The Gold Coast SUNS made every post a winner during this year’s official Trade Week according to GC SUNS Recruiting Manager Scott Clayton.
Buoyed by the recent announcement of Gary Ablett’s signing on the back of the arrival of a host of other high profile signings, GC SUNS stocks were further boosted early in Trade Week by the addition of exciting former Brisbane Lions’ utility Jared Brennan and experienced ruckman Josh Fraser.
“We’re in a really good situation with our list build,” he said.
“We’ve been pretty methodical in our approach. We haven’t gone off path for 18 months or so. So now we find ourselves very much looking forward to the National Draft and the next phase of our development as a club. “
“Our whole draft plan has been about sustainable success. But what we also wanted to achieve out of this period was to draw in Jared Brennan and a seasoned ruckman to help with our younger developing rucks. To that end Brennan was a priority. We’ve been able to deliver both without really altering our overall position [in terms of the quality of the club’s draft selections], so that’s exciting for us.”
With GC SUNS afforded several high draft picks, the club had the opportunity to bargain hard for immediate gain if it wanted to forgo a handful of its highest selections. But Clayton said the club was always looking long term. At the end of Trade Week the club will still enter the National Draft with an enviable eight of the top 14 draft picks as well as picks 38 and 48.
“We wanted to maintain as many of draft picks as we could which we’ve managed to do,” Clayton said.
More than that, in fact. In a bold move, the GC SUNS has gone some way to shoring up access to talent in future drafts by clawing back compensatory picks from opposition clubs who lost uncontracted players to the AFL’s newest franchise.
“Because we were given the benefit of establishment rules that focus in on one draft pool, we wanted to try to use some of that currency to invest in draft pools down the track. It was always a strategy to look to the future,” Clayton said.
“Other clubs received compensation picks that can be used over the next few years when they lost uncontracted players. Similarly, under this year’s rules we’ve had first bite at pre-listed players like Andrew Krakouer and the like. So we’ve used our currency in the pre-listed talent to claw back a few future selections. We managed to do that in the Brennan deal where we got a pick back, and we also clawed back a first round compensation pick from the Cats.”
With the Trade Week wheeling and dealing now done and dusted, Clayton said the GC SUNS could now concentrate on finalising its list by topping up with the best young talent in the country in the National Draft.
“I think it’s a really good draft pool,” said Clayton. “There’s a really good blend of players who play in different positions so it’s a good mix for us. We’re very much looking forward to the draft. We understand where the boys sit. We’re primed to put the icing on the cake of our list build.”
The National Draft will be held on the Gold Coast on 18 November, the first time the event has ever been held outside Victoria.
Gold Coast SUNS at AFL Trade Week 2010Gains
• Jared Brennan from Brisbane Lions
• Josh Fraser from Collingwood Magpies
• Pick 10
• Pick 38
• Pick 48
• Three ‘clawed back’ compensation picks (mid first round from Geelong, end first round from Brisbane Lions, middle second round from Port Adelaide) which can be used in future years.
Losses
• Pick 5
• Pick 15
• Pick 27
Remaining National Draft Selections
1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 38, 48
Summary
• Secured 3 compensation picks to guarantee early draft picks in future years
• Kept 8 of the first 15 picks (still 6 of the first 10)
