Veeeeerry bored at work, and casting a critical eye over our list; we can't predict the drafts etc, but on a hypotetheticals where we nab Brown under FA and magically snag Boyd in this year's draft this is what I see things potentially looking like (let's call it 2018 to make the ages more appropriate/safe for the delistings):
FB: Wright // Brown // Roberton
HB: Webster // Staley* // Dunell
CR: Newnes // Ross // Geary
RK: Hickey // Steven // Saunders
HF: Murdoch // White // Minchington
FF: Saad // Boyd // McEvoy
Int: Siposs - Armitage - Curren - Ledger
Left over: Markworth - Pierce - Shenton - Stanley - Ferguson - Lever - Simpkin
Retired/delisted/traded: Hayes - Milne - Riewoldt - Dal Santo - Montagna - Gilbert - Koschitzke - Dempster - Fisher - Jones - Maister - Ray - Schneider - TDL - Milera (think he wants to go anyway)
* Realistically IMO perhaps more suited to the role than Rhys.
This is a team that ain't going too deep into the post-season. It's clear we need KPD depth and some extra midfield quality, depth and class, and in any event it pre-supposes that all our rookies will be upgraded, which is simply not going to happen. However other questions arise to me;
1. where does this team leave Stanley and Simpkin?
2. what do we do with two very tall seeming flankers in Lever and Ferguson?
3. would McEvoy or Hickey still be preferred to Pierce by 2018?
With Brown in the mix Stanley may be now more versatile to play as a rucking forward ( who can move back if required ) than either McEvoy or Hickey. Stanley has at times looked good as a forward, and as a back, and has matched it with Nicnat in the ruck.
Simpkin's fate may to be a backup VFL ruck, whether its at StKilda or another club. But who knows as he gets older he may continue to improve ( as some backman do and some dont ).
We simply cannot predict Lever in 5 years time. Hell , we dont even know if he'll be there next year.
Lever was always supposed to be able to play key back, and maybe he will some day.
To be honest I think your backline is a bit on the short side. Ferg would fit in nicely instead of one of Dunell, Webster or Wright. Hopefully some of them are good enough to play midfield to replace the aging Geary or Armitage ( both who could struggle with pace at the age of 29 ).
If all of Lever, Stanley, Pierce, and Hickey work out well, I'd say we'll be trading one. Its a good thing , ruckmen do well at the trade table.
It's a massive call to say that a player like Murdoch will be better than ( for example ) Markworth at this time. Markworth has huge potential.
Similarly a player's like Sam Dunell and Cam Shenton are already mature agers and may not really get much better than they are now. ( I'd be amazed if they both do ).