By securing twoexperienced talls and a top 10 draft pick in the 2014 National Draft, Geelong’sleading recruiter Stephen Wells believes the Cats have accomplished their goals inthis year’s trade period.

Only minutesbefore the trade closed, Geelong snagged their first top 10 draft pickin seven years after a last minute swap with Adelaide, who exchanged their 10and 47 picks for Geelong's 14 and 35. 

The last time theCats received a draft pick within the top 10 was Joel Selwood in 2006 at picknumber seven.

“Each club wastrying to achieve their aims, our aim was to improve our position in the firstround to give us more options when it came to our pick, and clearly that fittedin with Adelaide’s aim of improving their position in the second round,” Wells told the Geelong Advertiser.

“It has been along time, we’ve still got a lot of work to go between now and the draft butit’s good to have a pick that will provide us with plenty of options on the typeof player we want to pick.”

In order tomanage a list effectively, Wells carefully assesses every recruiting avenue availableto create the best formula for the club.

“List managementis a combination of trading, free agency and draft so we have to address needs,sometimes through trading and sometimes through the draft,” Wells said.

Overall, Wellsfelt the club achieved the result they wanted, especially after two significantlosses with Travis Varcoe traded to Collingwood and Allen Christensen toBrisbane.

Having lucked outon height during the last two year’s with Dawson Simpson, Hamish McIntosh andNathan Vardy out with injury, Geelong were eager to boost their tall stockswith 198cm Mitch Clark and 200cm Rhys Stanley.    

“We’re very, verypleased to have two fellas in Clark and Stanley join us and of course verydisappointed that Travis Varcoe and Allen Christensen have finished their timeat Geelong,” Wells said. 

At the end ofthis year’s season the Cats had to make the difficult decision to delist GeorgeBurbury, Jordan Schroder, Jesse Stringer, Jackson Sheringham and Nick Bourke. 

According toWells, Taylor Hunt has also been informed to find a new club and Mitch Brown’sfuture still remains uncertain.

“We’ve had theconversation with Taylor and he will be delisted, and that will then providehim other options with other clubs,” Wells confirmed.  

“We’ll make anannouncement with any other list changes that we need to make as we make them.”