Just to be clear, I was actually saying "our" two first rounders, which will equate to about pick 6/7. I wasn't talking about value, I was talking about cost. I explicitly said Melbourne would win out of this trade, but they would need to if they were to give him up at the trade table. An excellent post by
Calcium Man convinced me that he could be attained much more cheaply than that (effectively a second rounder).
Lots of people say he is crap. I've barely seen the kid play. His numbers are trending up and he'll match Brandon Ellis for output next year. Barring injury, he'll play 22 games next year. I'd put him in the same category as Brodie Smith - a good and potentially very good player, with an elite characteristic (Salem is just about the best kick on the Melbourne list).
Short or Markov might be Houli's replacement. I'm not so sure. Short looks like a back-pocket to me and Markov might not make it. KMac and Menadue are wingers, not half-backs.
It's not our highest priority, but if a guy like Salem was thrown on the table by Melbourne we'd be crazy not to take a look. In contrast, I'd DEMAND a top 3 pick for Brandon Ellis - he's ultra-critical to our game-plan and in the prime of his career. Would anyone here give up Ellis for anything less than an early 1st rounder?
I'm clearly wrong on this (a lot of people have disagreed), but I just wanted to clear up a few misunderstandings about my position.
Cheers.
Dave P.