If Gibbs hadn't asked to be traded to the Crows last year would people be so easily putting his name up for trade this year?
100 percent yes for me.
We need to improve our draft position during the reset to enable us to concentrate talent in the 24 (this year) and under age bracket. This is with a view to entering a premiership window opening around 2020 and remaining open for 5 years past that point (really the goal is to have it remain open past that point indefinately like Sydney have).
A staged release of older or superflous players (Touhy) and players with value that havent bought in to the reset (Yarran, Menzel, Henderson) is whats on the cards to enable us to get in more early picks, and thus more talented players. In addition to this, we are clearly focussed on targetting the expansions sides to lure back home talented young players (and depth) from a team that has an abundance of both, and a shrinking salary cap.
We have few tradeable commodities this year. Simpson wont attract anything of value (he has a year left at most probably) and is worth more to the side with his leadership in any event. Murphy is the Captain and needed in the midfield (but I would consider a trade for the right price). Kruezer is our only decent ruckman (and should be retained untill we get another). Rowe we could trade but due to age and injury we wouldnt get anything for him.
Gibbs is about our only tradeable commodity with actual value. Macreadie also (we have an abundance of tall defenders). We could afford to let Casboult go, but only for a great trade or a large F/A offer that would attrace good compensation (although this places a lot of pressure on McKay, and we should look to recruit a mature or delisted F/A via the PSD for a year or two as cover if we do).