I'd be very open to trading our first rounder in some way to get Sheil this year, but probably only if we are exceptionally confident of being able to get a Patton/Boyd at the end of next year, or alternatively that we'd be able to get someone like Schache or Wiedeman in that draft and that we reckon they're as good as whoever we may have otherwise been able to get with say pick 3 this year.Alright kids, if we're going to reach the lofty heights of last year's insanity we'd better get cracking. Accordingly, here's a starter hypothetical prompted by the Shiel rumours;
Let's say Shiel effectively costs us our first rounder this season. Additionally I'm giving Shenton the benefit of doubt for his form this year, and upgrading him, Weller and Templeton.
From there we draft a strong pacey mid in Touk Miller (2nd rnd) and a beast KPF in the person of Reece McKenzie (3rd rnd) and rookie Ahmed Saad. In 2015 we spend our 1st rounder on Rahul's and my boy, very promising 197cm Joshua Schache (Murray Bushrangers)... Then let's fast forward a couple of years from there, and potentially this is what we'd be looking at;
FB: Webster - Delaney - Roberton
HB: Wright - Bruce - Shenton
RK: Hickey - Steven - Dunstan
CR: Newnes - Shiel - Savage*
HF: Saunders - Stanley - Templeton
FF: Billings - McKenzie - Longer
Int: Weller - Curren - Acres - Miller
Em: Schache - Markworth - Ross - (Saad)
Gone: Hayes, Riewoldt, Montagna, Dempster, Fisher, Schneider, Maister, Gwilt, Jones, TDL, Minchington.
Crossroads: Ray, Armitage, Murdoch, Geary, Gilbert, Simpkin, White, Lee, Dunell, Milera, Siposs, Pierce, Holmes.
* I genuinely think he'll make it when settled and with a bit more quality around him.
Thoughts?
Basically I reckon that if GWS are open to trading either Sheil or Patton (or Cameron, of course), at the end of this year, that we really ought to go hard at getting them, unless we're just super-confident that whoever we'd get with our first pick this year is better value.
If it was for Sheil, I doubt he'd cost us our first pick on his own, unless he just blitzes for the rest of the year, so I'd be very interested to see what else we could get thrown in with him, if we did give up our first rounder (and perhaps something else, such as our 2nd, or an Armo/Gilbo). GWS have plenty more that they could package up with him, such as their end-of-1st-round compo pick, their early 2nd rounder, O'Rourke, Jaksch, or maybe even a Patton, so I'd be very keen to see what we could get in a package deal.