Don't have any experience with the AW blanks myself, so I certainly am not in the position to offer any advice there. BUt since you're trying to keep the cost down some, you might try looking at the Loomis FR1178 blank ... don't know a cost off hand, but as a GL3 blank, it shouldn't be terribly expensive. 9' 9" ... for those that wish to know, Loomis rod model numbers go like this: three digit model, first two digits is your rod length in inches, and last number is power / action (although outside of the fly rod end of things, this doesn't always mean that a "1" is lighter or heavier than a "2"). Four digit numbers, first three would be your length, followed by the same.

I have a couple of these rods, and outfit some of my winter-time steelie clients with them (I much prefer them than my 9 weight, 9 foot GLX) and fish them with all but my heaviest lines. They're a very nice rod to cast, don't cost a lot, and are far more durable than their GLX cousins. A thought Good luck!