2026 Trade / FA Thread

[manicpie]

Yep
And make a really good plan once we get there

We really need to. Here's hoping

 

[WanderingDude]

We really need to. Here's hoping

For major recruits most of the work is done early. An example is Shultz who was meant to arrive a year later. I would hope the pies have some major targets well underway. The team needs some core-elite players.

 

[The Phantom]

There’s two sides to this

• some supporters think we needed to go for another flag
• some supporters think we should have taken the flag and started the rebuild

Just my opinion, I think we did neither

I think if you go for a flag that we needed other pieces to get there
(Some will say “but we made a prelim and nearly a gf” - but we didn’t)

We have a number of young drafted players on the list
- but we really gave up all our early collateral to obtain the high-end talent to develop alongside Nick

What would SchuPie have done - yeah I’ve got my position but who cares. Just like everyone on BF, it’s my opinion.

What did the club do - well, they kind of went for it / tried to draft - and now we’ll see where it all falls out - have we drafted well enough to threaten for a flag soonish or are we in for a lot of pain?

If we were going all out for a flag this year, we would have kept checkers and cox and maybe even Titch.

This is Fly and obrees version of a rebuild on the run. Introducing some younger players and hopefully getting them a look at a final or 3

 

[sr36]

There’s two sides to this

• some supporters think we needed to go for another flag
• some supporters think we should have taken the flag and started the rebuild

Just my opinion, I think we did neither

I think if you go for a flag that we needed other pieces to get there
(Some will say “but we made a prelim and nearly a gf” - but we didn’t)

We have a number of young drafted players on the list
- but we really gave up all our early collateral to obtain the high-end talent to develop alongside Nick

What would SchuPie have done - yeah I’ve got my position but who cares. Just like everyone on BF, it’s my opinion.

What did the club do - well, they kind of went for it / tried to draft - and now we’ll see where it all falls out - have we drafted well enough to threaten for a flag soonish or are we in for a lot of pain?

I don't think we were doing either. We didn't specifically target short term needs with those picks to maximise chances of a flag. We targetted players with 6 years ahead of them to help give us a chance of a flag but more importantly to try to stay up without a plummet. A couple of pick 12s aren't going to replace what we're set to lose. I think we'll keep trying to add and are a good chance of pulling it off.

In terms of list management, this year was about banking salary cap, keeping our trade capital and about running with no depth and hoping to find a couple of extra blokes to add to Schultz, Houston and Perryman to stop us from plumetting. I think we'll be going hard to keep adding. And I don't see the issue - just using mediocre picks to think it's going to fill the gaps of our retirees was a certainty to see us plummet. This way might too, but at least it's a chance of avoiding it and if it doesn't work, we were plumetting anyway - but falling harder and quicker.

To me it was the only way from where the list was at... any other way is just giving up and hoping that the magic beans of the draft will rescue you - even though it hasn't been rescuing teams in the current AFL equalisation system because the measures are broken. The draft has been massivley diluted and the salary cap only works to level the good teams because the good teams pay a heap less to retain and recruit - it doesn't help the bottom times rise - they just get their players raided.

 

[Apex36]

There’s two sides to this

• some supporters think we needed to go for another flag
• some supporters think we should have taken the flag and started the rebuild

Just my opinion, I think we did neither

I think if you go for a flag that we needed other pieces to get there
(Some will say “but we made a prelim and nearly a gf” - but we didn’t)

We have a number of young drafted players on the list
- but we really gave up all our early collateral to obtain the high-end talent to develop alongside Nick

What would SchuPie have done - yeah I’ve got my position but who cares. Just like everyone on BF, it’s my opinion.

What did the club do - well, they kind of went for it / tried to draft - and now we’ll see where it all falls out - have we drafted well enough to threaten for a flag soonish or are we in for a lot of pain?

I think there was an acceptance at the club we wouldn’t be contending this year so they cut ageing players who would be useful to us as contenders, and have plans in place for trade and free agency over the next 2 to 3 years in addition to retaining our picks in this years draft before Tas enters the picture.

I think we’re in for some pain if those plans go awry, but 2 or 3 good recruits from other clubs can change our fortunes very quickly.

 

[nickyds35]

I think it would be a waste to trade out/release players like Mitchell, Mihochek, Cox and Hoskin-Elliott, only to keep playing Membrey/Lipinski/Sullivan.

 

[unplugged]

I wish people on here would stop referencing Cox like he'd still be playing games for us if on our list.

I know they changed the rules and he's tall and he can jump, so people assume he'd be still playing and well suited for the new ruck rule, but reality is he eventually couldn't mark and struggled to take his opportunities towards the end.

I loved the way he straightened us up for a down-the-line get out kick, but he got to the point where he couldn't be trusted to take a grab even if he got out by himself.

 

[Chrispiesssss]

 

[Apex36]

I think it would be a waste to trade out/release players like Mitchell, Mihochek, Cox and Hoskin-Elliott, only to keep playing Membrey/Lipinski/Sullivan.

Can’t get rid of them all at once unless you’re going the bottoming out route, and that’s not what we do, at least not intentionally. We aren’t Melbourne or Carlton.

 

[WanderingDude]

I think it would be a waste to trade out/release players like Mitchell, Mihochek, Cox and Hoskin-Elliott, only to keep playing Membrey/Lipinski/Sullivan.

Cox replaced by Steene.
WHE replaced by Steele.

Mitchell was not in the seniors. There was a hole in the seniors last year and this year. Please step up Angry.
Sullivan is depth.
Lipinski when on is great. At the moment he is frustrating.
The late start to the VFL just hurts. There is no sustained form for developing players. I am pleased Steele, Parker, Steene, Allan, Long and Hayes are getting games.

 

[sr36]

I think it would be a waste to trade out/release players like Mitchell, Mihochek, Cox and Hoskin-Elliott, only to keep playing Membrey/Lipinski/Sullivan.

Kids will get games, they already are. The list is designed that way. There will be games this year where injuries will result in us playing 8 hopefuls and probably serving up a mess. There's no rush to get to that point.

 

[Chrispiesssss]

Last week, I said we should chase Matthew Johnson from the Dockers. A good solid young midfielder. He’s OOC at the end of the year.

He's rated as the 20th best young player this year.



We are playing Freo this week, so worth keeping an eye on him.

 

[Eric Shin]

Last week, I said we should chase Matthew Johnson from the Dockers. A good solid young midfielder. He’s OOC at the end of the year. Vic boy from Sacred Heart.

He's rated as the 20th best young player this year.



We are playing Freo this week, so worth keeping an eye on him.

I thought Matthew Johnson was from WA? Drafted from Subiaco.

 

[Chrispiesssss]

I thought Matthew Johnson was from WA? Drafted from Subiaco.

You are right! My bad. Well he’s unlikely to make the trip over to Victoria then.

 

[#BallMagnet]

Our list will ultimately need to be built around Naicos who's 23. (Parker, McInnes & Long the same age)
If you throw a +/- 3 year age blanket over Nick you have IQ, Hill, McCreery, Buller & Roan above him.
Below him HDM, Allan, Jiath, Smit, Steene, Ryan, Cochran, West, Harrison, Anderson & Howes.

My concern here is that we don't yet have any of these 20-22 year old's below Nick that have been able to break permanently into our best 23 and become an integral side kick to him.
Not to say they wont come on if afforded greater opportunities once our older guys drop off or vacate but it's a worry.

Besides IQ, Hill & McCreery, that's a 7 year age span where we just don't have another elite running mate with Nick.

I'd be looking to see if we can identify and bring in an emerging player (or 2) in that 21-25 age bracket without decimating our draft hand too much to run with Nick and hope the younger ones on the list continue to improve and lock in a best 23 position.

Then also look to this years draft and see if we can bring in some specific needs as this 2026 crop looks to be pretty strong.

 

[Pragmatic Shill]

You are right! My bad. Well he’s unlikely to make the trip over to Victoria then.

Perspectives of travelling across the country can change when faced with not having an AFL career at all.

 

[Chrispiesssss]

 

[gouki88]

Cal really is a bit of a loser these days. Way too much exposure for a draft nerd

 

[Exambolor]

Cal really is a bit of a loser these days. Way too much exposure for a draft nerd

Harsh on Cal, I think he’s pretty decent with his news but I agree that Gettable should not be a year round show. They have literally nothing to talk about until the end of the season

 

[gouki88]

Harsh on Cal, I think he’s pretty decent with his news but I agree that Gettable should not be a year round show. They have literally nothing to talk about until the end of the season

Probably is harsh, I just reckon he’s buying into the Kane Cornes style of sensationalism now that he’s a year-round face of player movement, rather than a more specialised reporter. Drives me nuts when he suggests the worst rule changes imaginable, for example

 

[Jen2310]

Harsh on Cal, I think he’s pretty decent with his news but I agree that Gettable should not be a year round show. They have literally nothing to talk about until the end of the season

Technically thats not true, given a lot of contract stuff does happen through the year. Trade stuff around Mid year. But with the draft stuff having started, there is that to discuss

 

[stormskye]

Cal really is a bit of a loser these days. Way too much exposure for a draft nerd

I think you like most of us are just so sick of this Nick daicos narrative. Blokes out of contract in 29 and gets 100 times the media attention of any player out of contract this season.

 

[gouki88]

I think you like most of us are just so sick of this Nick daicos narrative. Blokes out of contract in 29 and gets 100 times the media attention of any player out of contract this season.

“Should we talk about one of the dozens of players who might change team in the next 12 months?

Nah, let’s run another nauseating Nick Daicos story instead”

 

[Vankri]

For the record, Bont, who everyone puts on the same level as Nick if not above, has signed a contract for 1.3m/y for four years. Now his age is a factor but watch him play this year and I’m not hearing a peep about how it’s outrageous that he is so grossly underpaid compared to the ‘top 3% of earners in the AFL’.

Welcome again to the world of Collingwood obsessed media Nick. Maybe it’s a ploy from journos to be so annoying and on his case that he takes a Tassie contract just to have some peace.

 

[Pragmatic Shill]

Cal really is a bit of a loser these days. Way too much exposure for a draft nerd

Started going off the deep end when he reported last year clubs had contacted Nick and he led with it as a story on Trade Radio, then doubled down the next day when people criticised it as having very little substance as a story.