Geelong coach Chris Scott is comfortable with the high price the Cats have paid for their busy AFL trade period.
Geelong have welcomed four experienced players - Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide), Scott Selwood (West Coast), Zac Smith (Gold Coast) and Lachie Henderson (Carlton) - in their trade bonanza but don't have a pick in this year's draft until the fourth round as a result.
The Cats have also traded out their first pick at next year's draft but Scott says the bold moves are the culmination of years of planning.
"A lot of thought has gone into this from some people who have been shown to be pretty astute in the footy industry," Scott said on Tuesday.
"In a perfect world, you keep all your early picks, absolutely, but this is something that we think will benefit the club in the short term.
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"But as we've said a few times this week, the four guys we're bringing in are 25 ... they're adding to a big group of players that are now ready to compete against the best.
"So if they work hard, and we can integrate those guys into our system, we've got a big group of players that are going to play together for a long period of time."
While delighted with the outcome, Scott admitted there was some risk involved with the club's flurry of trade activity.
"Potentially, we'll look back and say we would've liked to have had a couple of extra picks in 2015 and 2016 but, unfortunately, you can't have it all," he said. "When we look back on it now, we're very comfortable with the decisions we've made."
Promising Cats midfielder Dean Gore was sent to Adelaide as part of the trade for Dangerfield, with Josh Walker, Jarrad Jansen and Dawson Simpson also departing in the major overhaul of the club's playing stocks.
Henderson's long-anticipated arrival at Geelong came at the expense of the Cats' first-round draft pick next year.
The Blues parted company with Henderson with three games remaining in the season after he handed them his trade request.
The new Cat admitted it wasn't an ideal end to a tough campaign.
"I look back on it now and I've learnt a lot of lessons this year - probably not great lessons about myself," Henderson said. "It was a tough year for myself and the club and I probably didn't really play how I should have this year.
"So I've learnt some lessons and there definitely is a point to prove."
