1. I think Hannebery can fulfill the role that Bernie Vince has for Melbourne. He comes from a great program with leadership qualities and i think will be able to set training standards. If we can get his body right he becomes a more versatile version of Armo/Dunstan. He has played wing and doesn't need to be in the centre all the time to be effective which is a bonus. If we can get him without giving up pick 4/5 then i would be ecstatic. If we have to give up pick 4/5 then would only do so if we were able to keep a top 8 pick as i think there is a group around that range that is fairly even - if our first round pick drops past this then i don't think it would be worth it.
2. Lycett seems like a good get. He has his weaknesses - doesn't get as many hitouts as i would like but is fairly versatile. He is still fairly young for a ruck so a 5 year deal doesn't seem crazy and hopefully he is able to improve as he won't have to share the ruck. $700k seems a bit much and maybe this is a bit exagerated (eg. the figure could include performance clauses that are unlikely). However, even if it is correct i don't think it is a disaster. I think we could frontload it with the space we have so that the last few years are a bit less than $500k which would be pretty reasonable.
3. Don't particularly care too much about Menzel. If we get him then it can't really hurt us as i don't think we will have a shortage of list spots. He has some upside so could turn out alright but is also a bit of a risk of not playing many games due to injury.
4. Getting three players from great programs (Sydney, Geelong and West Coast) sounds pretty good to me. That, combined with new coaches, can really refresh the group and help to lift standards and provide new ideas. They are also in the 25-27 age rang which complements our list pretty well.
5. I really hope we move on from Dunstan. If we were able to get a pick in the 30's back then i would be super happy. I know he is a leader and gives his all but personally i think he is too limited. He needs to play in the centre to be effective, however, he doesn't win enough contested ball/clearances and isn't good enough on the spread (mostly defensively). His disposal is also a bit of an issue. I think Steele is already better as an inside mid and Steele has a lot more room to grow (his body is perfect for the modern afl - great runner and 187cm). I also think it opens up space for Gresh/Clark/Acres to play more in the midfield which would be beneficial as the recent afl article on clearances showed that we are +5.7% with Gresh in the centre as upposed to a minus 4.6% team with Dunstan. Our other mids are more versatile (Seb can play across half back and Stuv can play forward) but Dunstan is just so limited and what he does do he isn't elite at. I hope he is the one we move on.
6. I think we will be better for this year. Obviously we have another high draft pick and should see some improvements across the footy department (especially coaching). But i think the players we have will also improve next year. There has been a lot of talk about our leaders and i think this year has been a bit of an eye opener. I remember in the preseason geary talking about how Roo and Montagna casted a big shadow and so there departures would see other guys lift and take more ownership. I think at the time they were excited about this but obviously everyone underestimated how hard it would be. This year should hopefully be an eye opener as to what is required and there should be growth in this area. I doubt geary is captain again but i think all our leaders will be better. Leadership is something you grow into and you can talk as much as you want about it but ultimately you learn it through opportunity and experience. A year older/wiser can only be beneficial.
7. If we are able to perform decently next year with all the changes then it can become a bit of a virtuous circle with a positive feedback loop. We play better, therefore become more attractive to players looking to move clubs so we therefore recruit better and therefore play better the following year. We saw this with North who look like they are a chance of landing Polec because after this year they look like they are on the up. If they were bottom 4 like us i doubt they would be in with a chance.
TLDR:
Keen on Hannebery, Lycett and Menzel.
Keep pick 4
Trade out Dunstan for a pick in the 30s/40s
Leadership will be better next year