THE TRADING CHRONICLES by Whispering Jack

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THE TRADING CHRONICLES by Whispering Jack Part 1:  From Little Things

The festival of player movement kicked off yesterday with the opening day of the Free Agency Period which resulted in six players changing clubs including journeyman ruckman Tom Campbell who landed at Melbourne, his fourth club after playing only 58 AFL games in 14 seasons.

The other players to find new homes as free agents were Josh Battle (St Kilda to Hawthorn), Harry Perryman (GWS Giants to Collingwood), Isaac Cumming (GWS Giants to Adelaide), Nick Haynes (GWS Giants to Carlton) and Elliott Himmelberg (Adelaide to Gold Coast Suns). The Saints received a first round national draft pick (currently #8) as compensation for Battle while the Giants collected picks currently 16 and 21 for Perryman and Cumming. If Melbourne receives Adelaide’s current second round pick as expected for Alex Neal-Bullen, that selection will be pushed back to at least 28.

For those supporters who regard the 201cm Campbell as slim pickings, it should be noted his recruitment comes as cover in the event of injury to skipper Max Gawn and in that regard, it’s a good strategy. Think of the role that Brisbane’s Darcy Fort played in his team’s premiership win last week when Oscar McInerney was ruled unfit for the Grand Final. 

Melbourne AFL List Manager Tim Lamb also pointed out that Campbell “is an outstanding character, and will provide depth and maturity in our ruck stocks, which has been a focus for us this off season”, an important consideration that should be lost on nobody after the Demons’ turbulent last 12 months.

While yesterday’s news represents a small first step in the club’s long journey towards recovery after falling out of the 2024 finals race and into bottom six territory, the situation brings to mind the Paul Kelly-Kevin Carmody protest song, "From Little Things Big Things Grow" which fits given the level of upset and the cloud hanging over the club stemming from various issues including the future of some champion premiership players. 

As it is, we farewelled a few of them last night at the club’s best and fairest, notably Angus Brayshaw (medical retirement), Alex Neal-Bullen (Adelaide) and Ben Brown (retirement). All three gave heartfelt, emotional farewell speeches and expressed their gratitude and love for the club they were leaving. Without wishing to sound unfair to the other speakers on the night, Gus was once again not just outstanding but inspirational! We badly need his presence and example around the club and await the time when he’s ready to take that step. 

There were similar sentiments expressed by the award winners, both young and old, during the evening which culminated in a photo finish for the Keith “Bluey” Truscott Memorial Trophy fittingly won by Jack Viney who nudged out skipper Max Gawn and Neal-Bullen. The award winners were presented by Simon Goodwin who gave us a pep talk about “the process” and “self improvement”. The club also farewelled Lachie Hunter who is retiring after recurring calf injuries and delisted pair Josh Schache and Kyah Farris-White.

When interviewed along with Caleb Windsor, Ed Langdon stressed that the number of promising young players who, like the young winger, have been given the opportunity to debut in the past couple of seasons, gives rise to his optimism for 2025 and beyond.

I was concerned that the event might suffer from the negativity of the moment in which the club finds itself given the finish to the season and the number of elephants hanging around the room and in the media. It was good for starters to see Clarry there. Kozzy was also back from his northern sojourn but there was no direct stream from the Austrian alps where Tracc is on his Red Bull boot camp. 

A lot of credit should be given to the presenters who kept the evening bubbling over. It all started with acting president Brad Green (did you know he once trialed with Manchester United?) and a farewell speech from former president Kate Roffey who spoke nicely of her 12 years at the club and gave the first of many plugs on the night to the Demon Army. We all breathed a sigh of relief that Gerrard Whateley wasn’t available to conduct any interviews.

Green made a bold statement about next week’s trading to the effect that the name “Clayton Oliver” will not be involved, a sentiment I’ve heard expressed on a few occasions in recent times. He added: “I know come round 1 next year when I see the first ball bounced and our midfield of (Max) Gawn, (Jack) Viney, Oliver and (Christian) Petracca, and our first clearance, that you Melbourne faithful will be there in full force.” 

Green was always reliable as a player and I’m chuffed that he’s added the role of chairman of selectors to his portfolio but I feel there’s a lot of water to flow under the bridge before the Round Zero or Round One lineup is announced. Starting with Monday’s Trade Period opening which promises a few surprises.