I have just barely kept up with the games this year so have had very little clue about who was potential on the trading block and the strengths of the draft, or opponent's lists to be honest. Having said that there was plenty of news around about such public chasing of two players at other clubs. I have also noticed that after scraping into a few prelims they gave up on the list they were building under Scott and begun a root and branch rebuild by delisting a few legends of the game.
I personally wince when I hear Essendon may be involved in a trade like Kelly. Yes he is maybe the best young mid in the game, but when they are not FA then the price is too high. Even a smaller club like North can get all the money they need to pay out a whole list these days so the only commodity that is both free and priceless is draft picks. This can be especially bad for teams trying to rebuild. A player comes in who isn't part of that and pushes them up the ladder too quickly. This isn't just about getting higher picks next year, it is about the players being given the responsibility on match day and having the list form naturally as you find the right players for the roles you need.
As long as Essendon has enoughbrown paper bags room in the salary cap, then I am all for FA. The other team normally gets some compensation and it cost us nothing. The player who has now built his future around playing footy also gets to transition to a new work place with a lot less stress.
What were North thinking when trying to do this now? They have years to go before they're even middle of the road. They need to be going to the draft, for the reasons above. Also getting a gun player like Dusty makes sense for a young team on the fringes of the 8 and have a hole in the list that he fills. Essendon is a good example of a young 6th-12th team who is lacking very good inside mids. St Kilda may want some extra midfield pace. Doggies and Melbourne would want KPDs.
I personally think North have dodged a bullet with both of these guys saying no. It was the wrong time for them. Having said that it was really embarrassing to act like the little brother to the whole league.
How do North fans think about it? Despite those two potentially being the best mid in his peak and best mid entering his peak, does anyone else think that this was also a stupid list strategy? Shouldn't North be now front loading for two more seasons where they draft heavily, then go hard with a war chest?
I personally wince when I hear Essendon may be involved in a trade like Kelly. Yes he is maybe the best young mid in the game, but when they are not FA then the price is too high. Even a smaller club like North can get all the money they need to pay out a whole list these days so the only commodity that is both free and priceless is draft picks. This can be especially bad for teams trying to rebuild. A player comes in who isn't part of that and pushes them up the ladder too quickly. This isn't just about getting higher picks next year, it is about the players being given the responsibility on match day and having the list form naturally as you find the right players for the roles you need.
As long as Essendon has enough
What were North thinking when trying to do this now? They have years to go before they're even middle of the road. They need to be going to the draft, for the reasons above. Also getting a gun player like Dusty makes sense for a young team on the fringes of the 8 and have a hole in the list that he fills. Essendon is a good example of a young 6th-12th team who is lacking very good inside mids. St Kilda may want some extra midfield pace. Doggies and Melbourne would want KPDs.
I personally think North have dodged a bullet with both of these guys saying no. It was the wrong time for them. Having said that it was really embarrassing to act like the little brother to the whole league.
How do North fans think about it? Despite those two potentially being the best mid in his peak and best mid entering his peak, does anyone else think that this was also a stupid list strategy? Shouldn't North be now front loading for two more seasons where they draft heavily, then go hard with a war chest?
