Offseason recruiting priorities

[G-Mo77]

Yeah we haven't had much luck in this regard lately. Missing out on Impey, then Wingard, then Martin but also having the Saints and Dees swoop in before us in the draft to grab Long and Pickett respectively. Long was the most annoying, especially seeing his progress now and knowing him well from Footscray.

Draft day I remember seeing him go at 26ish. At the time I thought that was too high and we would have had to have traded up or drafted him in the teens to get him.

This is my memory of it. I'm probably wrong and would have to fact check. I was bummed we missed both Long and Hannan.

[comrade]

I don't know if we ever seriously considered him, but selecting Shai Bolton instead of Pat Lipinski would make a hell of a lot of sense right now.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I don't know if we ever seriously considered him, but selecting Shai Bolton instead of Pat Lipinski would make a hell of a lot of sense right now.

Looks a special player, even moreso now he's playing mid minutes.

[Axe Man]

Long (pick 25 in 2016) looks a decent player but he's not a quick small forward is he? I think he has been playing back this season. I certainly wouldn't swap him for our first pick in English (19) and I'm not sure he's achieved more than our next pick in Lipinski (28) to this stage of their careers.

What has happened to the pick immediately before Long in Cedric Cox from Brisbane? Has played 1 game in the last 2 years. I seem to recall some interest in him.

I was keen on Ah Chee last year who Brisbane picked up for reasonable price and looked good against us on Saturday.

[GVGjr]

Long (pick 25 in 2016) looks a decent player but he's not a quick small forward is he? I think he has been playing back this season. I certainly wouldn't swap him for our first pick in English (19) and I'm not sure he's achieved more than our next pick in Lipinski (28) to this stage of their careers.

What has happened to the pick immediately before Long in Cedric Cox from Brisbane? Has played 1 game in the last 2 years. I seem to recall some interest in him.

I was keen on Ah Chee last year who Brisbane picked up for reasonable price and looked good against us on Saturday.

The Saints grabbed him before our selections

From memory our plan was to take English in the first round, Long in the 2nd, Lipinski or Hannan in the 3rd and Lewis Young with our last pick.
Greene was going to be a rookie pick. When Long was selected beforehand, we moved the players up by a round and Hannan had been selected by Melbourne

Don't you just love draft day machinations

[Dancin' Douggy]

Yeah we haven't had much luck in this regard lately. Missing out on Impey, then Wingard, then Martin but also having the Saints and Dees swoop in before us in the draft to grab Long and Pickett respectively. Long was the most annoying, especially seeing his progress now and knowing him well from Footscray.

Wingard and Impey I can live without, think they're pretty selfish players, but I thought Martin would have been great for us. Long hurts a bit. Richmond seems to have no trouble unearthing these types. We just never seem to be able to.

[kruder]

Butters

[Axe Man]

The Suns just dropped Alex Sexton, I think I could live with taking him off their hands.

[Happy Days]

The Suns just dropped Alex Sexton, I think I could live with taking him off their hands.

Good call, but I'm pretty sure he's signed for a long while.

[bornadog]

Clubs circle Giants star, despite five-year offer


Multiple clubs are circling Greater Western Sydney free agent Zac Williams, who has left a sizeable five-year contract offer from the Giants unsigned since last year as he weighs up his future.

But while many clubs, from Victoria and other states, have registered an interest in Williams, none has yet been able to make a formal offer for the dashing half-back while he decides his next move.

The GWS contract offer, which was made in December last year, still stands, although it is unclear what impact the pay cuts due to COVID-19 would have on the offer should Williams, 25, decide to stay.

GWS has been in contract discussions with the management of gun key forward Jeremy Cameron, another restricted free agent. Cameron – one of the highest-paid players in the competition this year due to his back-ended deal – is seeking a long-term deal, the Giants remaining confident all along of retaining him.

GWS have the option of matching an offer for Williams, a restricted free agent, should he exercise his free agency rights. But this is unlikely given that he would be certain to attract a sufficient contract to earn GWS a first-round pick in return.

AFL club sources suggested that Williams, originally from Narrandera in NSW, would clearly attract upwards of $700,000 a year over a long-term deal in a pre-pandemic market place. It is possible that a club would be willing pay significantly more to get him out of GWS, which has a tight salary cap but has been highly successful in retaining stars.

The Giants also have to recontract emerging second-year midfielder Jye Caldwell, a Victorian who is of interest to Melbourne clubs but who is settled and happy in Sydney. For the Giants, opportunity to play is often the main issue with young midfielders such as Caldwell, who has played senior football and impressed this year.

Cameron is viewed by some rival clubs as the biggest free agent or out-of-contract player within the AFL, given his stature and the fact that his signature – and the price he fetches – would have a bearing on the Giants' playing list and their prospects of retaining other players.

The five-year offer to Williams is consistent with the club's succession of long-term deals to key players with skipper Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Whitfield signing seven-year deals, Toby Greene getting six years and Harry Himmelberg five.

Midfielder Josh Kelly signed a two-year extension with an option for a further eight years – a commitment of 10 years by the Giants when he signed the deal. Kelly can exercise that contract next year if he chooses, or explore free agency.

[Remi Moses]

I know he’s had his injury issues and he’s injured now
Alex Pearce at Freo would be one I’d look at
Hamling , Logue , and trying to turn Jesse Hogan into a key back have to come into the side
Thoughts ?

[Remi Moses]

It’s back again
Norf and War chest
Iconic duo that

[Axe Man]

I know he’s had his injury issues and he’s injured now
Alex Pearce at Freo would be one I’d look at
Hamling , Logue , and trying to turn Jesse Hogan into a key back have to come into the side
Thoughts ?

Nick Riewoldt has just come out and suggested Freo trade him. He would be perfect in our backline for the gorilla forwards but his season games played history of 13,8,0,21,11,0 is deeply concerning. You wouldn't want to give up too much but he's still contracted for another 2 seasons and I can't see Freo giving him away cheaply.

[Axe Man]

It’s back again
Norf and War chest
Iconic duo that

They have a heap of players out of contract and are looking like they need a clean out to rebuild. Any cheap as chips players of interest to us?

[comrade]

They have a heap of players out of contract and are looking like they need a clean out to rebuild. Any cheap as chips players of interest to us?

Not cheap as chips but Goldy for a few years with English playing forward/second ruck has some appeal to me. I'd imagine Timmy would come out of it a much better ruckman learning from Goldy every day.