Free Agency/trade Targets

[boneless23]

In yesterday's Herald Sun interview Joey clearly stated that we intend to bring in a big name Free Agent at the end of the year. An A grade mid is clearly what we would be looking for so I wonder who we have in mind?

From the outside Sydney look to be ripe for the picking with their cap situation and Hannebery and Kennedy would be two A graders that would greatly improve our team. Given the skills set of Armo, Dunstan and Ross maybe the more outside, run and carry skill set of Hannebery would suit us better?

Sloane has been mentioned and would be a perfect fit but do we have enough to offer him? I would offer him the captaincy to get him across the line.

Treloar is another and I think would be third best behind the other two. He is a gun though and is the youngest of the three which fits our profile.

Prestia is another candidate and ticks all the boxes.

Am I missing anyone?

[CURLY]

Prestia is the mail.

[mr six o'clock]

After seeing him on Sunday .
I'd take treloar !

[Bunk_Moreland]

Treloar and H-E have been mentioned

Prestia would be a good choice.

I dont think any of these three are FA's though.

[boneless23]

Trade or FA.

FA would be better and easier but the current AFL FA rules don't suit our demographic just yet.

[matrix]

we've been sniffing around rory for a while now but everyone here tells me he is close to re-signing with the chardonnay sippers

[saintbob]

Waste of time next year, 2017 we'll more than likely get busy with FA

[Con Gorozidis]

Prestia is 22 and from Melbourne so perfect for us, as is Treloar (local kid). But these guys aren't FA's and would cost us a top 3 pick.
Wed need a PP to make it happen. Get the best kid mid + one of those two + pick 20. Then wed be right back on track.

[citywest]

I hope we are not stupid enough to go after FA's this year. The end of the 2016 season should be the earliest we look at this. I would actually delay it until the end of 2017. For Crikey's sake, lets get out of the bottom 4 first before we go down the path of FA's.

Over the next 3 years the Saints need to orchestrate ways to get more top 20 picks onto the list. We still have massive holes in our list and some massive retirements coming up.....Riewoldt, Montagna, Dempster and Fisher. Not to mention Gilbert who is on his last legs (literally). There is no way that we should even be considering FA's.

Like I have said before, if we just go to the Draft each year without trading up or letting go a FA, it will take us over 5 years before we get back into the top 8. By then we will start losing our second tier of players to retirement. I don't think many people realize just how bad our list is.

[plugger66]

I would pass on a FA this year. I would certainly try for a trade but like Con said a good trade would cost us a top 3 pick. Nothing wrong with that though if they are around 21 years of age and obviously must be worth a top 3 pick. I doubt we are any hope of getting a PP or if we do it would be at the end of round one which really doesn't help. Its a big decision to get rid of pick one but we must look at it. We certainly don't have one person we could trade unfortunately. I think that proves our list is either young or old which is quite obvious I suppose.

If we went for a FA well they would be at least 25 years of age but likely older. Not sure that helps unless we have a year where we somehow win 6-8 games. I cant see that though.

[ROLS-LEE]

Prestia is 22 and from Melbourne so perfect for us, as is Treloar (local kid). But these guys aren't FA's and would cost us a top 3 pick.
Wed need a PP to make it happen. Get the best kid mid + one of those two + pick 20. Then wed be right back on track.

If it cost us pick 1/2 or 3 for Prestia Treloar or Shield would we do it??
Without knowing how good the draft is I would do it as it guarantees a gun player. We definitely need more quality outside run with amazing disposal skills.

[matrix]

I hope we are not stupid enough to go after FA's this year. The end of the 2016 season should be the earliest we look at this. I would actually delay it until the end of 2017. For Crikey's sake, lets get out of the bottom 4 first before we go down the path of FA's.

Over the next 3 years the Saints need to orchestrate ways to get more top 20 picks onto the list. We still have massive holes in our list and some massive retirements coming up.....Riewoldt, Montagna, Dempster and Fisher. Not to mention Gilbert who is on his last legs (literally). There is no way that we should even be considering FA's.

Like I have said before, if we just go to the Draft each year without trading up or letting go a FA, it will take us over 5 years before we get back into the top 8. By then we will start losing our second tier of players to retirement. I don't think many people realize just how bad our list is.

so not end of 2016
go end of 2017 you reckon

the only reason the date would come into pay would be the list of who comes into the FA area each year
soooo, if youre wanting to go end of 2017 which is for 2018
whats the diff in the lists?
who is coming out at the end of 2015(for 2016) and at the end of 2016(for 2017)
because that would be a decent chunk of the reason why you would pick a certain year
the other reason would obviously be where the list is out with coin

[borderbarry]

If Sydnery continue to NOT play Tom Mitchell, he should be reafdy to move on at seasons end. There must be players in similar positions at Hawthorn, GWS and GC. Like Membrey, getting sick of playing in the seconds.

[St Chris]

If these guys are out of contract, we should use the pre-season draft as leverage. So either GC or GWS take that 2nd round pick we offer up, or they get nothing and the player is free to walk.

And it shouldn't matter what year we look at F/A's, if its the right player in the right age bracket, we should pounce when they become available.

[perfectionist]

I can't see any player coming to us under the FA system for some time to come. We currently have to pay complete duds heaps more than they are worth simply because we must pay 95% of the salary cap. This means that we do not have a vast amount of space to pay big money to attract players. As can be seen with Hawthorn, players are more inclined to go for less money as long as they have a strong chance of playing in a premiership team. What a pity this system didn't exist in 2007/8. We have to go back about 15 years to see high quality players come to the Saints, and even then, we lost two of them to pcl injuries.

[plugger66]

If these guys are out of contract, we should use the pre-season draft as leverage. So either GC or GWS take that 2nd round pick we offer up, or they get nothing and the player is free to walk.

And it shouldn't matter what year we look at F/A's, if its the right player in the right age bracket, we should pounce when they become available.

Even as a threat clubs know the PSD isn't going to happen. You have to pay close to true value for these young guys. There is no magical trick in getting them. And the year does matter for FA. If we got one in 2011 he would be around 29 now and how would that help the club when challenged. The hardest part for us is to get a player interested in a side still not maybe at their bottom.

[FQF]

We need to focus on the elite mids but at the end of the day, it will cost a fair bit in trade value unless we use a PSD miracle. [I think a young player will prefer financial security over team success though; case in point Tom Boyd].

Just as importantly though, we need to try and uncover the less obvious players who will improve our list at a more reasonable cost. Guys like Josh Kennedy (Syd) and Bernie Vince provided significant boosts to their new teams but did not cost a top pick. This takes a lot more skill and nous from our list management people, but if you look at any of the top teams, they have a number of elite players who came at a bargain. Tom Mitchell could well be one of those players, I'm not sure. Hopefully Membrey will turn out that way, Weller already looks a steal but doesn't seem to have an A grade ceiling. But it is a key area.

[FQF]

I agree with those saying FA is probably too early. One need not look any further than Carlton recruiting Chris Judd as an elite 25 (?) year old — in fact the best player in the competition — that it is not a quick fix.

[WinnersOnly]

Isnt it sad that the season has just started and our biggest point of interest is who we are going to pick up at the end of the year! That said we do need a significant injection of talent into our midfield, outside speed and elite ball users but we still need to get games into our inexperienced list.

Surely we will start to see a progression in the squad this year! I think Longer is one who looks like he has taken some steps forward with his marking and holding his own in contests. Billings, Webster and Wright should show improvement when they return.

Either way they go at the end of the year they need to pick natural midfielders and stop drafting flankers believing they will become great midfielders it doesnt happen, particularly at St Kilda.

[sainter#4]

Treloar, shiel, Whitfield,lachie Weller

All of them available. Big offers should be made to the first 3 use pick one for best available.

[3rd generation saint]

Here's the thing, if any of those guys are in a team that had a shot at a flag, , forget it, not going to happen.
Players who have already won a flag will be are only chance and in reality a lot of those will be looking at a big money retirement plan.
That would mean tying up our salary cap, we don't want to have a Chris Judd situation.
If they get it right good.

[Middo]

Just keep pick one for Darcy Parish .

[St Ick]

Treloar, shiel, Whitfield,lachie Weller

All of them available. Big offers should be made to the first 3 use pick one for best available.

Whitfield contracted for a couple and Lachie in first year of initial 2 year contract. I would love any of the four but they arent exactly all available

[SinCitySainter]

I don't know about available Mids but I wouldn't mind if we had a little play for Schoenmakers from the Hawks. With Frawley there now he will struggle for game time and may come fairly cheaply.
He is not a great player but a pretty solid KPD.
There may be a chance at Mitchell at the Swans as Heeney looks like he will cement a midfield place straight away pushing him further down the list.

[spot on]

We can't keep filling our team with players who Can't get a game at another club. I do agree that we need to pluck a mid from most likely gws or the Suns. Most of the mids that are top few picks can play good footy straight away. Are we in the frame to get a priority pick this year? If so I think we should trade that off