- Thread starter
- Moderator
- #5,203
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

Due to a number of factors, support for the current BigFooty mobile app has been discontinued. Your BigFooty login will no longer work on the Tapatalk or the BigFooty App - which is based on Tapatalk.
Apologies for any inconvenience. We will try to find a replacement.
The thing we should be focusing on now is our midfield.
Smith will be an exciting addition, but we def need to bring in more talent in the next few years.
Walker is another one.
This year's draft, Robey seems to be the best fit to complement them.
If I was to do a quick phantom of the top 10 or so
1 - Duursma WCE
2 - Uwland WCE -> GC
3 - CDT WCE
4 - Patterson RICH -> GC
5 - Grlj RICH
6 - Robey RICH
7 - Annable ESS -> LIONS
8 - Sharp ESS
9 - Cumming / Lindsay / Schubert / X.Taylor / Phillipou ESS
Moving up the order to pick 6 (9 after bids) from Ess probably won't be enough to draft Robey. They'd probably swoop on him if Richmond don't take him. Grlj I think is a tailor made option for the Tigers, so while it might be a reach at pick 5, I think they call his name out.
We'd need to try and work our 27 1sts in with our 25 1sts to try and move up to pick 4. But we'd need a third club involved because Tigers only have 38 to give back and we'd need more than that to match the Dean bid if we get rid of both 9 + 11.
So Cerra was leading our B & F late in 2023 when he got injured and came 3rd in this years. 2024 was a write-off with injury. It would seem that the coaching group have a far higher respect of his overall game and the total efforts that he puts in week in week out than you do.
Let me think - who should I take as a genuine guide about Adam Cerra - the inner sanctum or anonymous internet poster that seems to have a grudge??

I thought you were all in on trying to get more picks for next years draft?
Im sure that there will be good players in the list you have posted and like every year a third or more of them, will be a bust, so im wondering, why trade up at all? Why not hold the picks and trade down?
Trade down for future picks and take a live pick in the teens, instead of using resources to trade up, try and use our draft assets to get an extra 1st or second round pick in next years draft.
Can’t see it!
Port have as much salary cap as anyone for next year’s draft. Could and would match any bid.
Our draft capital in ‘26 will be required for Cody Walker if a bid was matched.
Butters is a ripper, but will cost a king’s ransom, IF he can be shaken out.
Log in to remove this Banner Ad
I love Butters, but personally I’d be throwing everything at the other Zac as the Lions won’t match an offer for him and he will be free. And with Walsh, Jagga, Cody, B Campo, Cez and Lord a forward mid like Zac Bailey is more of a need vs a pure play mid like Butters, as elite as he is. There would also be about a 600k price difference… I’m all aboard the Z Bailey train!
GWS paid pick 37 to move up two spots, last year North offered a F1 for pick 28 and a F2, so i can see pick 9 being sought after.I am... I'm just not sure it's realistic. Maybe if we offer 9 + 271st to Pies for their F1 + 39 to help match bids this year?
Not a bad option to take either. I'm just glad we have the flexibility to do it.
Walsh should do the team thing and be a wingman. Could be the best wingman in the afl. He’s not a good centre bounce player imo
GWS paid pick 37 to move up two spots, last year North offered a F1 for pick 28 and a F2, so i can see pick 9 being sought after.
As we are committed to Dean and Ison, Cody next year and acquired Campos, Smith last year, i think we are neglecting the small forward role again, id like one of the smalls this year or a damaging half forward player.
Brilliant idea. He is our best kick IMO.I think Elijah would be a lethal half back flanker
Give him one more go
So the expectations are the issue? Pity we have no control over our own.It’s not that we think Cerra is no good - it’s just that we thought he would be better.![]()
It will depend on how Jagga goes in 2026 and how Cody looks like progressing. If both are extremely promising, as I'd expect, then it would be a pass.Still not sure I'd be paying the $1.6 mill reported to be offered for him. He's the wrong player for that much money. Think Butters and Bailey should go elsewhere
I beg to differ on this.
Use the two examples of clubs matching free agency bids, Geelong and GWS, both times the clubs matched as the compensation was deemed not sufficient.
Both times, Geelong and GWS knew the player didnt want to play for them, they weren’t trying to force them to stay and both weren’t stupid with their demands, they just wanted better than what was on offer.
Instead of getting a single pick in the teens, GWS got 3 1st rounders with picks going back, equivalent of pick 6.
Im not checking details here but i think Geelong gave up a top 10 pick, a 2nd rounder and a fringe player.
So im not sure how much Port would demand, i can see them finishing bottom 4, so band 1 would be a good pick, say pick 5, i think there could be ways to satisfy them without going crazy.
Port accept the band 1 and then ask for overs in a trade for another player, or do pick swaps that are heavily in their favour.
It’s a possibility for Jagga, might spend some time in defence similar to Ollie’s role, although personally i see him being used as a high foward split with midfield minutes…Does anyone else think Florent could return to the midfield given our list, adding speed in attack and delivering to Harry? I thought he played well as an on-baller for Sydney when paired with Kennedy and Mills. Sydney have a different midfield mix now but Florent could be valuable for us paired with Cripps in the midfield (and maybe Cerra).
(I’m also hoping this provides an opportunity for Jagga to play and develop at half back for a year)
Vastly more useful taking minutes off half-forward, and I suspect there will be a lot of midfield rotations through the forward line in 2026.It’s a possibility for Jagga, might spend some time in defence similar to Ollie’s role, although personally i see him being used as a high foward split with midfield minutes…
If you can trade a high pick down for more points it’s because someone else wants the high pick and thinks it’s a fair trade. The only issue is how the DVI is set. Previously, it has been woeful. But it has been dramatically changed for this year.that’s not true because you aren’t having to trade with just one club. If you make an offer to say three clubs for their pick and none take it, than what do you think the reason for that is?
It’s pretty simple, they value the higher pick more than your offer. This is the issue with FS and Academies that for some reason people keep ignoring.
The reason they need a deficit for a two pick matching system is because clubs don’t know when the bids coming and it’s unfair that compensation picks downgrade picks.
Again I can’t understand how people don’t get the fact that the AFL want clubs to burn high picks on high bids. If you can’t trade up to say 5 picks within the bid than it’s pretty obvious what the market is telling you.
We have nine live picks already, dont think we need to cut futher
THose latter picks will just drop if we bring in more picks for points
Correct. It’s not that hard to understand, teams trade down because it gives them an advantage as well. Both clubs win.If you can trade a high pick down for more points it’s because someone else wants the high pick and thinks it’s a fair trade. The only issue is how the DVI is set. Previously, it has been woeful. But it has been dramatically changed for this year.
The important part is for a correct DVI, and then you let the market decide, rather than trying to force clubs to trade for high picks.
Violent agreement. We don't need to be picking him up from the bottom of every pack, but he does his best work off contests.Wing is not the best use of Walsh IMO. Walsh is at his best as a hard running end to end midfield connector. Voss needs to find a way to free him up more.
And unlike FA compo, it’s not a deal that screws all the other clubs.Correct. It’s not that hard to understand, teams trade down because it gives them an advantage as well. Both clubs win.
That’s how I’m seeing it,Vastly more useful taking minutes off half-forward, and I suspect there will be a lot of midfield rotations through the forward line in 2026.
So the expectations are the issue? Pity we have no control over our own.
We traded pick 6 for him - it’s nothing personal - it’s an expectations business.
Again you are ignoring that the AFL want high picks used on high bids so that natural draft selections at the top end get pushed down less.If you can trade a high pick down for more points it’s because someone else wants the high pick and thinks it’s a fair trade. The only issue is how the DVI is set. Previously, it has been woeful. But it has been dramatically changed for this year.
The important part is for a correct DVI, and then you let the market decide, rather than trying to force clubs to trade for high picks.
With Cerra there’s further aggravating expectation circumstances which are definitely not his fault.
In his draft year, we considered Cerra, we’re even linked to Cerra - but spent pick 3 on Dow, ahead of Cerra (and LDU whilst we’re at it).
Fast forward years later, Dow is a compete bust and we get the opportunity to trade for Cerra to correct our mistake. We pay pick 6 and a future third.
Now - as unfair as it is - at this point we’ve kinda “spent” pick 3, pick 6 and a F3 to get here. Expectations are unrealistically high.
Has he lived up to them? Probably not. If we’d just taken him at 3 like we could/should have in 2017, would we be satisfied? Maybe.
Unfair. Not entirely related. But why there’s a bit of extra expectation weight on Cerra, IMHO.
Dow was terrible so we expect Cerra to be so good to cover for that mistake as well.Not following this logic.