I appreciate your response, your hesitance, and the reason for it. However, my question is seeking to understand if the quality of the 2024 draft is one in whch this risk may be worth it.
Is a player like Shanahan at pick 11-14 in 2024 worth a 2025 pick 7 - 10?
Historically, the issue we’ve had is that our top end talent has not possessed this trait, which A, sets a poor example to their teammates and B forces us to play less talented guys with a lot of limitations but bring some much needed hardness to the playing group.
I think the sliding doors moment for us in the last 20 years was missing out on Selwood.
I think it needs to be prerequisite for most of not any draftee
We’d probably let Kako go I’d reckon.
They get their Bolton replacement in Kako we can’t let that happen
We honestly could have a pick in the 3-5 region next year in what looks like being a pretty decent draft too. No way am I trading that out.
Richmond are in the box seat for pick one and the Crows will offer a bounty for it. Richmond could take them to the cleaners potentially
Our pick (customarily) lands in a slightly awkward spot in this draft given our needs I think. Our options are:
take the highest rated mid slider (e.g. Reid). One will definitely slide just a matter of who. Issue is that unless we lose Hobbs (at the very least) it only compounds a list imbalance issue so can’t see us playing here. There would be an argument for Lalor but can see him being snapped up.
take the highest rated key forward - Armstrong, Shanahan or Whitlock. Issue here is that we are probably taking whoever this is a little early if picking on a best available basis.
take a rebounding/intercepting defender in Travaglia or Lindsay. Issue is that Travaglia seems a more intense Reddog and may not do much to improve our ball movement out of the back half and replace Martin here. My preference is probably Lindsay.
take Joe Berry or Hotton as a small/med fwd. Probably slightly early but would be a boost to our forward line. Issue then is you end up with a glut of small forwards who are surplus to requirements, including Menzie etc.
I’d probably err on the side of Lindsay or a key forward if we thought their talent justified the pick.
Appreciate the response. More the Royal you. Wasn’t having a crack. It just sounds like there are better options for us given we have so many holes. But you’re knowledge of them far exceeds what I’ve read or watched so appreciate the insight
If you did pick a small/general forward you’d be doing so with the belief that there is every chance that in 12 months time all of Menzie, Alwyn and Jayden may be off the list.
In which case you’re left with Kako, Guelfi Gresham, and whoever you took (Hotton, or Berry) which would be about right. Maybe even retaining one Davey in addition to this, performance permitting.
I don’t mind the half back idea at all (Travaglia, Lindsay, Allen) for this draft either having said that.
Its just so difficult to make that kind of assessment a year out. In their top age year things shift dramatically for these kids.
You can scroll up to the top post of this thread and have a look at my guess of this years top 10 about a year ago. Its actually not bad really, but there are a significant number of guys that are in the top 10 conversation that I didn’t have close to that mark back then.
Hotton, Langford, Reid, Armstrong, Lindsay, Travaglia, Berry to name a few.
This year’s draft started off with people feeling it might be a weak one, and it just kept on getting stronger and stronger as more and more kids put their hands up.
Haha gee yeah that’s very kind! He’d be chuffed being referred to in that way I reckon.
I’d probably have gone with ‘hard working’
Haha yes, that’s more accurate
Certainly better than ‘injury-prone’ which also would have worked 
Travaglia appears to have good AFL halfback qualities.
I don’t see any of these as issues.
We have holes in most spots.
My preference is Lalor as a hybrid forward who will eventually go into the midfield as Merrett and Parish age.
Or a midfielder with elite foot skills who can play at halfback like Sheezel and work his way into the midfield as time passes.
Not a single Essington handball in that clip!
Any chance O’Sullivan gets to us? Could fit the bill.
Not unless we trade up into the top 4. There’s an outside possibility but I think Jagga and FOS are the two least likely to slide.
I like the idea of Lindsay. Our back half turnovers have absolutely killed us this year.
@noobermensch, what’s he like defensively?
