The Crows, on the other hand, should be free to move to sign Sloane immediately, for say $550,00-$600,000 a season, without fear that it will ultimately force other players out the door.
Most of the list managers AFL.com.au spoke to like the Crows' chances of re-signing Sloane, Douglas and co. if they move now.
Should the Crows put a deadline on negotiations?
Knowing where Dangerfield wants to play will help the Crows better prioritise their own player re-signings, but it will also give their recruiting staff more time to woo any rival targets.
If they know Dangerfield is on the way out – or all of their communications with him suggest that he is – the Crows then know they have the salary cap space to make an aggressive play for out-of-contract opposition players such as South Australian Brisbane Lion James Aish or Greater Western Sydney spearhead Jeremy Cameron, whose Dartmoor family home in south-western Victoria is closer to Adelaide than Melbourne.
As one list manager noted, clubs that start "wining and dining" rival players late in the piece are generally at long odds to trump clubs who started their groundwork earlier.
The Crows could also use the money set aside for Dangerfield to sign a free agent, but are extremely unlikely to make a play for any of this year's crop, knowing that in doing so any Dangerfield compensation pick would be downgraded or forfeited altogether.