The Gold Coast SUNS are set to become one of the game’s biggest beneficiaries of future draft trading, after stock piling a raft of future first and second round picks during this year’s exchange period.
 
The club’s decision to trade controversial midfielder Harley Bennell following a series of off-field indiscretions, along with fulfilling the trade requests made by power forward Charlie Dixon and ruckman Zac Smith, has placed the SUNS in an enviable position in the next two drafts.
 
Not only do Gold Coast hold three selections inside the top 30 ahead of the upcoming 2015 NAB AFL Draft (picks 6,16 and 29), the Queensland club also now holds the rights to Melbourne’s 2016 first round selection, along with three second round picks in that draft as well.
 
Gold Coast list and strategy manager, Scott Clayton, explained on Melbourne radio the club was fortunate future draft trading came into effect this year due to the quality of personnel departing the club.
 
And with the club requiring a certain amount of Draft Value Index points to acquire prospective academy products next year, the bevy of second round picks is particularly beneficial.
 
“We were very fortunate that future picks came in, we were big on that. Mid-year we were saying that that was a vital plank for us because we had so much currency in this draft and we were able to spread it over two draft pools instead of one,” Clayton told SEN’s The Morning Glory on Friday.
 
“Next year we’ve got some academy players coming through, our academy will start to produce. As part of our strategy, of course we’ve put quite a bit of thought into gaining some second round draft picks next year which should have the currency to pay for those.
 
“It is a confusing time with draft pools and draft picks but we look at that as currency, it’s like money. You have money… you go buy some stuff.
 
“Holding draft picks and our future draft picks, you can turn that into whatever you like, you can turn that into players, you can bunny hop into the next draft pool, so we’re holding a very, very strong hand and we’ll continually specifically go and get what we want.”
 
Clayton refuted the belief Gold Coast were currently going through a rebuilding phase, suggesting the SUNS were in the process of building towards a period of sustained success.
 
“Our philosophy is that you should always be in premiership mode and development mode simultaneously – we don’t think that they are mutually exclusive,” Clayton said.
 
“We do a lot of work on demographics on teams and where we’re at and we’re coming into a terrific period that is four, five, six, seven years long.”