The vital thing in this negotiation is to put yourself in the shoes of the Suns.
Two parts to this.
Daniel Rioli, a player who will quantifiably improve us, is achingly close to being on our list. It's a tantalising prospect. Imagine if we screw it up? Then imagine we end up with John Noble on the HBF and finish 11th again next season? We could have improved our culture and our competitiveness, strengthened our character, but we got cute at the negotiating table.
Same old Suns, always losing.
The second part relates to Rioli's contract with Richmond.
At the Suns, we know our position is one of total impotence. We have no say in how Richmond values their player. We know he will play out his contract if we can't satisfy them. We understand this requires a hefty premium ... there is no other way to prise a player from a contract. If we choose not to play ball, it's doubtful Richmond could care less.
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By the way, the Tigers not sellers. Banish the talk of what's fair, what Richmond should accept, what Rioli is worth. It's all noise.
Instead, listen to Blair Hartley: "They came to us, it's up to them to knock our socks off with a godfather offer."
He'll be filing his nails until the last moments of the trade period when the Suns fold like a deck of cards and stump up a knockout price.
Has there even been a mooted trade in AFL history where one club has a stronger position than Richmond right now?
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The question for the Suns at the heart of this negotiation is: what premium do we need to pay for a contracted player who will significantly improve our club?
Let's face it: pick 7 by itself in a near-lottery is a sick joke. Adding pick 24 is risible. Stick your "strong draft" up your jumper ... at 24, your chances of getting a 100-game player are remote: the all-time average is less than 80 games at this pick.
Don't even start to discuss draft points as a measure.
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Right now, the Suns are the Essendon of the north: a deeply unserious club. They have seduced our best player, yet feel it's their place to posture and swagger.
Meanwhile, a stone's throw away is a rival that turned around its fortunes by recognising where it was at and stumped up two first-round picks for Lachie Neale and a massive haul of picks for Josh Dunkley.
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Hardwick is a smart bloke. The tough part is done: finally, a gun player has offered his services to the Suns.
They will pay, and it will be a handsome sum.
Princely, you could say.
