Whispering_Jack

Expect pick #49 to go for Brisbane’s Harry Sharp, possibly today

The AFL trade period (and by extension, AFL Trade Radio) would be nothing without Melbourne if yesterday was anything to go by. 

Two interconnected trades occurred on the day:- • Pick swap between Adelaide & Melbourne Adelaide receives future 3rd-round pick. Melbourne receives Pick 46. • Pick swap between Melbourne & Essendon Melbourne receives Pick 9 and future 3rd-round pick. Essendon receives Picks 28, 40, 46, 54 & 65 and future 1st-round pick. I think the first was a residual part of the ANB deal as it wouldn’t really make sense otherwise. There was lots of discussion on other matters to fill the hours including about the forthcoming announcement of the results of Melbourne’s review so it really was our day.

Get your head around this from AFL House: Trades approved this morning Melbourne trade its 2025 Round 3 selection to the Adelaide Crows for its 2024 Round 3 selection (currently 46) in the 2024 and 2025 Telstra AFL Drafts respectively. Melbourne trade its two 2024 Round 2 selections (currently 28 and 40), two 2024 Round 3 selections (currently 46 and 54), its 2024 Round 4 selection (currently 65) and its 2025 Round 1 selection to Essendon. Essendon trade its 2024 Round 1 selection (currently 9) and its 2025 Round 3 selection in the 2024 and 2025 Telstra AFL Drafts respectively to Melbourne.

Kicking off proceedings for today ~ With a bigger one to come

A couple of points to note:- “It will see the Bombers land the Demons' future first-round pick, pick 28 and 40 and other later picks expected to shuffle for the Bombers' pick 9.” • as has been pointed out previously, a deal is not a deal, until it’s done so hold your collective breaths until it’s done; and • given that the Bombers next picks after 31 fall in the middle of Round Five and beyond (86, 104 and 122), it’s hard to see exactly how that later pick shuffle is going to be of any value unless the Demons get some future late round picks in the process.

In light of what some are suggesting will be a barrage of pick swaps in the next couple of days, it’s worth looking at the current draft picks held by each of the clubs at this moment in time. It gives perspective to the mooted swap deal between Melbourne and Essendon because, as we can see, the Bombers don’t have much of a hand to fight off a challenge for their NGA player Isaac Kako and to get seriously involved in trading. To that end, the Demons’ future first plus #28 and #40 strengths their hand considerably. Adelaide: 4, 46, 64 Brisbane: 32, 34, 42, 43, 45, 60, 66 Carlton: 12, 14, 69, 72, 73 Collingwood: 36, 52, 55 Essendon: 9, 31 Fremantle: 10, 11, 18, 30, 67 Geelong: 17, 38, 57, 75 Gold Coast: 6, 13, 23, 29, 41, 50, 78 GWS: 15, 16, 21, 37, 53, 56, 74 Hawthorn: 33, 71, 77 Melbourne: 5, 28, 40, 49, 54, 65 North Melb: 2, 25, 44, 62 Port Adelaide: 39, 58 Richmond: 1, 20, 24, 51, 61, 70, 76 St Kilda: 7, 8, 27, 47 Sydney: 19, 22, 59 West Coast: 3, 26, 63, 68 Western Bulldogs: 35, 48

In light of what some are suggesting will be a barrage of pick swaps in the next couple of days, it’s worth looking at the current draft picks held by each of the clubs at this moment in time. It gives perspective to the mooted swap deal between Melbourne and Essendon because, as we can see, the Bombers don’t have much of a hand to fight off a challenge for their NGA player Isaac Kako and to get seriously involved in trading. To that end, the Demons’ future first plus #28 and #40 strengths their hand considerably. Adelaide: 4, 46, 64 Brisbane: 32, 34, 42, 43, 45, 60, 66 Carlton: 12, 14, 69, 72, 73 Collingwood: 36, 52, 55 Essendon: 9, 31 Fremantle: 10, 11, 18, 30, 67 Geelong: 17, 38, 57, 75 Gold Coast: 6, 13, 23, 29, 41, 50, 78 GWS: 15, 16, 21, 37, 53, 56, 74 Hawthorn: 33, 71, 77 Melbourne: 5, 28, 40, 49, 54, 65 North Melb: 2, 25, 44, 62 Port Adelaide: 39, 58 Richmond: 1, 20, 24, 51, 61, 70, 76 St Kilda: 7, 8, 27, 47 Sydney: 19, 22, 59 West Coast: 3, 26, 63, 68 Western Bulldogs: 35, 48

I hope everyone realises that if this trade does eventuate then it could never have happened but for the selfless act of life member and premiership player Alex Neal-Bullen when he sacrificed the remaining years of his career in the big smoke for four or five years of drudgery, boredom and despair in Adelaide. Cheers Nibbler. I’ll drink a toast 🥂 to you when we win next year’s flag and the one after that with all of that young talent coming into the club.

Geelong playing hard ball over Bailey Smith is more than a little ironic given the demands it made when Tim Kelly wanted to go back to Perth.

Looking at the ladder right now, we’ve played six of the top eight and are scheduled to play the other two in the next two Rounds. Of the two teams that we’ve played who are not in the eight, Geelong made a Preliminary Final last year where they lost to the eventual premier Brisbane by 4 points. In other words, it’s about as tough a fixture you could possibly dream up given the teams you don’t play in your allocation of 11 games. Worse, given our injuries this season.

Never in doubt 🥳 Would have been in the eight had we held on against the Dockers. Anyway, it’s now in our own hands.

A few days out from the end of the trade period, this is how the first round is looking:- ROUND ONE 1 Richmond 2 North Melbourne 3 West Coast 4 Adelaide 5 Melbourne 6 Gold Coast Suns 7 St Kilda 8 St Kilda (via Josh Battle compensation pick) 9 Essendon 10 Fremantle 11 Fremantle (via Collingwood) 12 Carlton 13 Gold Coast Suns (via Western Bulldogs) 14 Carlton (via Hawthorn) 15 GWS Giants 16 GWS Giants (via Harry Perryman compensation pick) 17 Geelong 18 Fremantle (via Port Adelaide) 19 Sydney Swans 20 Richmond (via Brisbane) 21 GWS Giants (via Isaac Cumming compensation pick) 22 Sydney Swans (via North Melbourne) 23 Gold Coast Suns (via North Melbourne)

Trade state of play: Verdict on 18 key names For those under a paywall, these are the players of interest to Melbourne fans:- Clayton Oliver Melbourne > Geelong Like Freddy Krueger, every time you think this one is dead it rises from the grave to haunt the Dees. The Cats are taking a back seat and the Dees are saying publicly it's not happening. But we still can't completely rule the Oliver deal out from making one last leap out of the grave. VERDICT: Unlikely Wade Derksen GWS Giants > Melbourne With a handful of players on the way out, the Giants are digging deeper than the Mariana Trench on contracted players, which includes Derksen. It's an interesting stance for a player who hasn't played an AFL game and wants to leave NSW for family reasons. So far Melbourne's offers haven't been genuinely considered. There is still hope for the Derksen camp but no movement here yet. VERDICT: Up in the air Harry Sharp Brisbane Lions > Melbourne The newest member of the trade request crew, Sharp has played just 16 games in four seasons and never more than six in any year. He may be contracted for next year but the Lions surely help him out with a move to the Demons given it will help stockpile more draft points to land Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall. Melbourne holds picks 40, 49, 54 and 65, you would think one of those choices in the 40s gets it done. VERDICT: Likely

So yesterday was the day of pick swaps and thankfully, we are on a two day break for the weekend while we digest the excitement of clubs trading draft selections. Here they are in a nutshell:- Trade (Carlton / Brisbane) Carton receive pick 73 and a future second round pick while picks 34 and 66 head to Brisbane. Trade (Richmond / Brisbane) Tigers receive the Lions’ pick 20 in return for a suite of selections: Picks 32, 42, 43 and 45. Trade (Hawthorn / Carlton) Carlton grab pick 14 from Hawthorn in return for their future first and second round picks.

Just when I thought the media had reached its absolute lowest form of toxicity, came this piece from Michael Wa**er in yesterday’s little paper. The article opening sentence: "Melbourne's off-field crisis has deepened with former vice-president and insurance industry heavyweight Geoff Freeman declaring his interest in a takeover of the club's embattled board." states that the former club VP, Peter Freeman, “who is close to star midfielder Christian Petracca, confirmed he was giving ‘serious consideration’ to a run for president amid ongoing turmoil at the club”. Freeman also is quoted: "I will do whatever is best for Melbourne - we need to resolve all of our outstanding issues and we need to do it quickly." "I have a lot of respect for our current president, …" The bloke has expressed an interest in taking part in a democratic process which, if successful, would lead to his taking over from the current caretaker president. That’s what often happens in the AFL and, in fact, it’s happening at a couple of other prominent clubs at the moment. So why the dramatics suggesting that Freeman's act of throwing his hat in the ring is causing a deepening crisis? That seems to be deeply disrespectful to Freeman (who I do not know) and to the Melbourne Football Club. Would Collingwood get this sort of treatment from the media in such circumstances? After all, the Magpies are about to undergo a major overhaul at the top with the imminent replacement due to ill health of President Jeff Browne by a previously unknown (that’s what I was told by a Magpie fan who won’t be able to vote on the choice). Does that herald a deepening crisis at a club that failed to make the finals just one season after winning a premiership, a club where the circumstances of the defection of football boss Graham Wright to Carlton after swanning around the world for half a season should be raising eyebrows and when chief executive Craig Kelly is embroiled in an unfair dismissal claim by a former club employee? And according to my mail, there might still be some whiffs in the air about the racism debacle that affected them recently. And I won’t start on Essendon and it’s cultural issues. Let’s just continue to pile on one club even when a potential and possibly worthwhile candidate for club president emerges.

The 21-year-old Sharp was drafted at pick 43 in the 2020 AFL National Draft and has played 16 AFL games since debuting for the Lions in 2021.

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No trades for two days but there must be something stirring out there in the Milky Way Somewhere out there are the following stories- Essendon could be asked to pay some of Jake Stringer's salary if he moves to GWS. Luke Ball has urged Geelong not to put Bailey Smith through the same national draft stress he endured in 2009 and get a deal done with Western Bulldogs. The AFL gave the green light to Port Adelaide trading its future first-round pick, which is likely to be used in the Jack Lukosius deal. Noah Balta signed a massive contract extension at Richmond in a big show of commitment as other stars want out of Punt Road.

Never in doubt.

Yes - well picked up.

Who takes responsibility for this?

On this day 76 years ago, Melbourne defeated Essendon by 39 points in the grand final replay after the teams drew the previous week. MELBOURNE 6.2.38 9.3.57 11.6.72 13.11.89 ESSENDON 0.3.3 5.5.35 6.6.42 7.8.50 The Bombers had only themselves to blame for their misfortune. They beat the Demons comfortably in the second semi final but almost kicked themselves out a fortnight later in drawing with 7.27.69 to Melbourne’s 10.9.69. Chief football writers Hector de Lacy of The Sporting Globe and Alf Brown of The Herald both considered Norm Smith the best on ground for his work in leading the Melbourne forward line, with The Herald calling it one of the greatest games of his career. Other players highlighted for their efforts were Melbourne full-forward Jack Mueller and centre half-forward Lance Arnold, centreman George Bickford and wingman Max Spittle. Essendon's best were Bob McClure and Norm McDonald.

Ironically, today’s Herald Sun carries an article by Scott Gullan entitled “AFL ‘AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF LIES’ IN TRADE SEASON Clubs ‘hoodwink’ fans”. No need to guess who the major hoodwinker happens to be.

Jack Graham has joined West Coast as a free agent on a four-year deal. Richmond receives band 4 compensation, which currently sits at pick 42.