Don't want Boyd

[Jimmy O'Dea]

There have been a lot of rumours circulating here and elsewhere about all these different fanciful trades in order to secure pick 1 from GWS. Ideas such as giving up picks 3, 17, Fisher.

IMO we should not make any attempt to trade for Boyd for the following reasons:

• 1. Pick 3, notwithstanding a complete screw up, will land us a top notch midfielder who should be able to slot into our 22 from day one. We are not blessed with midfielders, and certainly not too many elite ones, and this should be a key focus for us. This extends to pick 17 — whilst the chances of success are less, there's still a comfortable possibility of securing a top talent.
  
  2. Trading away all our top picks, together with important players, all on the hope of Boyd turning out to be the next Wayne Carey is playing with fire. Yes, he could turn out to be that good. But he might also not be so good. There's no guarantees, and the backfire could set us back for years, if we trade the whole house for one guy.
  
  3. It is widely known that next year's draft includes a number (at least 4) of top end key position talent. One of them being Hugh Goddard who some have tipped as the number 1 draft pick. Seeing as we will most likely have pick 1-5 in the 2014 National Draft, it is much wiser to hedge our bets and use our own pick to draft a Riewoldt replacement.

Whilst we need to be bold, daring and aggressive, we also need to be smart and calculating.

This post is not addressed to the club, whom I trust are well on top of this and know the situation. Instead, posters and fans need to give up on securing pick 1, and not think that just because it might be up for trade it means we ought to pounce on it.

Hugh Goddard is no Tom Boyd. This kid is a powerhouse forward with speed and he clunks them. Importantly he converts. He is a long long way in front of the pack. GWS will not trade Boyd. Chance that GWS may offer us Patton for our first pick.

The mids in this draft are OK but not elite. Many of the highly ranked mids are outside mids which has risks.

[Dave McNamara]

I still think we may have a chance at PATON with pick 3. And he would be better immediate value than Boyd after two years in the system.

[Hugh Goddard is no Tom Boyd. This kid is a powerhouse forward with speed and he clunks them. Importantly he converts. He is a long long way in front of the pack. GWS will not trade Boyd. Chance that GWS may offer us Patton for our first pick.

The mids in this draft are OK but not elite. Many of the highly ranked mids are outside mids which has risks.

What they said!

The guys we are linked to just don't seem big/strong enough to me to be elite in the company of AFL sized men, and there will be plenty of other opportunities to pick up more quality mids.

Conversely...

How often do blokes with the potential of Boyd or Patton become available to us???
(I'm thinking about 13 years ago. That blonde bloke...? Oh, and about the same time, there was another one who was damn good until a series of injuries brought him undone.)

If we can't get Boyd, then pick 3 for Patton... in a heartbeat.
(Whilst we're at it, I'd try and package another player or two into the deal, but if that wasn't achievable, Pick 3 for Patton as a stand alone. )

Where do we sign?

[dragit]

Paton hasn't had 2 good years in the system...

He's coming off a knee reconstruction.

If we are going for broke lets get Boyd.

[BigMart]

Would take Paton at the right price.... Good fit

Boyd more risk because you'd give up more in order to get him.... Do people forget Paton was easily the #1 pick

Cameron is the blessing here.... And the knee injury

[older saint]

IF we cant get Boyd take the 2nd best mid - rather than a big who has bad knees and is only potential at the moment.
GWS will not give up pick 1 all talk - now without buddy they will build a team around Cameron and Boyd the way we tried to do with Roo and Kosi. If Patton recovers then a bonus.

Aish, Billings, whoever - we need class through the middle as we lack it - especially if Dal goes.

[andrewg]

I still think we may have a chance at PATON with pick 3. And he would be better immediate value than Boyd after two years in the system.

I just vomited my dinner after reading this

[BigMart]

Why has Paton got bad knees (plural?)

He did one knee in an incident... They (or it) are not degenerative?

No different to Hayes (twice), Goddard, Gwilt, Dempster and a hundred other players do a knee..... Harvey did one at 29 and played another 7 years after??

[Eastern]

Why has Paton got bad knees (plural?)

He did one knee in an incident... They (or it) are not degenerative?

No different to Hayes (twice), Goddard, Gwilt, Dempster and a hundred other players do a knee..... Harvey did one at 29 and played another 7 years after??

Patton had "Jumpers Knee" when he was Drafted. Went to Switzerland for treatment. Had a reco last year(Not sure if same or other knee). I'd be more concerned about his character, especially the reasons behind him "leaving" two separate schools in yrs 10 & 11 !!

[dragit]

Why has Paton got bad knees (plural?)

He did one knee in an incident... They (or it) are not degenerative?

No different to Hayes (twice), Goddard, Gwilt, Dempster and a hundred other players do a knee..... Harvey did one at 29 and played another 7 years after??

Patton had "Jumpers Knee" when he was Drafted. Went to Switzerland for treatment. Had a reco last year(Not sure if same or other knee). I'd be more concerned about his character, especially the reasons behind him "leaving" two separate schools in yrs 10 & 11 !!

Oh come on eastern... You can't leave us with that cliffhanger...

What did he do?

[magnifisaint]

He kissed a girl!

[Gurgman]

Either path has the opportunity for failure. I don't think you can trade worrying about the worst case scenario. I would much rather build around Boyd than add a midfield body. I don't think we're going to get that opportunity. If we do, I hope we take it.

Oh great , lets get a gun forward thats the ball never gets too , how about we get a gun mid and helps pump it into our forward line first

[Dr Spaceman]

Either path has the opportunity for failure. I don't think you can trade worrying about the worst case scenario. I would much rather build around Boyd than add a midfield body. I don't think we're going to get that opportunity. If we do, I hope we take it.

Oh great , lets get a gun forward thats the ball never gets too , how about we get a gun mid and helps pump it into our forward line first

I think that if we'd finished last and already had pick 1 then we'd be calling out Boyd's name.

However to get him now we'd have to give up heaps to GWS and therein lies the dilemma. I'd rather keep what we have, pick up the best available at #3 (most likely a mid) and have another look at the same time next year.

As others have pointed out we are likely to have early picks in 2014 and there's likely to be quality tall forwards available then should we need them.

[BigMart]

Maybe he did a Jack Darling, He was expelled wasn't he?

Btw
No way Paton for Pick 3.... Mid pick and a player?? Not sure.... But he's a player I'd be interested in....

[bergholt]

It's almost a cliche, but gun big key forwards come along seldomly, we were lucky with Riewoldt and Carlton will rue the day they gave up Kennedy. Gun midfielders come up every year (and there does not appear to be any Abletts or O'Mearas in this draft), we can build the midfield over time. If you can get a gun key forward, such as Boyd or Paton, you do all you can to make it happen.

Solid argument but I disagree. It's a numbers game. You need two or three big forwards, you can even get by with one at a pinch. But you need five, eight, probably ten quality midfielder types.

If you include running half-backs and running half-forwards, the Hawks probably had 12-14 in the team each week and a good few in the reserves. In three years, even looking forward optimistically, we only have about nine or ten to choose from: Steven, Armitage, Curren, Newnes, Saunders, Wright, Ross, Geary, Webster, Milera. Some of these guys won't make it so that drops the numbers further. We probably need to double our numbers in that area to even be close to par, which means we need to use as many good picks on midfielders as we can for another two or three years.

Sure, I wouldn't turn Boyd away, he's obviously going to be a very good player. But if he costs us a chance at two or three good midfielders, it's just not worth it. The numbers don't add up.

And, you know, if we then find in a few years that we need a key forward, well that's why god invented Free Agency. Pick up a John Butcher or a Charlie Dixon or a Jon Patton or a Michael Hurley or a Robbie Tarrant. Might be some solid options down the track!

[gringo]

I watched Boyd kicking against Daicos in the TAC futurestars. He has a measured temperament and has a really good poise. He won the kick off and made daicos look nervous.He looks like the type that will be outstanding.

[Devilhead]

Mids Mids Mids Mids and more Mids

[BigMart]

Agree

You can build a side around a KPP

A lot of people with talent are 5'10-6'3

Very few are as skilled 6'4-6'6

When you can get a good big, you need to seriously look at it.... But not at overs... They aren't assured to succeed

[Dr Spaceman]

Mids Mids Mids Mids and more Mids

[evo]

Agree

You can build a side around a KPP

A lot of people with talent are 5'10-6'3

Very few are as skilled 6'4-6'6

When you can get a good big, you need to seriously look at it.... But not at overs... They aren't assured to succeed

Not to mention his marketing value. Good f/forwards bring the crowds too, many go just to watch Roo, Buddy, Cloke etc not mids (not saying that we don't need more mids)

[damienc]

There have been a lot of rumours circulating here and elsewhere about all these different fanciful trades in order to secure pick 1 from GWS. Ideas such as giving up picks 3, 17, Fisher.

IMO we should not make any attempt to trade for Boyd for the following reasons:

• 1. Pick 3, notwithstanding a complete screw up, will land us a top notch midfielder who should be able to slot into our 22 from day one. We are not blessed with midfielders, and certainly not too many elite ones, and this should be a key focus for us. This extends to pick 17 — whilst the chances of success are less, there's still a comfortable possibility of securing a top talent.
  
  2. Trading away all our top picks, together with important players, all on the hope of Boyd turning out to be the next Wayne Carey is playing with fire. Yes, he could turn out to be that good. But he might also not be so good. There's no guarantees, and the backfire could set us back for years, if we trade the whole house for one guy.
  
  3. It is widely known that next year's draft includes a number (at least 4) of top end key position talent. One of them being Hugh Goddard who some have tipped as the number 1 draft pick. Seeing as we will most likely have pick 1-5 in the 2014 National Draft, it is much wiser to hedge our bets and use our own pick to draft a Riewoldt replacement.

Whilst we need to be bold, daring and aggressive, we also need to be smart and calculating.

This post is not addressed to the club, whom I trust are well on top of this and know the situation. Instead, posters and fans need to give up on securing pick 1, and not think that just because it might be up for trade it means we ought to pounce on it.

Are you serious? I suggest you look at the You tube highlights on this guy. He is tall, extremely mobile and fast. Presents well on the lead and can take a grab. He is the absolutely perfect replacement for Roo who has probably only got one season left in him with his persistent knee problems. If we can trade to get this guy we should go for it with both hands.

[bergholt]

Are you serious? I suggest you look at the You tube highlights on this guy. He is tall, extremely mobile and fast. Presents well on the lead and can take a grab. He is the absolutely perfect replacement for Roo who has probably only got one season left in him with his persistent knee problems. If we can trade to get this guy we should go for it with both hands.

You didn't really read the rest of his post, did you?

[SaintPav]

Boyd could be the next Kosi.

Then we'd be better off getting the next Gia

lol.

[plugger66]

Mids Mids Mids Mids and more Mids

Only post that needs to read.

[Jimmy O'Dea]

Mids Mids Mids Mids and more Mids

The problem is there are no high end elite mids. This is the draft of the OUTSIDE mids come small forwards. I just hope we don't pick Billings or Kelly. They are finishers and Kelly well the is jury out for me. We will probably take Aish and that's OK but he is not an inside power player like a Barlow, Fyfe, Watson etc. This is the problem with this draft, no Wines or O'Meara types.

Crouch gets it heaps but won't hurt you by foot or kick goals. I am a big Sheed fan as he wins contested footy and is damaging going forward. Lewis Taylor is the best player in the draft after Boyd. His size means that he will probably slip through to 6-12. He is a jet and I know its been stated but he plays exactly like Boomer Harvey and is lethal around goals.

[stinger]

Reported saints put a deal to gws for pick one but gws reluctant.

they were never going to trade the no 1...certainly not after buddy slipped through their fingers.....