COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley has declared the Magpies didn't "overpay" for boom recruit Adam Treloar in a trade he believes will eventually be viewed as "astute".
Last October, in exchange for Treloar and Greater Western Sydney's pick 28 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, the Pies handed over their first-round selections in both the 2016 and 2017 drafts.
The further Collingwood slides down the ladder this year, the higher the Giants rise in the draft order.
Treloar, 22, has already proven a terrific acquisition for the Pies, averaging 30.8 disposals and would be comfortably leading the club best and fairest.
He was arguably best-afield in his team's 48-point win over Fremantle at the MCG on Friday night, compiling a game-high 33 possessions (14 contested), six clearances, seven tackles and a goal.
Buckley, whose relationship with Treloar at junior representative level was a key factor in the ex-Giant's move to the Holden Centre, was adamant the Pies had negotiated well for Treloar's services.
The Pies coach also rejected a suggestion that the club needed to work its way back into the first round of the draft.
"All the youth that we want to bring into the club are at the club – we just want to get better access to them," Buckley told ABC radio on Saturday.
"Whether it's pick four, five, six or whatever (the Giants' future pick) ends up, we didn't overpay for Adam Treloar.
"He's going to be a great player for this footy club over the next 10 years.
"We gave up two first-round draft picks and got a second-round draft pick back (and) I think over the course of time that'll prove to be an astute trade.
"If you look at most of our trades individually, they've been astute, but we've just got to … get maximum performance out of them.
"I've got no fears about where we're set up in that regard. A lot of our equity is in our list, not outside of it."
Buckley cited sidelined defenders Matt Scharenberg and Jackson Ramsay – both of whom are recovering from season-ending knee reconstructions – as examples of talented youngsters who would make the team better.
Injury-plagued Scharenberg, 20, has played just four AFL games in three seasons, while Buckley said Ramsay, 21, had polled votes in the club award in eight of his nine AFL games.
"We're sort of pinning our hopes on these kids and we say, 'We're missing them,' and everyone externally scratches their head and goes, 'How can you miss a four-game player and … a nine-game player?' Well, we think they're going to be really good players," Buckley said.
"We want to get these kids in and we're pretty bullish about where we can go."
