Realistically, the only way we'll get him is to trade pick 4. I practically never watch Port Adelaide so I'm not in a position to say how good he is, but if he's the gun everyone says, it is an option strongly worth considering. After all, pick 4 in this draft will most likely be inferior to pick 5 of the 2006 superdraft (i.e. Boak) and we'll be getting him with four years' development in him.
Ideally we get him in the PSD for nothing and hang onto pick 4 but that kind of thing almost never happens. Port won't accept our second-rounder, especially when other clubs will be offering their first. So the question is, what is better for the club? Do we add another talented 18-year-old or the equivalent (or better) 22-year-old who has proved himself a quality AFL on-baller? Don't forget that 18-year-old will take four years to get to where Boak is now, and that's if he's good enough.
We don't even know that Boak wants to leave Port but if he does and he is that much of a gun then I say we make him and Port an offer they can't refuse. Pick 4 for Boak, straight swap. Pay him $2.2 million over four years if that's what it takes. We'll still be able to be at 92.5% of the salary cap by 2012 in order to nab a couple of free agents.
People will say it's a shortcut and we should never trade our first round pick but I disagree with the first thought and there are always exceptions to the second. Everyone's already drooling over the thought of adding Boak to Lids, Foley, Cotch and Martin and we should still be able to find a couple of good kids with picks 26 & 28.