A reflection on Trading and our issues going forward

[bergsone]

I think Pelchen is already banking on/factoring a bottom 4 finish so he can attack the draft and go for a tall KPP with a high pick.

We will finsh bottom 3 for sure. With what we have lost and picked up we cant improve next season but can improve quicker eventually. I would actually think we may finish bottom next year which will hopefully make us improve even quicker again.

No more spoons please

[Dave McNamara]

.....how does Mark Fine, and at least one poster on here, turn this into a disastrous outcome for the Saints?

QED Doc. Anyone can see that what happened merely papered over the cracks of disastrous trading.

We lost...

NDS, Plugger, Vic Cumberland, Wels Eicke, Roy Cazaly, Val Perovic, Ian Cervi, Ro$$ Lyon, Rod Owen, Nicky Winmar, Bruce Duperouzal, Spider Everitt...

We failed to pick up...

Leigh Matthews, Graham Moss, Ashley McIntosh...


See, plenty to work with there for those so inclined.

[Dave McNamara]

Soooooooo...,

Longer stolen for pick 25 and another pick that the pundits assess as pretty worthless. He was pick 8 two years ago, and back then was pretty universally considered a slider.

Bruce seems a couple of years away, but also seems to have quite an upside, and to be hard working, and is improving. Possibly a little short of opportunities at the Wogans...? I think he will be pretty good in about two years.

Delaney may well only be a GOP. That will be fine though. As nice as it would be to have devastating drive outta' the backline from him, the most important thing is that he can blunt the big gorilla forwards! Imagine having someone who could do that added to our performances over the last two years...
He also is strong, willing, and aggressive. When next we play finals, having blokes like that means we won't be bullied. That is sooooooo important.

Savage is fast, hard at it, and can kick (long) goals.

We still have three picks in the top 20... which is where the pundits believe that all the talent is in this draft.

(Unless Boyd slides, and if he does the Wogans are silly) I want Billings... I reckon that guy will be elite..., and with an 'X' factor.

I would also 'go for it' at 18 or 19, and Cuddle-up to the Garlett.

Not worried about our excess of talls. It's a good prob to have. If needed we can always trade out later. I assume the Pelican is running with his policy of it being a numbers game. Maybe only half will make it...? If so, looking at the potential there... we'd have three gun talls!

Don't want Jolly, unless he wants to be a ruck coach, and/or on the rookie list (do we have space?). His Skunk's IP would be nice though...

In summary, fantastic trading period by the Pelican and his team!

[Dave McNamara]

Issue going forward...

I really believe that we must lock-in the Pelcian, Bains, Trout and team for the long term. I'm confident that any 'creative tension' between Pelcian and Cuddles is both overstated and overcomeable. (I think that's a word...? Mr Google says it is... )

Yabby has set the Pelican his first challenge... build a list to win the Saintas the flag.

The second challenge that we have to set him is to maintain a list for on-going multiple flags!


That, is what Yabby would want.

[R. Harvey 3 votes!]

I like the fact that all 4 players we have picked up are from the 20 to 24 age group and all should be playing in our round one team.
Depending on who we pick up at pick 3 if its Aish for example could also potentially play in round one.

That's 5 new players, almost a quarter of the team. I know we will cop some bad losses and finish bottom 3 again, however lets just
keep getting games into these young guys, keep drafting and trading well and the wheel will turn our way eventually.

We just need all of our fickle members and supporters to keep joining and turning up so we can enjoy the fruits of our labour one day!

[sax]

It will be interesting to see what the "experts" make of our trading this year. Personally, I'm excited by what we've achieved this period, yes we'll struggle in the next year or so but I think we have gone a long way to addressing our areas of need. No doubt we'll be lambasted for "losing an experinced ruckman" and trading a "quality midfielder", but what they will no doubt fail to see is that we have recruited for the future.

Well done Saints!!

Only the Barrett's and Wallaces of this world. Others have already stated it has been a good trade period for the Saints.

Even heard Maher this morning saying Longer was a HUGE win for the Saints.

I don't like Wallace, never have, but, credit to him, he was on MMM radio here in Adelaide this afternoon saying he rated us, along with Collingwood & GWS, as the best performers of this years trade period.
He also stated that he did say after last years trade period, he thought we were about to fall off a huge cliff & were in for a world of pain, but we now have light at the end of the tunnel.

[The Redeemer]

It will be interesting to see what the "experts" make of our trading this year. Personally, I'm excited by what we've achieved this period, yes we'll struggle in the next year or so but I think we have gone a long way to addressing our areas of need. No doubt we'll be lambasted for "losing an experinced ruckman" and trading a "quality midfielder", but what they will no doubt fail to see is that we have recruited for the future.

Well done Saints!!

Only the Barrett's and Wallaces of this world. Others have already stated it has been a good trade period for the Saints.

Even heard Maher this morning saying Longer was a HUGE win for the Saints.

I don't like Wallace, never have, but, credit to him, he was on MMM radio here in Adelaide this afternoon saying he rated us, along with Collingwood & GWS, as the best performers of this years trade period.
He also stated that he did say after last years trade period, he thought we were about to fall off a huge cliff & were in for a world of pain, but we now have light at the end of the tunnel.

Wallace is someone who somehow gets media gigs yet just doesn't know s*** from shoepolish.

Its obvious to anyone that we have done well this trade period. That being stated, if everyone knows it, why ramble on about it captain obvious.

Good period, now let go about building the next great core of players.

[SAAD]

Next two years of finishing bottom 3 will see us bring in some real and a new core group who will hopefully take us to the promise land!

[stinger]

...one we threw back....



http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/c ... 6747093744


RUCKMAN/forward Shaun McKernan will return to West Lakes next week as a "wanted" Crows player - and unwanted elsewhere.

McKernan's search for a "go-home" trade to a Victorian-based AFL club ended with no deal as St Kilda preferred to sign Brisbane ruckman Billy Longer."

[saintly]

I like the fact that all 4 players we have picked up are from the 20 to 24 age group and all should be playing in our round one team.
Depending on who we pick up at pick 3 if its Aish for example could also potentially play in round one.

That's 5 new players, almost a quarter of the team. I know we will cop some bad losses and finish bottom 3 again, however lets just
keep getting games into these young guys, keep drafting and trading well and the wheel will turn our way eventually.

We just need all of our fickle members and supporters to keep joining and turning up so we can enjoy the fruits of our labour one day!

so when or if (hope not) we are 0 and 7 don't start hanging watters out to dry.

[arpstk]

Great trades and kept Fisher...sooo happy about that...he is a gun. solid backline now. If we avoid injuries unlike 2013 we are goner be very competitive...go sainters

[The OtherThommo]

Great trades and kept Fisher...sooo happy about that...he is a gun. solid backline now. If we avoid injuries unlike 2013 we are goner be very competitive...go sainters

I'm also in the "very competitive school", arpstk. I'm not buying this bottom for the next coupla years stuff. Maybe I'm a deluded optimist, but I reckon the back half, if Fish can get his hoof right, will be a major difference between this year and next.

Port improved rapidly, off the back of a coupla younguns, general development and a change of president and board. Hinkley obviously did well, but if he was so outstanding, why did it take so long for him to get a senior gig? Was the whole industry blind for a decade and a half? Don't reckon so, personally.

I'm expecting solid improvement and progress in '14. We've lost Mac who didn't poll top 10 in the B & F, and Dal who ran about 6th, polling about half the votes of Jack, and only slightly in advance of guys like the dwarf torcher (that's not a knock on either guy who left, but it's not as if they were dominant in our ranks in '13).

Glass half full, me.