Not actually sure. He will be out of contract, but likely have an even greater amount of crazy offers to reflect a likely uptick in performance.
I think it will be roughly the same which is probably two top 5 picks plus maybe more.
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Whilst his value goes up any power West Coast has disappears. They get significantly less if he walks at the end of next year which is why clubs tend to not let contracts run their course
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They arenât though?
And I dont think they put all their resources into one person at all.
They are relying on Walsh, weitering, Curnow, McKay, Cerra, TDK and Cripps.
And another ultra high pick in smith is waiting in the wings.
Essentially they seem to have done what many here are advocating for in hitting the draft with high picks multiple times and bringing in talent via trade later.
I think the genuine reality is that there isnât really a âright wayâ to build as teams are all starting from different places with different circumstances, list balances, capital and infrastructure.
Another timely comparison might be Adelaide vs Geelong.
Two seemingly different approaches with Adelaide in particular building with a serious number of pointy end picks and talent and Geelong not.
Hawks strategy probably different again from those two.
Dealing 3 picks (two of which will be high) isnât without risk (nothing is) but it isnât anywhere near the list management catastrophe that some are making out.
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Except the eagles are likely spooners next year as well and could just redraft him if they didnât like the trade options next year either.
This years a good WA year apparently (according to afl media). Which means they would know the talent well and if itâs worth collecting the picks now
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The eagles have never been the same since Glen Frey died.
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Yeah, hopefully 9th by 0.5%
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I can see Carlton making a mini run and finishing just outside the 8
Sorry, you can see who having a mini run?
We donât use that word around here. Itâs FARK CARLTON.
Unless of course you are referring to the cousin in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
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not sure if this has been posted already - couldnât see it, so sorry if itâs old news⌠anyhoo this is from Chris Pelchan in the Age online today
11/04/2025, 14:41 AFL 2025:
The four players Essendon should trade, and a couple they should chase
Sport AFL AFL 2025
O P I N I O N
Strategy or its execution? Which is more important to a football club? Put simply, success isnât
achievable without both in combination. A football strategy unfulfilled is frustrating, while
execution minus deliberate planning proves futile.
Iâve experienced both scenarios. Having been list manager at Port Adelaide from 1997-2004,
then Hawthorn from 2005-2011, I saw the benefits of a carefully prepared list strategy
supported by all facets of the organisation.
Both clubs were willing to commit to the long-term objectives associated with a detailed list
strategy incorporating player recruitment, development and Total Player Payment (TPP)
modelling that brought ultimate success â winning premierships.
Conversely, I saw the effects of a club not united in the one goal at St Kilda. A club that in 2013
committed to the same list strategy as prepared for Port Adelaide and Hawthorn but changed
course after only one year when new executive management was appointed.
This led to confusion, uncertainty and inevitably, division within a club that repeatedly looked
for a quick fix. Being competitive assumed priority over positioning the club for genuine
success. Execution of the strategy was severely compromised.
Essendon Football Club now finds itself in a similar position. The Bombers have a proud history
but too often recently have focused on being competitive, setting shorter term goals and
accepting mediocrity as an outcome.
How did this come about? Where did the jealous respect for a football superpower go? Why did
other clubs stop fearing the Bombers who were once the equal of any in the competition?
Only those within the club truly know, but as a results-based organisation, the numbers donât
lie. A highest ladder finishing position of seventh in the past 20 years, without a finals win
during the same period, is a damning indictment on a team that had been the gameâs most
successful in the previous century.
Anyone associated with Essendon should be disappointed. Frustrated. Angry.
Essendon have talked the talk, sometimes even walked the walk, but all too briefly. Too often
they have been flaky or flawed â not qualities we or they would associate with great Essendon
teams of the past.
The Bombers have lacked steel, strength, and conviction and that needs to change. Success is
earned through hard work and commitment, through proper strategy and execution.
Essendon does have a strategy; they have started a three-year plan. Brad Scott knows what
success looks like â as a player at Brisbane he was part of one of the greatest teams in AFL
history. His coach, Leigh Matthews, is one of gameâs most pre-eminent figures. Both are strong,
both unyielding.
But the Bombersâ three-year plan should be part of a six to eight-year plan that incorporates
the arrival of Tasmania into the competition. A plan that builds upon their recent primary focus
on the draft.
Essendon have had 12 picks inside the first two rounds of the AFL National Draft since 2020.
They have another four selections in the first two rounds this year.
That position assumes even greater significance when considering the limited access to early
draft selections caused by forthcoming concessions for the Tassie Devils.
Like Richmond, Essendon have made the right decision to attack the draft now. Those who
hesitate will suffer â like the clubs that didnât suitably plan for recruiting concessions granted
to Gold Coast and GWS from 2009-2012. Such decisions were pivotal to Hawthorn assembling a player list to compete in four consecutive grand finals from 2012-2015.
Essendonâs strategy should be reviewed, analysed, executed then reviewed again. Its
development isnât linear. It requires careful planning, periodical change and honest appraisal.
No individual coach, staff member or executive can be allowed to hijack the process â some
disagreement is expected, even encouraged, but itâs critical that the coaching, player
development, high performance and list management teams are aligned.
The Bombers have young talent. With the fourth-youngest list in 2025, their age demographic
is skewed towards the future. They are not starting another re-build, that undertaking was
initiated more than five years ago.
Twenty list changes in the past two years have only accelerated the program. But itâs essential
they donât look at their players through a biased lens â coaches and recruiters often favour their
preferred players when success demands the same standards apply to everyone.
They have the nucleus of a successful team â Andrew McGrath and Jordan Ridley in defence,
Zach Merrett, Jye Caldwell and Sam Durham in the midfield plus Kyle Langford and Nate Caddy
in attack provide a solid foundation for the future.
But there are still too many players who show potential rather than consistent talent. Good one
week, poor the next. Willing to follow rather than lead. Satisfied with playing at AFL level over
being the best. Neither unflinching, uncompromising or unconditional.
More players need to become like their captain and coach â tough and relentless â strong
leaders who view team success as their legacy.
While 2025 is an important step along the way, Essendon must keep their focus on the bigger
picture â they simply donât have the right personnel to win a premiership just yet.
So where to from here?
Two statistics from 2025 clearly point to immediate needs. First, kicking efficiency â ranked
16th in the competition. Second, hard ball gets â also ranked 16th.
Both statistics have been integral to premiership teams over the past 20 years, so ignore them
at your peril. The Bombers need players who can hurt the opposition by foot and/or win
contested possession under pressure. And players who can break lines with their disposal.
Essendon have high draft selections to work a trade for specific players in 2025 â they should
firmly set their sights on Zak Butters (Port Adelaide) and Harley Reid (West Coast) if they can
be convinced to return to Victoria.
Their early draft picks should only be expended to secure players of this calibre or to maximise
their draft position in 2025-26.
The draft is likely to be compromised by the Tassie Devils from 2027 so recruiting the best
available young players now is of even more importance. While 2025 does not offer the same
depth of talent as last year, the draft window is closing, so selection value is going to become
greater over the next two years.
Similarly, the Bombers should look to trade players who donât form part of their premiership
model.
This doesnât mean releasing players at any cost but being prepared to take a step back to go
in the longer term. These choices are sometimes contentious, but it is often the difficult decision that bring the biggest rewards.
Players to consider:
Sam Draper
As a free agent in 2025, Essendon should look to move him to improve their draft currency via
AFL compensation or initiate a trade to a club offering the most favourable return.
Nik Cox v Harrison Jones
Both players possess ability but have struggled with injury. With multipleâtallsâ on the list,
they will compete for a position in the same team. Retain one, move the other.
Darcy Parish
Has been unlucky with injury but the development of Caldwell and Durham means he is better
served at a club competing for a premiership in the short term.
Peter Wright
While he adds depth to their forward line, the Bombers should look to trade him while he still
has limited currency. Not part of their premiership model.
For Essendon, compromise isnât an option. Stick with the strategy. Execution is paramount.
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Yeah well Drapers a free agent isnât he? So that ones out of our hand a little unless we match.
Of note both our preferred rucks are OOC so the dons better lock at least one down.
DP3 is a gun up and about. But heâs contracted until 2029.
If heâs open to a trade then shopping him wonât get a great deal. Maybe if we pay part of his salary
Jones/Cox is about list spots not trade.
Wright might have a suitor. But again has a deal until 2027
Why so much Draper talk today? Is it just because Crows lost or has there been some news?
Because of the propulsion for most threads arrived - the indisputable evidence of a random bigfooty poster!
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I could see a club like Sydney showing an interest in Parish. Their first string midfield is strong but they have a shallow list imho.
Quality side that would have the cap space to add extra experience for another flag tilt.
Heeney Jordan and Rowbottom attend a lot of centre bounces.
Gulden they would want to keep on a wing.
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I could see a morgue showing interest in him, thatâs about it.
Geelong â â â â â â â â â â â me! So many players traded in from other clubs and good drafting. They have so many stars and players they brought in recently. We have Merrett and not much else!
Depends how he comes back from injury.
Your talking about a guy whose polled double figure Brownlow votes twice in the last four years.
Finished 5th in 2021
At this rate heâll be lucky to come back at all
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itâs in list management thread.
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Heâs not playing vfl this week?
Jump in his thread cobber
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