How I see things unfolding presently.
Lang + GHS/Murdoch
This is (predominantly) our offer for Ablett.
Clayton has embarrassed and pigeonholed himself with his best 22 comments.
The onus is not on us to produce the deal from our side as that offer is more than fair.
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2018 first round + Thurlow/Stanley for Stringer
The Western Bulldogs prefer this trade over anything ESADA can produce outside of pick 11.
We are and always have been in play, in fact we are in the box seat.
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We are after Watts and Stringer and always have been.
We will use pick 22 on him and it is more than fair for us.
Watts want to stay in Victoria and will only leave for a finals team (Hence why Port and Sydney are in play despite the Victoria clause)
Out of us and Collingwood, we are most likely to play finals in 2018.
Watts is not a backup plan, he is a structural target who fits the Premiership profile.
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Do not sleep on Jarman Impey or even Andrew Gaff.
Impey is in play.
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Wow, that is some positive imagination
If I were doing those deals, I'd have some changes to your propositions above
GHS + Lang/Murdoch for Ablett
that way we keep one who is useful to us within our current structures
we'd throw the other in if they give up a second round pick
Pick 20 (tuohy pick) + Thurlow/Stanley for Stringer (keep first rounder 18 and motlop pick up our sleeve)
still puts us way ahead of the Bombers
If the Motlop pick superior to the Tuohy pick, we'd give it to the Bulldogs (eg if it is 18) and keep the Tuohy pick
Bulldogs in my mind have put a timer on Essendon re pick 11. If they don't adhere, either he stays a bulldog or becomes a cat.
Watts only became available very recently, so I think we had him as our contingency, but wouldn't write him off as a further addition if we do get Stringer.
Melbourne only asking for a second rounder for Watts, so pick 33 would suffice
I think Impey will either go to Hawks or Bulldogs
Perfect world
Stringer, Ablett, Watts to Cats
out Motlop, Murdoch, GHS and Stanley
We keep pick 20 and get perhaps pick 37 from the suns if Lang goes
We also keep Lang
and hopefully Menzel
This option, we have pick 20 (37) and 51 at the draft
worst case scenario
Essendon Give up pick 11
Watts goes to Sydney
Lang and Murdoch go as well as Thurlow
Motlop and Menzel leave
in Ablett motlop pick (hopefully 18, if not 34)
out Motlop Menzel Thurlow, Murdoch Lang
18 20 33 and menzel compo pick at the draft
even worse case scenario you'd think Wells will pick us up some talent. Just puts us back a couple of years
We cannot affort that with Danger selwoods ablett Hawkins Taylor. Need the talent now