Who is worth trading for high draft picks?

[ROK Lobster]

On the assumption that we are "rebuilding" and that there is not a flag on offer for 4 years minimum, who do we draft for a couple of high picks (and also give an opportunity to play somewhere else in their twilight years).

I'd put Bolton J and Buchanan up straight away.

[digital]

Eski :late first round pick
Buchanan : second round
Ablett : second round pick
ROK : high first +

And then total rebuild..means we would have 3 first round picks, 2 second round picks.

Spida: pension
Matthews: retire
Crouchie and Fossie, the juryt is still out

[Melbournehammer]

This makes no sense.

If we are rebuilding then I would put up the entire list and see what is made available. To pick a couple of players of marginal value who are unlikely to get us much (what exactly did we get for schneider and dempster ? and are buchanan and bolton so much better) is pointless. we should look at whatever is available and if there is something there we should grab it

On the other hand if the club means anything I am not against having people like jude bolton (who has been one of the few really decent players for us this season and is a genuine clubman) adam goodes etc be retained as one club players.

[swansrule100]

goodes

[digital]

That is not a bad idea at all..2 first round picks for him and you would need carefully evaluate it..

[hammo]

I hope we go for draft picks and the club ends the crap about needing to stay competitive. The priority has to be getting a team together capable of winning a premiership and that means getting the best young players in the draft.

Paul Roos has lamented the lottery of the draft but surely it's a more reliable way of getting good players than recycling other club's rejects is. Ted Richards and Henry Playfair are honest footballers but will never form the nucleus of a premiership side.

There is no denying we lack class across the park, but particularly in the midfield. The most talented young players in the country are snapped up in the national draft, they're not put up for trade in trade week or languishing on rookie lists.

[liz]

No point in putting Jude up again. No club was willing to give up a late first round pick for him last year. Even though he's had a much better season, he's a year older, a year more battered, and with (somewhat misguided) panic over the lack of draft picks next year, I doubt anyone would give up a pick in the 20s for him this year.

We do need to inject more class into the midfield but I reckon younger players benefit by playing alongside some hardened warriors. If Jude can play a couple more seasons like 2008 (or at least the second half of it) I think he's of more value helping Jack, Vez, Meredith and whoever else become good midfielders than a pick in the 30s is likely to be.

[CureTheSane]

B Hall
A Goodes
M O'Loughlin
R O'Keefe
T Kennelley
B Kirk
D Jolly
J McVeigh
C Bolton
N Malcheski
T Richards

After we clear all of those losers out, we need some retirements and delistings, such as....

N Davis
B Mathews
J Bolton
P Everitt
N Fosdike
L Ablett
L Barry
J Crouch
A Buchanan
H Grundy

That should sort us out :)
P Bevan

[tombomb]

it does make me laugh when i see people on here suggesting we trade players like ablett and fosdike plus about 5 others ... im not sure what people expect to get for players who are fringe players in a middle of the road team. I doubt we would get much more than a 3rd round pick.

If we are to really make the hard decisions that everyone talks about then I think we have to look at trading jolly or okeefe or both.

Both players regularly let us down in big games, yet they would still attract a lot of interest from other clubs.

Okeefe would probably attract a pick of somewhere between 6-10 and jolly probably 10-15. You would think that someone like Carlton or richmond would fall over themselves to trade for either of them ... so we could possibly get both of their first round picks.

So i think that is what we need to do, mcveigh would almost fit into the category as well but as he is still young and has improved so much this year then he is worth keeping.

[Robbo]

Trading players for draft picks means we will have to delist more players.

[CureTheSane]

After my last extremely serious post, I'll say that trading players like ROK, Hall, Goodes etc etc is

1. Against what so many here call the 'bloods spirit' For me it's simply respect and contracts. They played most or all of their career with the Swans, they played in a flag, they walk into the best 22, so they stay.
Simple as that.

2. If we were to trade these types of players, you'd want some sort of a guarantee that we're gonna end up with something better than what we traded.
When people talk about trading our better players, there is no safe bet that we'll end up with anyone better.
All these people who suggest trading our better players will be the ones arcing up when what we got for them isn't performing.

[matthew]

the idea of trading O'Keefe is ridiclious, he is untouchable as is Malceski and buchanan. I think that there will be three to retire and one to be delisted or traded. Leo barry, Peter Everitt and Ben Mathews will retire, Nick Davis could be traded if there can be a deal. there will be more kids to come into the side next year, Brendan Murphy, Daniel Currie and others I can't think about at this stage. maybe I would like some feedback and suggestions.

[tombomb]

the idea of trading O'Keefe is ridiclious, he is untouchable as is Malceski and buchanan. I think that there will be three to retire and one to be delisted or traded. Leo barry, Peter Everitt and Ben Mathews will retire, Nick Davis could be traded if there can be a deal. there will be more kids to come into the side next year, Brendan Murphy, Daniel Currie and others I can't think about at this stage. maybe I would like some feedback and suggestions.


I dont think there is anyone in our team who is untouchable. I think we have to look at which players we have who have high currency. I think the general consensus is that we are probably going to struggle for the next couple of years, or at least we need to struggle a little bit so that we can get back up into the elite sides.

Trade Nick Davis???? what? for pick 60? that is hardly going to change our side. If i was going to put someone in the untouchable category, i would probably put malceski in there because at his best he is an elite player, but would probably struggle to attract more than a 2nd round pick after his injuries this year.

If we really are going to revamp the team we have to trade out a player (or players) who is at their peak now.

trading players like ablett, fosdike, davis, lrt is not going to cut it. If you look at a side like Hawthorn they have traded out some of their best players to get in early at the draft (Thompson, rawlings, croad, mcpharlin). In okeefe and jolly we have 2 players who would be wanted by most other sides in the comp.

Having said all that, i think there is some merit to treating premiership players with respect, particularly okeefe ... so i think we need to ensure that the players were happy to leave, from memory jolly and okeefe have both held out on contract talks before.

[smasher]

Really the only players other teams will be interested in trading from us are those couple who have performed for us and are young enough that they are going to give their new club mileage.
In all honestly I would not think clubs would go after a Malceski (for example) after this season whereas he would have been seen as an attractive offer 12 months ago.We have quite a few that would come into that category.

[ernie koala]

For round 1 or 2 picks:
Goodes (past his best), Malceski (a return to top form looks debatable at best), Buchanan( inconsistent)
For round 3+ :
Ablett, Grundy, Davis, Fosdike
Retirees:
Barry, Everitt, Mathews, Hall(boxing beckons)

[tombomb]

For round 1 or 2 picks:
Goodes (past his best), Malceski (a return to top form looks debatable at best), Buchanan( inconsistent)
For round 3+ :
Ablett, Grundy, Davis, Fosdike
Retirees:
Barry, Everitt, Mathews, Hall(boxing beckons)


sometimes i really do wonder over the mentality of some of people on here. malceski has played in the same year as doing his knee and already we are saying a return to top form looks debatable ... ridiculous

goodes is apparently past his best, yet we all know he is injured and at the end of last year he played 8 weeks of the best football that you will probably see.

Buchanan - inconsistent? Am i the only one who thinks that he is one of the only players we have who is capable of consistenly breaking the lines and creating run.

grundy, davis, ablett, fosdike would not attract 3rd round picks, maybe very late 3rd round ... but more likely to be somewhere between 50-60. however i doubt anyone would bother with grundy as a trade. If he was available in the preseason draft someone might pick him up.

I could keep going, Hall should not retire ... Since he came back from his first suspension he has basically been our best player and if we were playing well i think he would be back to the form of 03/04/05/06. Leo Barry has already said he wants to play on next year, so he wont be retiring. The only one you probably got right is everitt and mathewss retiring. The rest is garbage.

[snappy]

Rok and Amon would have value.
The rest not sure about.
We need Jolly no doubt about it.
ROK would land us the extra 1st rounder that would definitely go along way in the yrs to come.

[liz]

ROK would land us the extra 1st rounder that would definitely go along way in the yrs to come.

It wouldn't "definitely go a long way". The chance of even a top 10 pick becoming as good a player as O'Keefe has been (and still is) is probably less than one in five. And unless that player went onto become a Gablett, Judd type, it is unlikely they'd make much difference on their own, especially compared to the impact of a club trading (against their will) a player who busts his gut each and every week (even when he's not having a great game).

If O'Keefe, out of contract, wanted to move (is there any evidence or even suggestion he does?) that would be a different matter. But when was the last time a club, any club, voluntarily traded one of its top 5 players still at the peak of his career? It doesn't happen, simply because the chances of the trade paying off are next to nil.

[Nico]

Why on earth would you trade top core players like Goodes, Malceski and O'Keefe. Do that and you can get on for the spoon, put your house on it.

We keep our good core players, restructure with young players coming through to energise the core, reset and go for it. We still have a good core of players. I think it is a matter of throwing the inexperienced players in and leaving them there, we have no other option.

[Legs Akimbo]

That we struggle to see which players on our list could be of interest to other clubs, speaks loudly of the state of our list.

[Wazza]

Probably the only player with currency would be ROK, I wouldnt suggest for a minute we trade ROK for a kid but for an established KPP.

The Swans only need minor tweaks for next year and continued improvement from the kids.

IMHO If we add a experienced KP defender and a established pacey midfielder to our current player group plus given improvement in the kids - Bird Jack Ves & Malceski comes back fit, Goodes is fit, Mattners second year Fossie & Crouch injury free - we could give it a crack. :)

But we would have to trade ROK and probably give up first draft pick to pick up the 2 experienced players we need.

Chasing a flag can back fire but given many on our list will dissapear after next season maybe on this occasion it is the correct direction to take
??


Cheers

Waz

[snappy]

It wouldn't "definitely go a long way". The chance of even a top 10 pick becoming as good a player as O'Keefe has been (and still is) is probably less than one in five. And unless that player went onto become a Gablett, Judd type, it is unlikely they'd make much difference on their own, especially compared to the impact of a club trading (against their will) a player who busts his gut each and every week (even when he's not having a great game).

If O'Keefe, out of contract, wanted to move (is there any evidence or even suggestion he does?) that would be a different matter. But when was the last time a club, any club, voluntarily traded one of its top 5 players still at the peak of his career? It doesn't happen, simply because the chances of the trade paying off are next to nil.

I generally agree with you Liz, though as far as rebuilding goes and as hypothetical trade talk builds, ROK is the only player in our team that would demand a 1st rounder.
Hes 28 this yr? In another year he might not be worth anything (injuries) who knows. Another year on and GC17 take most of the top young talent. We would be at least 3/5yrs away from being a serious finals team again. The question is weather or not we want to trade vigorously for draft pics. As you said theres no guarantee a 1st rd pick will be good as he is, though imo its definitely worth considering.
Anyway does anyone know how long hes contracted till?

[liz]

Unless he's signed up in the last few weeks and the club has kept it quiet, he's out of contract in a month's time.

[hammo]

Chasing a flag can back fire but given many on our list will dissapear after next season maybe on this occasion it is the correct direction to take
??


The current era is over - even Roos admits it. Topping up a mediocre list would be disastrous for the short to medium term future of the club.

[hudsta]

Trade Spida........for a schooner of Carlton!!


Honestly......we look tired. Yes we need to move on some players but at the sametime we need to give the kids time. Goodes and Mal are clearly injured or coming back from injury and will take a while to come back to form.

I have faith we will be ok

[tombomb]

It wouldn't "definitely go a long way". The chance of even a top 10 pick becoming as good a player as O'Keefe has been (and still is) is probably less than one in five. And unless that player went onto become a Gablett, Judd type, it is unlikely they'd make much difference on their own, especially compared to the impact of a club trading (against their will) a player who busts his gut each and every week (even when he's not having a great game).

If O'Keefe, out of contract, wanted to move (is there any evidence or even suggestion he does?) that would be a different matter. But when was the last time a club, any club, voluntarily traded one of its top 5 players still at the peak of his career? It doesn't happen, simply because the chances of the trade paying off are next to nil.

I think we need to just think a little more practically about where our position is at the moment and where it is going to be in 2-3 years time. All signs suggest that we are going to struggle over the next few years, we have no realy key position players coming through so we have to go for young players in the draft. Im not saying we should give rok away, but if a club like richmond or carlton were happy to give us pick 7 or 8, plus maybe another draft pick then i think we should seriously consider it. There is little sense in having rok at our club over the next few years if we are going to struggle, we may as well look at selling while his price his high.

But yes, he is a premiership player, and he is one of our best players ... so im not suggesting he should be forced out the door.

The only way we are going to improve is if we get some young players into the club, as has been previously stated our opportunities in coming years will be limited given GC17 coming in ... although i think rok would be a prime target for them and we may still be able to trade him next year.

Also, i think the draft, especially the first round is becoming more of an exact science and nearly every first round player over the past few years has played and show themselves to be potential quality players

[reigning premier]

We only have four, maybe five players that are worth anything in the trade market (Well anything more than a 3rd round pick anyway).

Goodes
O'Keefe
Buchanan
Malceski
And, at a stretch, Davis.

Out of them, Goodes isn't going anywhere. Malceski is young enough and good enough to suggest it's worth hanging on to him. That leaves Buchanan and O'Keefe. For which, you'd have to suggest the Swans would only be interested in trading for a 1st rounder or better.

[Matty10]

...I can't think of a single club that would benefit from giving up a 1st round draft pick for Buchanan. Yes, he has the ability to break the lines (not as rare in other clubs as in ours), but he does not consistently work hard enough and his disposal is sub-standard.

If they wanted to make that sort of a trade I would be happy with the decision. Good luck finding any takers though.

[Legs Akimbo]

It wouldn't "definitely go a long way". The chance of even a top 10 pick becoming as good a player as O'Keefe has been (and still is) is probably less than one in five.

You are perhaps underestimating the odds of getting a quality player from a top-10 pick. This does not mean I think we should trade him, but...

Anyway, take a look over the last 10 years and to my eye at least, it appears that the system is getting better at sorting the wheat from the chaff. No way would it be as low as one in five, although clearly it depends on how you define the quality of ROK. I think he's a very good player, but not elite because he doesn't win enough games off his own boot and goes missing for extended periods.

AFL Draft (http://www.thedrafter.net/afl-draft/afl-draft.asp)

Furthermore, we all know its about where you are at in the cycle and what groups you have coming through at different ages. We've been topping up in the belief (mistaken in the last two years, IMHO) that we can steal another premiership.

If you accept that a premiership is unlikely for another 4 years, then given our current playing group profile, the potential benefits of Sydney trading up in the draft (within reason) increase.

[Bas]

Well if we don't trade for top picks then the only solution is to bottom out and get them that way. However that only guarantees one pick in top 10 and then possibly another between 16 and 20 before 2nd round.

The Club won't do this for reasons previously given.

So what is the answer?

Spend qnother three pages arguing the pros and cons of trading a particular player.

The Club has added 4 players now to the rookie list with possible future promotion (Murphy, Orreal, Pyke and new Irish guy). I think the first three have a great chance.

We should get Pick 9 or 10 this year and then next would be about Pick 29.

I think there is no alternatibe but to trade for another first round pick in a draft that many are saying will be very good. Which player? Rather which Club should we target.

[bennyfrou]

Why on earth would you trade top core players like Goodes, Malceski and O'Keefe. Do that and you can get on for the spoon, put your house on it.

We keep our good core players, restructure with young players coming through to energise the core, reset and go for it. We still have a good core of players. I think it is a matter of throwing the inexperienced players in and leaving them there, we have no other option.

Nico, I agree with you (rare).

[bedford]

McHack he has now more worth,yes i am into him again but went missing in a big game AGAIN

[ScottH]

McHack he has now more worth,yes i am into him again but went missing in a big game AGAIN

So did about 20 other players.

[goswannie14]

McHack he has now more worth,yes i am into him again but went missing in a big game AGAINSome people don't seem to get the concept of our players being tagged. This is what happened on Saturday night. McVeigh did okay, he was far from our worst.

BTW, he didn't go missing against the Bulldogs. I'm pretty sure that was a big game too.

[sharp9]

BTW, he didn't go missing against the Bulldogs. I'm pretty sure that was a big game too.didn't have an opponent, either....let alone a tagger.

[Captain]

O'Keefe for Kerr.

[ernie koala]

Why on earth would you trade top core players like Goodes, Malceski and O'Keefe. Do that and you can get on for the spoon, put your house on it

There is a good reason why you would trade top core players, to get high draft picks. That's because this year is going to be the last fair draft for the next 3 years at least (gold coast and west sydney concessions). It has also been touted as a very stong draft. If we don't off load some top tier but aging stars, this year, then we won't get a look in for many years. In the meantime our tradable stars will all become too old for trading.
No one wants to see Goodes or O'keefe or Buchanan or Malceski go, but the debate is if we don't trade them now then we'll be relying on low draft picks for years to come as the club meanders through season after season being a middle tier club.....No thanks.

[Lucky Knickers]

No no no no - Nico is correct. Let's please not trade away two of our elite players (ROK and Goodes).

[Alibi Monday]

As I see it, here's the trade value of our list:

1. O'Keefe - Pick 6-10
1. Goodes - Pick 6-10
1. McVeigh - Pick 6-10
4. Jolly - Pick 10-15
4. C Bolton - Pick 10-15
4. Vezpremi - Pick 10-15
7. Bird - Pick 15-20
7. Currie - Pick 15-20
9. Jack - Pick 20-25
9. Malceski - Pick 20-25
9. Moore - Pick 20-25
12. Buchanan* - Pick 25-30
12. Hall - Pick 25-30
12. Mattner - Pick 25-30
15. Ablett* - Pick 30-40
15. Grundy* - Pick 30-40
15. Richards - Pick 30-40
15. Schmidt - Pick 30-40
15. Meredith - Pick 30-40
15. J Bolton - Pick 30-40
21. Bevan - Pick 40-50
21. Barlow - Pick 40-50
21. Thornton - Pick 40-50
24. Davis* - Pick 50-60
24. Fosdike* - Pick 50-60
25. Brennan - Pick 60+

If Malceski could have progressed as expected this year without the injury - he would have been the only player able to trade for a Top 5 draft pick.

* These are the only players I think we should be shopping around unless another club offers up a better pick than my estimation. We have other players ready to walk straight into their spots.

[hammo]

I can't see Goodes being traded under any circumstances. Anyone who thinks ROK is irreplaceable though has rocks in their heads. If we could get a first round pick and a good young player then the club would seriously consider it IMO.

[NMWBloods]

If he had any interest at all in returning to Melbourne, ROK would be the perfect one to trade. If he is really keen on staying in Sydney then I see little reason to trade him.

[Mr Magoo]

This years draft is IMO one of the worst to be trying to trade players for high draft picks.

Everyone is panicking about the following drafts so even good players wont have very high currency. Only the trade for Judd managed to scrape one top five draft pick last year and then about pick 18 so I dont believe anyone will be trading top ten draft picks this year (unless it is a big big name like Kerr or Brown maybe).

I still believe that everyone is getting a little hysterical about the trade chances in 2009. There is no way that GC can just take all their draft picks and not use some for proven players. Therefore the ability to trade in the year before they are due to enter is probably better than this year and former seasoned premiership players may have good currency to develop what will be a very young list.

[hammo]

This years draft is IMO one of the worst to be trying to trade players for high draft picks.

Everyone is panicking about the following drafts so even good players wont have very high currency. Only the trade for Judd managed to scrape one top five draft pick last year and then about pick 18 so I dont believe anyone will be trading top ten draft picks this year (unless it is a big big name like Kerr or Brown maybe).

It depends on each clubs' needs. Hawthorn, for example, are in a position to trade their first round pick to for an established star who can slot straight into a team ready to challenge for a premiership. It's exactly what we did in trading for Jolly in 2004.

[ernie koala]

As I see it, here's the trade value of our list:
1. McVeigh - Pick 6-10


I think your dreaming here.
McViegh has been much improved this year, but still goes missing in big games. If we could get a top 10 pick for him, then he should be traded immediately.

[Dogzbody]

goodes

As crazy as that sounds....(and as much as I find it an abhorrent concept....heart talking) if it could get Natnoui would probably be worth it.

Natnoui will be Goodes and then some, plus we would also get another first rounder.

[No 14]

the idea of trading O'Keefe is ridiclious, he is untouchable as is Malceski and buchanan. I think that there will be three to retire and one to be delisted or traded. Leo barry, Peter Everitt and Ben Mathews will retire, Nick Davis could be traded if there can be a deal. there will be more kids to come into the side next year, Brendan Murphy, Daniel Currie and others I can't think about at this stage. maybe I would like some feedback and suggestions.

correct

[Darren Thomson]

I don't think we are topping up a mediocre list. We have introduced young blood to the game this year. We need a key defender and a couple quick midfielders with developed skills, we might have toi develop them ourselves, this will take time. Trade ROK or Goodes, this is as silly as suggesting Kirk should retire. Goodes is clearly injured, and gutsing it out best he can, ROK has the biggest motor in the club. I reckon leave it to the experts, Roos did a pretty good job building a premiership side and I reckon he could do it again. Yes the current era is over, the future lies with Bird, Jack, McVeigh, Vezpremi, Buchanan is young and a real goer. Just add height and pace please. People thought Mick was finished years ago but like fine wine, some people just get better and I wouldn't swap him for anybody, Hally can keep going if he can keep his cool, Leo is the dodgy one, no disrespect but I would hate to se him stuffed into a back pocket as a fill in. We can't get any value for trades at this point so lets go into the draft and get another Goodes at pick 39. I really don't want to see Grundy in red and white next year, just has not progressed. Give some other blokes a go, too bad Schmidt is injured. Anyway, I'll be turning up as usual no matter what because strange things happen in footy

[DST]

Very good draft for tall talent coming up so we need to keep our first round pick and go hard for a KP defender/forward.

We desperately need a stop gap measure for a KP Defender so I would look to trade our second pick and throw in something of value (Nick Davis/Bucky) that might be able to tempt a team who is close to a premiership in off loading a potential KP Defender who is behind current team members for a spot in the side. They are around but we will have to be inventive in our search.

The next step is to pray that a number of young midfield options we have drafted over the last 2 or 3 years in Schmidt, Barlow, Thornton, Laidlaw, DOK and Meredith all have injury free pre-seasons and can play round one.

And finally, Currie is ready to play senior football and that either White or Murphy can become that third tall marking option we so desperately need up front.

At total rebuild is not what is needed (or what we as a club can take) but a few subtle changes, a KP Defender and a bit of luck with the midfield runners will see us competitive next year.

DST
:D

[hammo]

I don't think we are topping up a mediocre list. We have introduced young blood to the game this year. We need a key defender and a couple quick midfielders with developed skills, we might have toi develop them ourselves, this will take time. Trade ROK or Goodes, this is as silly as suggesting Kirk should retire. Goodes is clearly injured, and gutsing it out best he can, ROK has the biggest motor in the club. I reckon leave it to the experts, Roos did a pretty good job building a premiership side and I reckon he could do it again. Yes the current era is over, the future lies with Bird, Jack, McVeigh, Vezpremi, Buchanan is young and a real goer. Just add height and pace please. People thought Mick was finished years ago but like fine wine, some people just get better and I wouldn't swap him for anybody, Hally can keep going if he can keep his cool, Leo is the dodgy one, no disrespect but I would hate to se him stuffed into a back pocket as a fill in. We can't get any value for trades at this point so lets go into the draft and get another Goodes at pick 39. I really don't want to see Grundy in red and white next year, just has not progressed. Give some other blokes a go, too bad Schmidt is injured. Anyway, I'll be turning up as usual no matter what because strange things happen in footy

Darren, the team that played on Saturday looks a million miles from challenging for a premiership.

I agree that getting some quick midfielders with good skills is a priority. Unfortunately you look at Schmidt, Moore, Bird, DOK and even Meredith and none can really be described as quick. These are players that have been described as our future midfield. Of our existing brigade you can add in Kirk and Ablett as a couple of plodders. The centre is where Collingwood found us out on Saturday and clearly needs the most attention, although I can't say I'm overly confident about our bare key position stocks.

[Alibi Monday]

I think your dreaming here.
McViegh has been much improved this year, but still goes missing in big games. If we could get a top 10 pick for him, then he should be traded immediately.

I think we all tend to forget just how young he is. He was a bottom age selection and has just turned 23. Just to give you an indication of his influence this year, Champion Data rates the only younger players ahead of him regarding output are Cooney, Franklin, Deledio and Pendlebury! All players that most regard as up and coming elite.

I think he's now definitely one of our most valuable players if you were to take him to market.

With regards to big games - Bulldogs game in Canberra was a fairly crucial one for us don't you think?

[ernie koala]

I think he's now definitely one of our most valuable players if you were to take him to market.

With regards to big games - Bulldogs game in Canberra was a fairly crucial one for us don't you think?

Name some other big games where he has been prominent??
There aren't any, and this is his 5th season at the club.
As I said before if they could get a top 10 pick for him, then they should trade him.....but it won't happen either way.

[BSA5]

Name some other big games where he has been prominent??

20 possessions and a goal in the season opener against a Premiership favourite, St Kilda.
23 possessions against reigning Premiers Geelong in Round 5.
21 possessions against Top 4 hopefuls North Melbourne in Round 6.
24 possessions and 2 goals against the Western Bulldogs in Round 7.
28 possessions and a goal against St Kilda in Round 12.
18 possessions and a goal against Hawthorn in Round 15 (OK, he hardly dominated, but he certainly didn't go missing).
19 possessions and 4 behinds against Adelaide in Round 17 (4 behinds isn't good, but the point is he wasn't missing).

The only big games he has really gone missing in are the games against Collingwood, and the more recent game against Geelong.

[Plugger46]

The only big games he has really gone missing in are the games against Collingwood, and the more recent game against Geelong.

Yep, I think he's a gun. Only 23 and looks like he's only going to get better, as he learns how to deal with a tag.


As I see it, here's the trade value of our list:

1. Goodes - Pick 6-10


Surely a 2 time brownlow medallist (albeit an inconsistent one) is worth more than that?

Unless O'Keefe wants to go home, I wouldn't be trading him either. He is one of the few very good footballers that we have.

[Mr Magoo]

If you consider who will be getting picks below us in the draft Melb, WC, Freo, Port, Essendon, Carlton , Brisbane, richmond - I cant see who of those would be prepared to give up a draft pick for an experienced player . Possibly Essendon, Richmond or Brisbane at best.

Therefore you could probably rule out picks 1 - 4 entirely and therefore forget any of the really big names like nanatoui or rich etc being constantly floated around.

I believe that Richmond , Brisbane or Essendon might probably trade for a decent midfielder or mobile forward so of our lot that probably offers Malceski (yes I know he is HBF but he could play centre if he stayed uninjured) , Okeefe or goodes (and possibly coupled with another like Davis). Big losses for an unknown pick 5,7 or 8 but nonetheless would leave us with one of those picks plus pick 9 and twenty something. Essendon have already freed up about 8 spots going on todays news.

Of those players , although I have loved him as a player I reckon O keefe would have the most currency at this point in time and would probably be the most expendable of those three IMO going forward with a young list.

Otherwise, if a trade like tha is not in mind I wouldnt trade anyone else as I dont think there is enough currency in doing so. Consider that at best you will probably get a late second or thrid round pick (I think even akermanis was only a swap for a third round pick).

Outside of a possible one big trade, the rest will be natural attrition, Everitt, Crouch, Matthews, Barry should go and they will probably be let go one or two off the young guys (I cant comment as i dont see ressies) and at least three or so rookies.

That will leave us recruiting about 6-8 players to the list (if Davis is swapped) plus another three or so rookies. Thats a fair turnonver for the swans.

[Kanga]

Unless O'Keefe wants to go home, I wouldn't be trading him either. He is one of the few very good footballers that we have.[/QUOTE]

ROK is one of your most consistent small talls. I would find room for him at NMFC anyday......

[smasher]

That we struggle to see which players on our list could be of interest to other clubs, speaks loudly of the state of our list.

I agree 100% with that statement.
Reading through the comments makes me think we want to buy champagne but only have a beer budget.

[Industrial Fan]

Our team is not that bad we need to fleece the whole thing.

The youngsters tapered off as they often do towards the end of a season. Cant see us bottoming out at all.

For my two cents, I've been impressed with Grundys last couple of games. He's looked pretty composed in the backline, and looks like he belongs. I'm not sure why so many have his name on the dart board.

[Plugger46]

I'm not sure why so many have his name on the dart board.

Me either.

[Captain]

Me either.

Add me to that as well.

Should be played forward though.

[goswannie14]

Add me to that as well.

Should be played forward though.I agree with that as well.

[TheMase]

I agree with that as well.

Me too. He has improved each week he has been down there.

[Alibi Monday]

Surely a 2 time brownlow medallist (albeit an inconsistent one) is worth more than that?

Unless O'Keefe wants to go home, I wouldn't be trading him either. He is one of the few very good footballers that we have.

He would be if he was 26. Value diminishes considerably with age. Goodes can still be a Top 10 player (not that he's rated there at the minute) for the next 2 years, beyond that his value will largely depend on how well he works out of the goal square - and that's never really been proven (he's only had one day out in his career when playing that deep). Plus everyone knows, he's a little hit and miss.

I don't think any of these players (other than the asterixes) should be traded unless a team offers a better pick than the range I've suggested.

[BSA5]

I agree with that as well.

I've been saying it for the last week or so.

[goswannie14]

I've been saying it for the last week or so.I still think that he would be better up forward, but I thought he was in our best three on Saturday night.

[Plugger46]

I'd prefer him forward but he's going OK in the backline.

[SyCoTiC]

He showed last week that he can definitely out-mark his opponents. However I don't recall who he was matched up on.. Play him in the forward line and you'll see an increase in efficiency in forward 50 entries IMO.