According to the Herald Sun this morning, Daniel Bradshaw will be making up his mind today as to which AFL club he wants to go to in one of the forthcoming drafts - Carlton or Sydney.

However, neither side has the first choice in the drafts so how can he announce the club without offending against AFL draft rules?

Srely this is draft tampering?

According to the Herald Sun this morning, Daniel Bradshaw will be making up his mind today as to which AFL club he wants to go to in one of the forthcoming drafts - Carlton or Sydney.

However, neither side has the first choice in the drafts so how can he announce the club without offending against AFL draft rules?

Srely this is draft tampering?

It's going to boil down to what city his wife prefers.

I agree with you to some extent. If any of the bottom 4 teams want and can afford Bradshaw then they should feel free to pick him up, despite Bradshaw's intentions.

On the topic of Bradshaw, I reckon he would've been a good option to warm the full fwd seat for 2-3 years while Watts and pick 11 KPF (Butcher?) develop. Would also give our attack some much needed bite. After all, we are aiming to win games next year right?

Apart from Luke Ball, Bradshaw is the best available PSD option. I thought we were looking to land a big fish in the PSD??

I hope he goes to Carlton.

Giving Bradshaw a three year deal is absolutely stupid. Massive risk and could be a huge mistake.

Carlton are taking massive risks at the moment IMO, they must think their window is open. I see a list with gaping holes being filled by injury prone and older players combined with club rejects.

It's going to boil down to what city his wife prefers.

I agree with you to some extent. If any of the bottom 4 teams want and can afford Bradshaw then they should feel free to pick him up, despite Bradshaw's intentions.

On the topic of Bradshaw, I reckon he would've been a good option to warm the full fwd seat for 2-3 years while Watts and pick 11 KPF (Butcher?) develop. Would also give our attack some much needed bite. After all, we are aiming to win games next year right?

Apart from Luke Ball, Bradshaw is the best available PSD option. I thought we were looking to land a big fish in the PSD??

How would the club justify dumping Robbo and recruiting Bradshaw? It would be against the strategy Melbourne has adopted of the past few years.

According to the Herald Sun this morning, Daniel Bradshaw will be making up his mind today as to which AFL club he wants to go to in one of the forthcoming drafts - Carlton or Sydney.

However, neither side has the first choice in the drafts so how can he announce the club without offending against AFL draft rules?

Srely this is draft tampering?

Lets face it,

The PSD is a Clayton's version of Free Agency, the AFL will ensure that Bradshaw will get to where he wants to go in order to display to all and sundry that 'The system works' and as such we don't need free agency in AFL.

Of the clubs that select before Carlton (Melbourne, Richmond, Fremantle, North Melb, Sydney) with the exception of Sydney ... no one is going to sign a soon to be 31 year old to a 3 year contract to play for a club that he doesn't want to be at.

You shouldn't act so surprised, this happens every year:

Keplar Bradley declaring he wanted to join Fremantle in PSD 2007 - and was bypassed by all the other clubs.

Josh Car declaring he wanted to join Port in PSD 2008 - and was bypassed by all the other clubs etc.

Aside from 2004 (Trent Knobel) they get to their preferred destination.

Of the clubs that select before Carlton (Melbourne, Richmond, Fremantle, North Melb, Sydney) with the exception of Sydney ... no one is going to sign a soon to be 31 year old to a 3 year contract to play for a club that he doesn't want to be at.

Agree.

If he picks Carlton, though, Sydney will have a hard time stopping themselves from taking him. He'd have to convince them that he really wants to set up in Melbourne, not Sydney.

Agree.

If he picks Carlton, though, Sydney will have a hard time stopping themselves from taking him. He'd have to convince them that he really wants to set up in Melbourne, not Sydney.

I don't want Bradshaw but if a player can nominate who he wants to go to in the PSD then you might as well not have a draft at all. The whole idea of having a draft in the first place is surely to give the bottom side the first choice - not to give the wealthy clubs any advantageous position?

Haven't players been fined and suspended in the past for expressing their prefences in the draft?

I hope he goes to Carlton.

Giving Bradshaw a three year deal is absolutely stupid. Massive risk and could be a huge mistake.

Carlton are taking massive risks at the moment IMO, they must think their window is open. I see a list with gaping holes being filled by injury prone and older players combined with club rejects.

I think Carlton feel they need to make hay while the sun shines and I don't think they have much to lose.

In the next few years it's going to be tough to draft talent but they've picked up McLean, and Judd's still able to play decent footy.

What point is there in them twiddling their thumbs and hoping they unearth some players that can fill holes? May as well have a crack now, particularly since Bradshaw will be easy to obtain.

The whole situation is somewhat unsavoury. I guess that means he belongs at Carlton.

If he's nominating a 3 year deal on good money, fair enough if nobody else wants to take him. Where I worry about that sort of deal is the possibility of the player then 'renegotiating' the deal once he is at the new club, essentially making the original contract expectation a bluff to get other clubs out of the way. The stipulated contract should be enforced rigorously, or the whole thing is a farce.

Also, I agree completely that it would be both a mistake in general and an insult to Wheats, Wheels and Robbo if we picked up a 30+yr old with injury concerns right after delisted those guys. It would have been like picking up Cousins when we had delisted just as many senior players last year.

I hope he goes to Carlton.

Giving Bradshaw a three year deal is absolutely stupid. Massive risk and could be a huge mistake.

Carlton are taking massive risks at the moment IMO, they must think their window is open. I see a list with gaping holes being filled by injury prone and older players combined with club rejects.

Agree, i personally think that Carlton, have rushed the end of there rebuild.

I hope he goes to Carlton.

Giving Bradshaw a three year deal is absolutely stupid. Massive risk and could be a huge mistake.

Carlton are taking massive risks at the moment IMO, they must think their window is open. I see a list with gaping holes being filled by injury prone and older players combined with club rejects.

Couldn't agree more. I'm going to really enjoy roaring past them in the year's to come.

He's going to Sydney it was on the news. No surprise there if he was going to Carlton he would of been part of the Fevola deal. I think we can roar past Carlton this year with no goal kickers I can't see why not. Can anyone see the irony of us picking up the best forward in the draft with Carlton's pick? I would have a massive smile on my face if that happened.

The whole situation is somewhat unsavoury. I guess that means he belongs at Carlton.

If he's nominating a 3 year deal on good money, fair enough if nobody else wants to take him. Where I worry about that sort of deal is the possibility of the player then 'renegotiating' the deal once he is at the new club, essentially making the original contract expectation a bluff to get other clubs out of the way. The stipulated contract should be enforced rigorously, or the whole thing is a farce.

Also, I agree completely that it would be both a mistake in general and an insult to Wheats, Wheels and Robbo if we picked up a 30+yr old with injury concerns right after delisted those guys. It would have been like picking up Cousins when we had delisted just as many senior players last year.

If a player nominates for the draft and stipulates a 3 year deal for $900,000.00 then that is what goes into the the salary cap of the club that drafts him.

He's going to Sydney it was on the news. No surprise there if he was going to Carlton he would of been part of the Fevola deal. I think we can roar past Carlton this year with no goal kickers I can't see why not. Can anyone see the irony of us picking up the best forward in the draft with Carlton's pick? I would have a massive smile on my face if that happened.

According to the Sunday Herald Sun Paul Roos said that "securing Daniel is perfect timing."

Well good luck to them but I thought you could only secure a player under a draft system if and when they are selected in the particular draft in question. By allowing this to openly happen, the AFL is undermining the pre season draft and in particular the value of all of the draft selections ahead of Sydney in the PSD. It's definitely draft tampering but because it's going to help Sydney and the AFL needs to prop up the Sydney market, nothing will be done about it.

According to the Sunday Herald Sun Paul Roos said that "securing Daniel is perfect timing."

Well good luck to them but I thought you could only secure a player under a draft system if and when they are selected in the particular draft in question. By allowing this to openly happen, the AFL is undermining the pre season draft and in particular the value of all of the draft selections ahead of Sydney in the PSD. It's definitely draft tampering but because it's going to help Sydney and the AFL needs to prop up the Sydney market, nothing will be done about it.

Nothing stopping a club ahaead of Sydney taking him as long as they can convince him to play. The terms are set. He is just outlining his damands and his preference. There is no guarantee on destination.

Been happening a long time. As far as i am concerned there is nothing wrong with nominating a team in the PSD, as long as the player can handle the potential backlash ala Sam Harvey.

Which club in their right mind selects a 30-year old who doesn't want to play for you? He has said he wants to play for Sydney because he wants to live in Sydney. If you're Melbourne, Richmond, Fremantle, West Coast or North Melbourne, you shouldn't be even thinking about him. Which means he gets to Sydney.

Srely this is draft tampering?

Its an interesting question. A player is allowed to state a preference and put a price on his head - but he can't refuse to play for a club with an earlier pick if it offers him the same money.

I seem to recall that the rules of the psd force interested clubs to meet the player's asking price. If that is so - and Sydney and Bradshaw have worked out that the Swans have to beat $950k to beat all the teams with earlier picks, it must be very close to tampering.

I'm not sure what would happen if the other club made him a really good offer - but one slightly below the offer of his preferred club. What would happen if North, say, offered $950k against the Swans $1m? I presume if North selects him but can't persuade him to play, North loses its pick and Bradshaw retires.

Now let's spice it up a bit.....change the player from Bradshaw to Ball - and the teams from the Swans to Richmond and from North to MFC?

You shouldn't act so surprised, this happens every year:

Keplar Bradley declaring he wanted to join Fremantle in PSD 2007 - and was bypassed by all the other clubs.

Josh Car declaring he wanted to join Port in PSD 2008 - and was bypassed by all the other clubs etc.

Aside from 2004 (Trent Knobel) they get to their preferred destination.

I think all the other clubs laughed behind there hands when Kepler and Josh "declared" clubs of choice to play for... no one else would have wanted them.

Nick Stevens didn't quite make it to Collingwood through the PSD (not sure he nominated the Pies in the PSD but he wanted to be traded that way).

Figured he would end up choosing Sydney, will be very interesting to see how their forward line is going to look next year.

I think all the other clubs laughed behind there hands when Kepler and Josh "declared" clubs of choice to play for... no one else would have wanted them.

Nick Stevens didn't quite make it to Collingwood through the PSD (not sure he nominated the Pies in the PSD but he wanted to be traded that way).

Nick Stevens knew he wouldn't make it to Collingwood - as such prior to the PSD, agreed to terms with Carlton and made them his preference.

One this is for certain ... Carlton need to sort out their forward line as a matter of priority.

Defence: Sorted - they were ranked #3 for points against untill Round 9 this season (when Jarrad Waite was injured) - and still finished #10 overall, despite missing their two major pillars in Waite and Jamison. However, with their loss of the main focal scoring point - they'll now need to tighten up even more and concede less.

Midfield: Judd, Murphy, Gibbs, McLean = sorted

Rucks: Sorted - Warnock, Hampson, Kreuzer - given that Kreuzer and Hampson will probably alternate on the forward line, they may need one more ruckman for depth (given Warnock is made of paper).

Forwards: Now missing 90 goals, I dont think it's necessarrily a bad thing for them as they are now unpredictable in their forwardline (ala Western Bulldogs), they were becoming much too Fev centric, and his dominance was cramping the styles of some of their other forward options.

HF Walker ............ Henderson ........... Yarran/Gartlett.

FF Betts ............. Cloke/Waite .......... Kreuzer