Could the #1 pick in the PSD be more valuable then the #1 pick in the national draft.
Uncontracted players could walk. Take Kelly and another uncontracted and FA Rockliff.
I'm couldn't give a damn about a spoon, people only remember flags.
Yes, it could. But only if those players are prepared to walk out on their club and leave them with nothing - and of course if they're that keen on getting to us.
It could be used as leverage to prevent an opposition club from matching our free agency bid for their player. Say as an example* Dustin Martin, Tom Rockcliff and Jackson Trengove all want to come to us at the end of the year. We'd first concentrate our efforts on Martin. Even if Richmond could easily match our offer they'd be forced not to if Martin was prepared to walk to us via the PSD. So they let him walk and get their compo pick. We then rinse and repeat with Rockcliff and then Trengove.
Should Richmond still try to match and actually force us to take him in the PSD then it costs us our leverage for the other two. But in the end we'd still be getting Dustin Martin for nothing - which would be a huge win. So unless opposition clubs are prepared to shoot themselves in the foot for the sake of protecting other clubs from this tactic it's a potentially very powerful asset.
And if that all goes to plan and we end the free agency period with that pick still in our bag then it could again be used as leverage in trade deals. And then if we still have it and there's someone we couldn't afford in trade who's out of contract (eg. Kelly) then we could just pick him up in the PSD with pick 1.
But again, this all relies on players remaining keen to join us despite finishing last, and those players being prepared to screw their old club over by being prepared to walk to the PSD.
*
Sorry for the hypothetical. It was to illustrate the mechanics of the strategy - not to suggest what might happen (though it would be pretty sweet if it did!).