The more I think about the more I have come to the conclusion our most important signing is Dusty in terms of our future prospects. He is critical!
You need players on rookie contracts because they are not on market rates eg. Selwood in 2007. Clubs like GWS will have to trade out guns prior to FA for rookie draftees to maintain the value of their list as long as possible via the guise of regulated rookie contracts as they are not at market value reducing their nominal list value under their cap.
So we need to keep guys like Dusty in that generation to attract GWS guns and others that have to be offloaded! Young leadership in our youngsters will be important to!
I think I see were you may be going with Wright. I had a similar response to the Gun where quality ruck types develop quicker. However, all this depends on where RFC sees where the best window is to get a premiership. If GWS does win in 2016 or just misses we probably need to look a little further out when they need to trade some of their stars out.
Interesting comment re: Dusty the most important signing. I can see the justification for it - though I would say that Rance and Cotchin are equally important re-signings for our
current prospects.
Flowing on from your argument, if Ellis can continue to improve and take the next step up, I can see him fitting in with that same bracket as Dusty as an elite youth of the competition, enough that may draft some players circa their age group over to us.
I think our preference for 12 is:
- Duggan
- Weller
- Ellis
- Cockatoo
Just reading what Emma Quale has tweeted re Cockatoo I am not so certain that this is the actual case. She seems to have quite tight links to Tigerland (and is generally correct) and I can see it being Duggan, Weller, Cockatoo and then Ellis.
On Ellis, his video is up on the AFL.com.au site today. Having watched that, he compares his game to Heppell. Which I can actually see a bit of. Not the most quickest guy on the park, but his ability to hit targets in traffic is a big plus. Looks like he has a frame that could stack on some muscle quickly (something that I am not certain Weller nor Duggan have) and be a legit inside midfielder.
I know the reservation about picking him ahead of more prominent types (say Cockatoo, Blakely etc) but if we select him (assuming Weller and Duggan are gone) I wouldn't be all to displeased. A year in the gym, and get his tank up to a point he can will himself from contest to contest I could see him being Heppell like. I still would prefer Weller, Duggan, Cockatoo if one of them fell.
Though, knowing he has a stress fracture is a concern.