Tom Papley

What I'm saying is I'm not shifting away from the fact that you need to have experienced players around, but I'm also saying that if you had a great offer and a great deal, which meant that you could secure one of the best early draft picks on top of the draft pick that you already have, then that's what Essendon really need to strongly look at.

And that would be a consideration, but it only can be a consideration when it is there for you to choose.

Do you think a year on...

they will get potentially a better offer than what they got from Hawthorne for Zach Merritt.

Do you think there's going to be a better offer on the table for him a year on if in fact there is one?

Yeah.

No, I think there's a possibility of it.

I think it would be better for Essendon to get in the draft early, early, as opposed to late with high team picks.

That's what was available last year, high team picks.

So there's only high team picks last year.

He's a year older.

So are those late team picks, are you going to get a better potential offer than that a year on?

But maybe it'll be one pick as opposed to... Maybe the consideration will be rather than three picks, it might just be an early, early pick.

And that might be, in their minds, that might be a better consideration than what it would have been 12 months ago.

Do you think they looked at those three last year and thought we could turn them into one early one?

I think they looked at everything.

I think they would have looked at everything at that time.

And if they didn't, then they would have been derelict in their duties at that time.

Would it be better for Essendon if he's there or not?

Last question on it.