Part One - ZERO HOUR, 9AM

The AFL Trade Period begins in earnest at 9.00am amid the announcement of a bombshell by North Melbourne’s 2021 Number 1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis that he wants to leave the club and return to his home state to play for Port Adelaide. 

The Herald Sun is reporting that “Horne-Francis will cite the instability at North Melbourne this year in his first season“ along with a likely continuation of chaos as a result of the uncertainty surrounding coach Alastair Clarkson in the wake of allegations of bullying of First Nations players under his tenure with the Hawks.

The call by the youngster highlights the uncertainty of the draft even at its highest level. At last year’s draft, the Kangaroos and the Giants both bypassed Collingwood father/son prospect Nick Daicos who was ultimately picked by the Magpies at number four. Daicos went on to have a stellar season winning the NAB Rising Star Award and helping his side’s to rise from 17th to within a heartbeat of a grand final berth. Horne-Francis had a troubled season and played 17 matches while the remaining top five picks were restricted to a mere handful of AFL games in their debut seasons. 

The opening of the trades looks likely to signal a busy period for the Demons who will be dealing with the transfer of another young “wantaway” in Luke Jackson and his potential replacement, Brodie Grundy as well as the proposed moves of Jayden Hunt and Toby Bedford, ironically to interstate clubs. The trades of the two big men are likely to be protracted through the trade period which ends in the middle of next week. Hunt is an unrestricted free agent so that move should be swift and the Bedford trade is not seen as complicated.

Meanwhile Docker wingman Blake Acres is expected to become a Blue, the Pies  are set to snare the Giants’ Bobby Hill whose teammate Tim Taranto will be confirmed as a Tiger in the first moves of the AFL trade period today. Acres is expected to be the first of a number of Fremantle trades as they clear the decks to make room for Jackson.

The fun is about to start.

Can I just say that in Qld the trade period starts at 8.00am and I am ready and in position.

A week and a half of snoozing interrupted by a few Eureka moments. The trade period is highly overrated.

Anything happened yet?

2 hours ago, Jontee said:

Anything happened yet?

Not yet but the paperwork that will get Bobby Hill to Collingwood is being prepared at the moment.

Collingwood and GWS have completed the first trade of the 2022 AFL Trade Period with Bobby Hill finding his way to Victoria after missing out at the deadline in 2021.

Having made a play for the small forward last season, the Pies proved able to secure Hill's services after parting with a future second-round selection.

The Pies and Giants also traded third-round selections ahead of the 2022 AFL Draft, with Collingwood securing Pick 40 for the price of Pick 43.

38 minutes ago, The Oracle said:

If Tim Taranto is worth 12 & 19, what then is Luke Jackson worth?

The state of play as at the end of the day on Monday 3 October, 2022

MONDAY - TRADE

Bobby Hill (GWS Giants) and pick 40 to Collingwood in exchange for pick 43 
and a future 
second-round selection

MONDAY - TRADE

Tim Taranto (GWS Giants) to Richmond in exchange for picks 12 and 19

 

17 hours ago, Leopold Bloom said:

If Tim Taranto is worth 12 & 19, what then is Luke Jackson worth?

less, i would think

taranto is a realised super talent

jackson is potentially a super talent

5 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

less, i would think

taranto is a realised super talent

jackson is potentially a super talent

Jackson is also a "unicorn" in the sport - a near 200cm giant who can ruck and also play mid type role which makes him a valuable commodity and in my view, his trade value is greater than Taranto's because he's a few years younger.

Would Grundy having to stand out of footy for 12 months be restraint of trade?

Cal Twomey reporting on Twitter ~

“A deal has been agreed upon that will see Griffin Logue & Darcy Tucker join the Roos.

The Dockers to receive North's AFL assistance picks - the future 2nd & 3rd round selections - and North's future 4th-rounder. In return Roos to get Logue, Tucker & Freo's future 3rd.”

Dockers seem to be loading up on future draft picks. Is there a way they can combine them all and turn them into something they can use to get Luke Jackson?

The state of play as at the end of the day on Tuesday 4 October, 2022

MONDAY - TRADE

Bobby Hill (GWS Giants) and pick 40 to Collingwood in exchange for pick 43 
and a future second-round selection

MONDAY - TRADE

Tim Taranto (GWS Giants) to Richmond in exchange for picks 12 and 19

TUESDAY - TRADE

Blake Acres (Fremantle) to Carlton in exchange for a future third-round selection

TUESDAY - TRADE

Melbourne trades picks 33, 43 and 53 to Port Adelaide for pick 27

Part Two - THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES 

The Free Agency and Trade Period is rolling along slowly but surely while, in the background, we’re observing an unusually high level of chaos within the ranks of some AFL clubs. The crisis that was triggered by Hawthorn’s investigation into allegations of intimidation and bullying of First Nations players is leaving its mark on two other clubs where coaches have been stood down — North Melbourne and Brisbane — and then there are the Bombers who appear to have been in perpetual crisis for a number of years. These crises also are having an effect on the free agency and trade process in a number of different ways.

At North Melbourne, the club has been rattled by the announcement/demand from last year’s first draft pick Jason Horne-Francis for a clearance back home to South Australia to play for his stepfather’s old club, Port Adelaide. His situation mirrors somewhat Fabian Francis’ unease at Melbourne of three decades ago that saw him move back home to Darwin to play rugby league after one game and one season before he ended up in South Australia playing for Port Adelaide via the Brisbane Bears. 

The Kangaroos, without Alastair Clarkson at the helm (possibly permanently), are in a bind and negotiations are in hand to move Horne-Francis back home. Port Adelaide’s first round selection (pick 8) is said to be in play as part of any trade which is problematic for the Demons because that selection was thought to be in the mix as part of the Luke Jackson to Fremantle exchange.

Meanwhile, the Dockers traded Blake Acres to Carlton for a future third-round pick and North Melbourne is expected to secure Freo pair Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker today in return for a combination of future picks that will have some impact on the mooted Jackson deal. The trades leave it open for a Fremantle offer but it’s unlikely that this will give the Demons the high first round pick they were seeking as part of the exchange.

So, we all must wait a little longer, which is fine because there’s another week to go before this all ends.

Melbourne’s move on Brodie Grundy as a replacement ruckman progressed yesterday when the club swapped picks 33, 43 and 53 with Port Adelaide for their pick 27. This should play itself out with some possible pick swaps to sweeten any deal.

Things aren’t so sweet at Essendon which is meant to have a large war chest available for the trade period but the instability at the top is disturbing to their fans. It appears they missed out on an opportunity to snare James Harmes when new coach Brad Scott was unavailable for an interview at the weekend and now the short-lived stay of former CEO Andrew Thorburn has added to the messy situation at the club. His 24 hours at the helm makes Paul McNamee’s tenure at Melbourne seem as long as Queen Elizabeth’s reign as Britain’s Monarch. Still, the Bombers missed out on Clarko which now seems like a blessing.

Collingwood scored a coup when it signed the Brisbane Lions’ Daniel McStay as an unrestricted free agent but one wonders about the benefit of an expensive move that has netted them a key forward who has never kicked more than 28 goals in a single season after nine years and 161 games in  the Sunshine State. 

This could be a case of the law of unintended consequences in operation. The word is that Collingwood snared McStay very early in the season when they were outsiders to make the finals. Since then, their year turned around completely and it remains to be seen whether the McStay will improve their on field makeup. Their fans are saying that he cost them nothing but it’s probably fair to say that partly because of his recruitment, Brodie Grundy will not be at the club in 2023.

In other news involving Melbourne it’s been reported that uncontracted pair Michael Hibberd and Jake Melksham are set to sign one year contracts leaving only the future of Toby Bedford and possibly one or two others unresolved.

The current state of play -

FREE AGENCY


FRIDAY (Unrestricted)

Karl Amon (Port Adelaide) to Hawthorn. The Power receive a Round Two selection (currently No. 27) in the 2022 NAB AFL Draft.

MONDAY (Unrestricted)

Jayden Hunt (Melbourne) to West Coast. The Demons receive a Round Three selection (currently No. 52) in the 2022 NAB AFL Draft.

TUESDAY (Unrestricted)

Daniel McStay (Brisbane) to Collingwood. The Lions receive a Round Two selection (currently No. 35) in the 2022 NAB AFL Draft.

Liam Jones (Carlton) to Western Bulldogs. The Blues receive a Round Three selection (currently No. 49) in the 2022 NAB AFL Draft.

TRADES

MONDAY 

Bobby Hill (GWS Giants) and pick 40 to Collingwood in exchange for pick 43 
and a future second-round selection

Tim Taranto (GWS Giants) to Richmond in exchange for picks 12 and 19

TUESDAY

Blake Acres (Fremantle) to Carlton in exchange for a future third-round selection

Melbourne trades picks 33, 43 and 53 to Port Adelaide for pick 27

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

Blake Acres (Fremantle) to Carlton in exchange for a future third-round selection

This probably says more about me than anything else but not only is Blake not at the saints but has spent 3 years at Freo and is now at the Blues.  Did I miss anything?

Griffin Logue, Darcy Tucker and Fremantle’s future 3rd round pick go to North Melbourne and the Dockers get North a future 2nd, 3rd and 4th-round picks from the Kangaroos.

 

bears maxing out their pick value for ashcroft and fletcher