Best not to over think this one imo.At the MSD we can potentially take up to 2 players if we put two players (Hayes and Coffield) onto the LTI.
Draftees can be on only 6 month contracts, but I hope that we gain players for the longterm (ie Heath and Sharman types) and not aging just back-up/stopgap depth selections like we have with many of our old FA or Supplementary Draft Selections who have been mainly awful. Wood good(and not old and so not just a one year pick!!!. Marsh worth a look (again youngish)but Frawley, P Hunter, McKernan, Sam Rowe awful decisions. Hayes and Lienert both in their prime year were good pick-ups wortha shot to see how they would go..
I would hope that in the MSD we would take young to young-ish players. So that would be players who 6 months would be too short to keep.
With two Covid years there is plenty of potential for identifying late bloomers, or simply players that just good not show there stuff due to lack of games.
THE PROBLEM
1/ We currently have picks 9, 27, 45, 63, 81 etc in the 2022 draft. So ignoring trades 3 to 4 good live picks.
2/ There are some decent and gettable UFA's about for the 2022 draft period, and the chance to land one or two. ie Amon.
So 1/ and 2/ are good in terms of improving our list.
BUT 3/ We currently have very few obvious delistings from the players whose contracts finish this year.
Geary
Kent
Hannebery
Then:
Ryder: Yes is old, but looks very capable of playing quality football again in 2023. I see our team as being more of a chance in 20223, than 2022 and so I personably would be looking to retain him as Heath while a good prospect will most likely still be quite raw in 2023.
Joyce: Has not forced his way into 22. Though this season has looked good at Sandy. Unfortunately for Joyce at only 25, someone has to go.
Others whose contracts finish in 2022 who are not locks to keep: Bytel and Byrnes.
Highmore's contract finishes in 2022 but showed last year he is good enough at AFL level, and is playing well now at Sandi. Still not to be in the 22. and Battle now down back seems to have pushed him out of the 22.
Wood is also 2022 contracted and while in the 22 currently is say the group of players who could be in or out of it.
Lienert is also only signed for 2022. Looks ok at AFL level.
Campbell is also only signed for 2022. He looks ok for what he is meant to be which is ruck cover. He is much better at AFL level that Hunter or McKernan. But he probably has to go. Maybe sign him to Sandi to help our younger mids develop.
Allison is a mystery. Re-signed to 2024.
So summing all that up if we take 2 in the MSD that we would want to retain in 2023 that is:
IN: 2 MSD, say 3 or 4 National Draft and 1 or 2 FA's. Plus any trades. So that is 5/6 ins plus any FA's or trades. Maybe 6 to 8.
OUT: But only say 5 initial obvious out.
So the problem is to take 2 in the MSD that we are going to have to cut or trade some players that we might otherwise wish to keep. And trading often results in a player or pick coming back, though the pick could be in the 2023 draft.
By now the club would have had feelers out with any likely FA's to know if we are in with a chance or not, and that we would have to free up a list spot or spots for.
So the choice could be between taking 1 or 2 in the SD and cutting 1 or 2 players at the end of 2022 that you would be tempted to keep. Even with zero in the MSD it will quite possibly see one of two players squeezed out whom you would think good enough to stay.
So some hard calls are going to be made. Both in whether we participate in the MSD or not, but also ultimately in who gets squeezed off the list at season's end.
Now with the MSD we can also delay that call somewhat by nominating 1 or 2 slots, but only then using those 1 or 2 slots if the player or players that we really want are still available by our selection.
When is the 2022 AFL mid-season rookie draft? The NAB AFL mid-season rookie draft will be held on the evening on Wednesday June 1
We will hopefully have two more wins by then. While that is goodit means our draft selections are going to be latish
Last year's MSD was bolstered by the 2020 covid national draft which saw several touted prospects go undrafted and a total number of only 59 drafted compared to 65 and 78 the previous years, and 65 again in 2021.
The chances of another 22 players being taken this year are about zero.
Does it really matter?
In the end the point of it all is to fill your list with talent for a premiership. As you say we only have just enough opening spots for this years national draft, so if we take no one in the MSD are we really missing out on anything?
We'd be smart to open the list spots, but don't be surprised if we come away with nothing.
