2023/2024 Gold Coast Draft & Trade periods

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Dec 7, 2019
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I actually think we could do with a few more pure midfielders

Miller, Rowell, Anderson, Fiorini really our out and out centre square midfield types.

Bringing in Hollands junior has to be the play.
Agreed.

I think long term strategy should be to bring in 1/2 high picks each year and top up with the best academy prospects, like GWS do.

There will inevitably be players leaving (again, like GWS) the trick is to keep bringing in the talent so their loss can be covered. And hold the key ones (King, Rowell, Anderson in our case).
 
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GC2015

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Agreed.

I think long term strategy should be to bring in 1/2 high picks each year and top up with the best academy prospects, like GWS do.

There will inevitably be players leaving (again, like GWS) the trick is to keep bringing in the talent so their loss can be covered. And hold the key ones (King, Rowell, Anderson in our case).
Totally agree that we should be looking to replicate the GWS model of acquiring a constant stream of one or two high end picks as well as bringing in high end talent through our academy when possible. Academy players like Hopper, Perryman, Green, Himmelberg, Cumming and Sproule are essentially the reason why the Giants have been able to keep their finals window open for so long and they got another outstanding academy product in this year in Fahey. They also got pick 3 Finn Callaghan in so they've stayed true to their strategy and I'm sure it'll pay dividends for them going forward.

We already have plenty of draft capital next year and 2022 could be a big year for us in terms of academy talent with GC locals Cody Harrington and Jared Eckersley being the standouts at this stage. Eckersley made the U15 All Australian team in 2019 and we also had another U15 AA named that year in Jed Walter so there definitely seems to be plenty of talent coming through our academy over the next 12 months. It could have been an even bigger draft year for us if we were able to retain Will Ashcroft in our academy but that's the way it goes sometimes. If Eckersley and Harrington are both top 30 talents and we find a way to to ensure we also get a top 10 in then it could be a big draft year for us to start the GWS model of recruiting high end talent while also playing finals each season.
 

Jirik13

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Totally agree that we should be looking to replicate the GWS model of acquiring a constant stream of one or two high end picks as well as bringing in high end talent through our academy when possible. Academy players like Hopper, Perryman, Green, Himmelberg, Cumming and Sproule are essentially the reason why the Giants have been able to keep their finals window open for so long and they got another outstanding academy product in this year in Fahey. They also got pick 3 Finn Callaghan in so they've stayed true to their strategy and I'm sure it'll pay dividends for them going forward.

We already have plenty of draft capital next year and 2022 could be a big year for us in terms of academy talent with GC locals Cody Harrington and Jared Eckersley being the standouts at this stage. Eckersley made the U15 All Australian team in 2019 and we also had another U15 AA named that year in Jed Walter so there definitely seems to be plenty of talent coming through our academy over the next 12 months. It could have been an even bigger draft year for us if we were able to retain Will Ashcroft in our academy but that's the way it goes sometimes. If Eckersley and Harrington are both top 30 talents and we find a way to to ensure we also get a top 10 in then it could be a big draft year for us to start the GWS model of recruiting high end talent while also playing finals each season.
Don't we already follow this strategy the last two years after major draft uptake in 2018 and 2019? Cameron mentioned following GWS model last year in one of his interviews.

2020 - Hollands and Jefrey, Davies
2021 - Andrew and Uwland, Brock

I guess it also depends on the quality produced by academy and be prepared to lose basically 1-2 quality player every year like GWS.
 

GC2015

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Don't we already follow this strategy the last two years after major draft uptake in 2018 and 2019? Cameron mentioned following GWS model last year in one of his interviews.

2020 - Hollands and Jefrey, Davies
2021 - Andrew and Uwland, Brock

I guess it also depends on the quality produced by academy and be prepared to lose basically 1-2 quality player every year like GWS.
Yes, over the last two years we've been able to replicate the GWS model and I hope it's something we continue going forward. Although we won't be able to keep every player, I do believe we will have a better retention rate than GWS when our senior team is up and about because of the better lifestyle we can offer our players. The Miami Heat in the NBA are a great example of a medium/small market team who have been able to counteract their shortcomings in market opportunities by offering a very desirable lifestyle factor and a well run organisation. This is why Miami are regularly competitive both on court and in the free agency arena, despite their market size suggesting they shouldn't be. This is what I envision we will be one day when we get our house in order at all levels.

We can't always rely on talent coming through our academy each year and that's where we need to be smart at the trade table and maximise our high end picks. It's something GWS have done really well so we should really just be trying to copy exactly what they've done.
 
Dec 7, 2019
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Don't we already follow this strategy the last two years after major draft uptake in 2018 and 2019? Cameron mentioned following GWS model last year in one of his interviews.

2020 - Hollands and Jefrey, Davies
2021 - Andrew and Uwland, Brock

I guess it also depends on the quality produced by academy and be prepared to lose basically 1-2 quality player every year like GWS.
Yes and it's good to see. It obviously relies on the academy producing at least 1 AFL standard player a year but that's not unrealistic I think. I would say that part of this strategy may also include skipping a draft every now and then to maximise quality in other years. The advantage the academy provides is we get first choice of what should be at least the equivalent of 2nd/3rd round draft picks.

Regarding the bold bit, I don't think GWS really lose many they want to keep. Maybe Cameron last year, but he was on a massive salary so probably helps them retain others. They lost other big names like Treloar and Shiel, but I don't regard either of those as big loses and they have covered them easily.
 

The Kings Ransom

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The GWS model is purely out of necessity assuming you will lose good players.

mid we didn’t lose good players we wouldn’t be requiring to bring in a top 5 pick every year.
 

GC2015

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The GWS model is purely out of necessity assuming you will lose good players.

mid we didn’t lose good players we wouldn’t be requiring to bring in a top 5 pick every year.
Therein lies the challenge. The optimist in me feels like not only will we be able retain almost all of our good players when we're firing on field, but I also think we'll be able to appeal to big name free agents as well. Never underestimate how appealing the Gold Coast lifestyle is to a young male aged between 18-30 (particularly during the winter months). We just need to win more often so they don't see a red flag when considering a move here.
 

Bjo187

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Therein lies the challenge. The optimist in me feels like not only will we be able retain almost all of our good players when we're firing on field, but I also think we'll be able to appeal to big name free agents as well. Never underestimate how appealing the Gold Coast lifestyle is to a young male aged between 18-30 (particularly during the winter months). We just need to win more often so they don't see a red flag when considering a move here.

Agree with that, a big name coaching panel also attracts quality free agents.
 

GC2015

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Oliver Hollands. I hope our recruiters are eyeing him off for next year's draft. The Hollands brothers running around and red and gold would be great to see and we just so happen to have plenty of draft capital so it shouldn't really be an issue to secure him if we have to trade higher in the draft order.
 
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Oliver Hollands. I hope our recruiters are eyeing him off for next year's draft. The Hollands brothers running around and red and gold would be great to see and we just so happen to have plenty of draft capital so it shouldn't really be an issue to secure him if we have to trade higher in the draft order.
They’d have to be incompetent not to be eyeing him off…

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The Gotham Penguin

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Sign this guy up already - a destroyer of opponents!
Nathan Freeman - the beast we need.
 

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Carraracannon

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Freemans best attribute was his speed, which has completely deserted him with all his injuries. He is a big slow inside mid now, we don't need more of them, will be a good VFL player but lacking for AFL traits now.
Remember Townsend ( a C grader on his last legs ) won us one of our few games last year . Freeman is exactly the type of player those extra rookie spots should of been used for (a player with past success who could make or break rather than squandering those positions on bizzare academy choices
 
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Remember Townsend ( a C grader on his last legs ) won us one of our few games last year . Freeman is exactly the type of player those extra rookie spots should of been used for (a player with past success who could make or break rather than squandering those positions on bizzare academy choices
Yeah maybe but he couldn't break into St Kildas midfield when they where arguably worse off there than we are now.
I don't see him ever remaking the AFL level, happy to be proven wrong but without his speed he isn't going to suddenly turn into a top flight footballer
 
He knows how to get the footy. That's for sure. Great bloke too. Doesn't hurt that he works for the company that manages Ben King.



“I suppose once the Hugh Greenwood situation arose at the Suns there was obviously a spot there to be filled and a need for them,” he told Sportsday.

“Contact was made and we sort of thought for both parties it was a good idea if I went up and they have the need for a mature midfielder, so there’s a gap there.
 

The Kings Ransom

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He knows how to get the footy. That's for sure. Great bloke too. Doesn't hurt that he works for the company that manages Ben King.



“I suppose once the Hugh Greenwood situation arose at the Suns there was obviously a spot there to be filled and a need for them,” he told Sportsday.

“Contact was made and we sort of thought for both parties it was a good idea if I went up and they have the need for a mature midfielder, so there’s a gap there.
He’s a mature midfielder.. that’s entirely unproven at AFL level.
 

lommy

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That's a limitation in his capacity to be a contributing player,
no less important than someones capacity to mark above their head or kick it straight.

Has had a pretty charmed run for 2 years at VFL level - think he has earned another shot, and we have nothing to lose


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
That's a limitation in his capacity to be a contributing player,
no less important than someones capacity to mark above their head or kick it straight.
He is over his injuries now. Discovered a way to handle his body. Has been injury free for 2 years. Deserves another shot.
 
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