What if Geelong doesn't care about Adelaide either.
You act like you hold the whip hand. All Geelong needs to do is make an offer which would stuff Adelaide's salary cap, and you would need to decide whether to match on some player who has left you, or leave enough money in the cap to re-sign guys coming out of contract, or to snag other free agents or players from other clubs you planned to get.
We have a bigger salary cap than you, I'd imagine, as we have a bunch of retirees over this year, next year, and a lot of youngsters not yet set for big coin, and under contract. We have most of our players re-signed, so if Adelaide want to be difficult (which is bad business) then I think our offer can top anything the Crows can offer.
At least with not matching you get pick 14. Sending Paddy to the draft, you get nothing.
We know you don't care about us, that's why you're happy to shaft us with pick 9 and our choice of your spud collection.
Your argument seems to revolve around us not screwing Geelong or Dangerfield over at all costs, but you seem more than willing to do that to the Crows quite hypocritically. And as others have mentioned, we are Crows fans, not Geelong fans. Your club is a COMPETITOR to our club who is vying for the same goal as us, the flag. We don't want to make you stronger, as it compromises OUR ability to win the flag and achieve our goals. And vice versa for you. It's the nature of sport and business.
You seem to think that Pick 9 and some dud like GHS is a win-win-win. I hate to break it to you, but it's not even close. Nor is us not matching and getting Pick 14 in a shallow draft. Even the two mid first rounders we are likely to get for a player of Dangerfield's calibre is an absolute steal for you guys, if you would actually realise it. But your judgement is clouded by the fact that you associate free agency with getting players for nothing.
Dangerfield will not be at the Crows under any circumstances next year, so there's no chance we will be overpaying for him. We can play hardball to try and get something resembling market value (like two first rounders or Cockatoo and a first rounder), and if not, we should be happy to let him try his luck in the draft if it deters players leaving us, as they seem to do every year. Besides, if you ridiculously overpay for Dangerfield, then you're the only ones who will be hurt if he gets injured.
Your logic is that we should not match because we can have pick 14, but we don't get this if we don't match and he walks to the draft. Using that same logic, Dangerfield will not be at the Crows because he has some chance of getting to Geelong if he tries his luck in the draft, but zero chance of getting there if he stays in Adelaide.
Pick 14 means nothing to us in a weak draft like this one, and it's absolutely worth forgoing this useless pick if it stops players screwing us over and heading to the club of their choice. Tell me, how well has bending over and letting Gunston go to the club of his choice for peanuts worked out for us?