How would we end up with 2 or 3 first round picks this year though? It will only happen if Merrett leaves imo, because the club has shown over a long period it never willingly trades out best 22 players to look for win win situations
You just answered your own question.
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I feel like most supporters would prefer that we are just a competitive team, by finishing in the bottom half of the 8 for the next 20 years…
And unwilling to sacrifice a year or 2, so we can get an elite group of kids together to put ourselves in a position to win a premiership.
It would set us up to be a top 4 team for 10-15 years.
The only sacrifice is, going into tradeweek and not trying to lure a big name player… And keeping all our first round draft picks.
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You keep harping on about first round draft picks being the be all and end all.
Without bothering to get particularly historical,
let’s build a flag around 2014 First Round picks;
Pickett, Ahern, 2MP, Cockatoo, Ellis, Durdin & Boekhurst.
Combined with 2015;
Schache, Ah Chee, Weidedeman, Milera. Plus of course Parish, Francis & Langford (from 2014)
Good luck.
Oh wait - 4 of those first rounders are ours now anyway
We must be guaranteed a Flag soon
I doubt that most supporters feel that way.
I’d be happy for another year or two in the bottom 4 if it means we get the top end talent to really go somewhere. We need to be careful not to leak too many good young (or youngish) players in that time though.
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I just said, hit the draft hard again this year. Then you don’t need to worry about the draft again for 4-5 years.
Then you can target what ever player you want from other clubs… just set up the foundations of the list now.
There are a sht load of assumptions in your plan
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The King brothers are superfluous to our needs, after all the talls we drafted last year.
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Judd was #3.
I suggested we are only giving up #18 because we are going to win the flag. If we win the spoon instead I’ll agree with you as I wouldn’t pay #1 for Dunks.
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I wouldn’t give up a top 5 pick.
we aren’t exactly brimming with gun key forwards…
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Many teams are in a similar position.
Dominant KPF’s are a vanishing species.
Jackson Callow been invited to train with hawks to replace Patton. Will BRavo training there was well.
The Eagles have welcomed former Brisbane Lions player Cedric Cox as well as WAFL hopes Nick Martin and Will Collins.
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And I wish the kid the best but state leagues getting screwed over again.
The AFL had 2 drafts to choose him and yet not one club was willing to take the risk, Norwood offered him a contract, paid for him to move to Adelaide and assisted with finding a job for him. He has been training and has fitted in well with the group and now just a couple of weeks out from our first trial the Hawks grab him and we get left with nothing. Too late to recruit anyone to cover him.
If the AFL clubs can’t sort their ■■■■ out with all the drafts and squad sizes they have I say stuff them. They should be made to play a man down if players quit/retire after the draft period
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Yeh well Patton and Scully leaving were late exits.
He plans heading back to play in SA, if unsuccessful at Hawks.
I like the idea of feeder clubs getting some $ from AFL though.
Does Hawthorn have to cover the cash? Callow repay it?
Definitely sucks from a local league perspective.
Bad luck for the Hawks I say. Once the main drafts are done you wait to mid season (I’m not even comfortable with that TBH)
They should be made to carry Patton and Scully’s spot and wage on the books.
Callow won’t be coming back, almost certainty to be taken as with the Sicily LTI they have a couple of spots to fill.
Time for transfer fees IMO
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Callow is willing to pay the amount back but it screws the club as we were building a forward line around him and had we known he was going to leave we would’ve looked elsewhere. Now it’s too late to find a replacement as most squads are set
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For a brief second in time there was talk that the clubs being pillaged would be duly compensated. Another empty promise from the AwFuL no doubt, that the compliant MSM lapdogs have no inclination to follow-up on…
Hang on, is Patton actually gone?