A few articles have appeared in the last few days with the following gist: Freo should do a deal with Melbourne (Chris Connolly) so that we get the #1 draft pick to guarantee snaring Natanui from the WCE, and Melbourne gets our #3 pick to snare Watts, so long as the Weagles stick to the plan and pick Rich at #2. In this Connelly-inspired scenario, we don't trade Warnock to Carlton, let him go into the pre-season draft where Melbourne picks him up with the #1 preseason draft pick (which can't be traded).

Supposedly, this benefits Melbourne (they still get Watts and have salary cap space to fit Warnock). People who are proposing this (see Hagdorn in the Sunday Slimes, Connolly) are saying it benefits Freo as well (after all, we are "guaranteed" to pick up Natanaui with the #1 pick), but I'm not so sure: We lose bargaining rights with Carlton (e.g., they have offered their #24 pick) with respect to Warnock, just for the sake of guaranteeing getting the #1 pick? If we stick with pick #3 and trade Warnock to Carlton, wouldn't we get either Rich or anyone else (if the Weagles pick Natanui) or Natanui or anyone else (if the Weagles pick Rich) plus (at least) the #24 pick?

Personally, I can't see the upside of trading to get the #1 pick. Natanui, from all accounts, would be a "project" player, unlikely to make an impact in the short-term, whereas Rich seems like he would contend for a spot on the playing list in his first season (he'd be competing with A. Browne, and the spot that Josh Carr gave up when he decided to leave). Plus, we don't get another player via a trade with Carlton - I'd be loathe to not get something for Warnock (other than a "guarantee" of the #1 pick).

The gist of this post is - why lose the shot of an extra pick just to be "guaranteed" a #1 pick - the first few players picked in the draft are all likely to be keepers anyway. Any other thoughts?

Agreed Jooter, to me it's a toss of the coin between Natanui and Rich anyway, who knows which is best, just getting that choice doesn't necessarily guarantee it will be the right one. I would prefer to take our chances with whoever the slime don't pick and get an extra pick for Warnock. Connolly is sounding like he is warming to his car salesman tag doesn't he?

Of course the upside is that it'll jolt Carlton into action and force them to bump the bidding price up. It'll also give the kiddies over at Flying High something to bitch over.

Jooter, the theory is flawed. AFL rules have changed to allow uncontracted players to nominate for the National draft. They don't have to wait for the PSD anymore. Melbourne would be forced to use pick 3 to ensure they got him, so would miss out on Watts.

Do uncontracted players have to nominate for the National Draft though, or can they nominate for only the PSD?

As it stands, Naitanui will be gone by pick three, because West Coast will take him with pick two. So if we want him, we need to get hold of pick one - but ooslumbird is dead right in saying that having the luxury of picking between Rich and Naitanui doesn't necessarily guarantee that the right choice will be made.

The key thing is though that the club doesn't back down and accept pick 24 for Warnock, as that would be a joke because such an offer is well below Warnock's value, and because the club has already rejected that offer. So as far as I am concerned, the more scenarios whereby Carlton miss out on Warnock that can be raised the better, as they will be forced to up their offer. In reality, if Warnock were to nominate for the National Draft, Carlton would have to use their sixth pick to get him - assuming that Essendon didn't snare him at pick five.

Hopefully someone from the club tell this to Carlton.

Mike, I think they have the choice to nominate for either (or both). I think the main problem with this scenario is that Melbourne can't be sure what he is going to do until after trade week. If they know for sure that he's going to put himself in the PSD if a trade is not done, then they may not even bother trading at all and hope that Freo and Carlton don't come to an agreement.

You are right with Carlton needing to use pick 6 on him if he does go in the ND. I can't see him still being there at pick 24.

this is what happens when people employed at newspapers are given access to the internet. just be thankful Kim isn't an entertainment reporter or we would have had to read his impassioned plea to leave brittany alone.

That's the worst deal for freo, almost laughable. It doesn't matter anyway, Harvey has said at draft camp that he wont trade our early picks at any cost (he also, by the way, said that freo won't accept pick 24 for Warnock).

I also heard him say that Freo will be taking a hard line against drafting anyone named Chad. Which was good to hear.

You need to learn to embrace the CHAD

No, I need to learn to shoot.

Hopefully Carlton will at least give us their first round draft pick and we give them Warnock and a later pick (2nd or 3rd roundish).

Today's Age must have hired Hackdorn... under best case scenario it has the following gem (warning do not read whilst eating or drinking without paramedics on hand to help you recover from the inevitable choking)
"Could manage a three-or-four way trade to secure West Coast premiership ruckman Mark Seaby, whilst delivering Robert Warnock to Carlton."

I kid you not. Give me Adelaide premiership ruckman Aaron Keating before seaby. Guy and the other garlic munchers here... surely there is no potential of this happening?

So he'd leave his spot behind an injury riddle ruckman at West Coast, seeking an opportunity at a club where'd he'd be going toe to toe with Daniel Gilmore for 3rd string back-up ruck.

I liked this bit. "RUMOUR FILE: Warnock appears to be homeward-bound"

In other rumour news, Freddie Mercury may have been gay.

Here tis

http://www.realfooty...bs-need/2008/10/05/1223145179241.html?page=2

Triffic stuff. They write that what Freo need is leg speed and youth. So Seaby is an obvious choice.

It would be safer for all concerned if we didnt swap. Could you imagine the pressure put on any young guy if we were to pick before W.C. Best let them pick the gunfuturestarpotentialnewbreedhero, we can then pick up the left over dregs and carry on. I am sure who ever we pick up will be relived.

written by

"Tom Arup, Martin Boulton and Nick Sheridan"


it took 3 of them to come up with that??

must have been playing a dead hand and shared the extra 1/4 from the bottle.

Seaby couldnt win a 10m sprint with a 9.5m head start.

The reason he is leaving west coast is to be a number ruckman for some poor stupid club.. so why would be come play backup to 211, the best ruckman in the league and a hipless goose?

Freo the FFC website

Sandilands is looking forward to working with Daniel Gilmore and Kepler Bradley as his backups with Robert Warnock opting out of Fremantle and WA.

"They are both quality players," he said.

"Robbie [Warnock] is going to be a really good player going forward and Gilly is a different sort of ruckman, so he's a really good player to work with. The way Kepler Bradley played the last five or six games when he came back into the side was very promising. The different sort of ruckman that he is makes us a dangerous combination and I have full faith in Kepler Bradley and Daniel Gilmore to help me out."


Clarly we are thinking we dont need a back up ruckman of the tradional sense so therefore we dont need Seaby!

I find it difficult to think of any situation when Seaby would be needed.








Nope, nothin'