All this talk about Gaff, Shiel, Kelly & Wines is boring the absolute bejesus out of me.
Why ???
Because they aren't the players we need to be targeting right now.
Wines, whilst a handy player, is going to cost way too much from a trade perspective. All this talk of trading #1 ……………… FFS, give yourselves an uppercut on the way to the looney bin.
Gaff would cost a motza salary wise (ie. in excess of $1mill) because he isn't going to move from the top team to the bottom team for pittance. Do you really want a player coming to the club purely for financial reasons ?? No way, we want players who want to be a part of what we are building up to, not mercenaries who would leave for a better offer if it presented itself.
How does a bottom team get out of the bottom four by trading out #1 in a really solid draft ?? If this Lukosious chap is as good as they say (well there is this new rumour that Port are after him & only him) then why should we deliver him on a platter to them ??
We need him just as badly as they say they do, possibly more, our forward line needs more goal-kicking power coupled with an ability to provide ferocious forward pressure. The mids aren't the most pressing issue for us, they can get the ball up there enough, it's just that it comes back out a little quicker than we would want.
By the way, since when has Steve Silvagni traded out first round picks ?? He never does because his complete modus operandi is to get as many first round picks as he can and then work them into as high a position as is possible as well. He is not going to jettison the best pick available in a really good draft, it goes completely against everything he has done before and will continue to do in the future.
The midfield does need a tweak, everybody can see that but it's not A-Grade elite players we need to chase right now, we already have plenty of serious young talent who will reach that level if we afford them the time to develop physically & mentally.
SPS, Fisher, Lang, Dow & O'Brien supporting Cripps is a really solid core to work with, let's not try and reinvent the wheel right now.
The focus should be on a slightly older/mature age B-Grader to help in the clinches. We made a smart decision getting Kennedy last year even though injury has interrupted his season thus far, another one or two like him will cost way less financially plus in trades.
It is for all those reasons that I see Cats player Cam Guthrie as the most ideal candidate potentially on the market this year. He is being played off half-back a bit this year due to Geelong having other midfield options ahead of them, GAJ coming back to the club being part of that.
He may be a Free Agent as well which means he won't cost any picks, he wouldn't be on crazy money down there so we could offer him a moderate pay-rise on that as a thank-you for coming over plus we can offer him the opportunity to get mentored by Chris Judd, a player he has always idolised.
I'm sure there will be another player or two in a similar vein to Guthrie being wooed right now as well, Silvagni never ever puts all his eggs in the one basket so as to minimise the risk if one falls over. We need to keep improving the list with strategic tweaks each year, it is near impossible to revamp everything in the one off-season, the trade, draft & salary cap limit how much you can do.
Another issue to contend with is Marc Murphy and the mooted late career move. Whilst I'm not convinced it will happen, it is not totally out of the question either. However, if we did pick up Guthrie as a FA, it would cancel out any potential recompense for Murphy. If we didn't get Guthrie, then given that North received a second round pick as compensation for Daniel Wells, then I see that as a fair yardstick for what we may get for Murphy if he moved on.
Taking Lukosious at #1 & either grabbing Cam Guthrie as a FA or getting #20 for Murphy would be a really solid start to the trade & draft period IMO.
Our other picks in the draft will be used shrewdly too.