Oliver at the end of July his draft year was not rated as a top 4 pick. He was a clear late bolter and got buzz as the media learnt of Melbourne’s interest In him during draft week. You are saying there is a clear top 4 players at the end of July but things can change dramatically between now and draft day.
Twomey loved Darcy Parish, who was highly rated by experts and hasn’t really shown to be the level of talent once in the AFL system.. Every single arm chair expert makes incorrect calls every year and that’s the variability with the draft in any sport..
If we rated someone in our top 5-6 players in the draft and had confidence that they could fall to around the pick 11 mark then no doubt in my mind I would do a pick #4 for picks #11 and #13. Crows may love Rankine and he is available at our pick and we trade down and get a guy we like just as much plus an extra first.. It is a no brainer. That is asset management by the team to maximise our chances at improving our team..
Unfortunately I haven’t watched enough footage of the draftees to form an opinion on who I like as a bolter etc. I am confident tho that you shop for the best offer and if you can get another Taranto for berry/Mcluggage type deal that would be incredible for the sides fortunes.
As it's only the end of July, we can only discuss the players in the mix currently. By the end of the season there is every possibility that one or more kids may have entered the discussion. But until they do, and until it's mid November, we can only discuss the players in the mix now.
I've argued both sides of the discussion. So I'm not for or against either option. I just like offering a counter point to balance any discussion.
If we have pick 4, you have to ask the question are the guys we rate at 5 & 6 as talented as guy we rate a 4, and is the down grade worth it, and why would one of them potentially be available at pick 11. Why is every other club before pick 11 passing on him?
If Rankine is the player available at 4, I would seriously discuss the option of trading the pick, and everyone knows I'm a huge Rankine fan. But as mentioned earlier, I don't believe we get the same offer from Adelaide for pick 4 compared to what they might offer for pick 1. As I mentioned in my previous post, I don't believe Adelaide will put pick 11 and 13 on the table for pick 4. More likely pick 11 and 19.
As I mentioned early, I've discussed trading from pick 4 to two picks in the 11 to 15 range, but that was always on the proviso that we knew we were trading out of the top tier of talent for two shots at the second tier of talent. But it had an asterix that Rankine was the kid left at 4 and he had a big red go home flag next to his name, if it was Smith or Walsh or Lukosius at pick 4, I draft the kid and skip off in to the sunset. Because I do rate the top 4 so much ahead of the kids mentioned in the 11 to 15 range. And I don't see a kid we rate as the 5th or 6th best talent in the draft slipping to pick 11, unless there's a bunch Jaidyn Stephenson's and Ed Richards in this draft.
I wonder if Berry had not of worked out so far, if he had struggled at AFL level or had a career mirroring Daniel Venables, who was drafted at pick 13 in the same draft, would people be so keen to make a similar trade.
Just because it worked once, doesn't mean it will work again. And as others have mentioned, there were a bunch of exceptional circumstances that resulted in our pick trade and then having both McCluggage and Berry fall to our picks.
Yeah, Twomey has his man crush player every year. It was Jack Higgins last year. It appears to be Walsh this year.