It's not a question of what I'd prefer. I'd prefer one of any number of guns walk into the PSD or force their clubs to trade them to us for below market value but it ain't gonna happen. You have to give value to get value. Your suggestions are laughable. The PSD threat would be doing well to get him for pick 4 alone. If you fancy your negotiating skills, try getting Boak and Gray for picks 4 & 28, but you might have to throw in Edwards or the pick 15 T67 reckons we'll get for McGuane.
If Boak decided he wanted out and to come to us, given we have pick 1 in the PSD why do we need to trade pick 4 away?
Especially when you consider the possibility of the other clubs snaring him:
- The Pies want him, well considering their first round pick looks to be somewhere in the 20's given they are likely to finish top 4 and they showed last year that they won't part with any of their kids when it comes to trading except for fringe players, odds are they'll enquire but wont get past first base.
- Carlton are interested, their first pick looks to be in the 15-20 range as you said you need to give value to get value so I doubt Port would be happy with a pick that low. So unless they are willing to offer up a quality player I doubt they'll be in the running.
- Essendon want him and given their pick should be somewhere around the 12-18 range I don't think thats enough. Again would have to part with a quality player to do the deal and I doubt they would.
- Hawks can't get him now that they have signed up Buddy Roughy and Mitchell and were already tight on cap space. Add to that all the Hawks players that were offered up last year refused to go so that pretty much counts them out.
- Melbourne are a possiblility as they will probably have a pick around the 8-14 range and have a player the Power were very keen on last year in Jamar, but given he knocked back a lucrative offer from them last year I can't see him leaving now that the Dees are starting to come good.
- Geelong would only be in the running if Ablett walks.
- Neither the Dogs or Roos were linked with him in the articles and of the 2 only the Roos would be in a position to go after him at this stage.
Thats the way I'm looking at it, most of the other Vic clubs either aren't in a position cap wise or won't/can't offer up anything good enough to do the deal that Port would want. So why not get in there with the bargaining tools that we have in our favour, show a little bit of ruthlessness and make a big play for the kid and see if we can get him to walk for next to nothing. Like I said above if he wants out and said I want to go to the Tigers, there isn't much the Power could do to stop us landing him for free. So that Port gets something from it we offer up Jackson & our second round pick, if they refuse the offer then we keep them, keep pick 4, sign Boak and continue on our merry way.
Now I know this is unlikely to happen but why not give it a crack and see what happens, why just roll over and say here you go Port, have another first round pick and we'll use pick 1 in the PSD on some kid or a less talented player. Sorry but thats not how you get ahead.