludwig and, indeed, rather early for me to be starting a trade thread before our first trial. It was simply so I can repost on a "you heard it here first" basis
It will be an interesting year for our squad development to be sure. I do think that this is the year that the Buddy contract will start to bite but at least we are in control of how we manage that.
The midfield is clearly a crowded one and a lot will be determined I think on the development of Hewett and Robinson - I have a feeling Robbo and BJ may have breakout seasons this year. If Mills and Heeney slot into the midfield we'll have Hanners, JPK, Parker, Mills, Heeney and Robbo locked in as the core of our midfield for the next four season (I've not included Jack as I'm not convinced he has much shelf life beyond this season). It could well be decided that Mitchell is surplus to requirements as much as I rate him.
Tippett's position is interesting. As an unrestricted free agent we won't get anything for him but I believe he is quite settled in Sydney. What we are prepared to pay will largely depend on the progress of Naismith and Sinclair. I would think we'd be keen to keep him at unders on what he is on now but I'd expect a club like the Lions would be extremely keen to sign him to add some experience and leadership and they'd be able to blow us out of the water financially. So, I think ultimately this will be driven by what drives Kurt career wise, a flag or more cash in the bank.
The defence will also have key impact indirectly on our activity. If Talia and one of X, AA or Abe really step up then we might be well enough stocked for the post-Ted era but I still suspect we might try and bundle up any trade bait (i.e. Mitchell) with a really strong young KPD so Brisbane again could be a trading partner based on your analysis of their stocks.
Overall you'd have to say our list is looking a lot stronger than it was this time last year. The fact that we have not let any young players go from the main list and given them another year to develop is a big part of this and I would expect our reserves to have a much better season this year
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