Lucifers Hero

I suggested a few days ago to give them pick #54 which we won't use, as a sweetener. But Coll are hanging out to see what we get for Bedford and Jackson then try and cash in on one of those.

But Eagles would. They would move heaven and earth to create the cap space by renegotiating contracts in the months between trade and psd. If Freo put a first year contract of $1.5 price on his head they would have to do the same thing to create the cap space. So it is so so stupid for Freo to even think of the PSD let alone put it on the negotiating table. Embarrassing that any club would do that if they thought it through. Well maybe they didn't think it through. Sure LJ to the PSD: Great way for Freo to strength their arch enemy's list!! Laughable.

It is because most clubs want that type of forward so 'his perceived value' is being pushed up. And a fair chunk of 'generational player' type thinking. A bit like a competitive house auction that becomes a 'must have' even tho there might be others that fit just as well albeit it not the perfect fit ticking all the boxes.

North will take him with pick 1 which becomes 2 after Ashcroft F/S. GWS are keen on him and are likely to get North's pick 1 by enticing them with pick #3 and #12. We can't outbid GWS. GWS aren't shy about paying for the bid they want: they used a lot of draft currency to get up the board to draft Green. Ironically in the end they didn't need to as clubs didn't bid on him at the top end.

It isn't just WA players. Here are a few others in recent times that have gone home within a few years of being drafted.. Tom Boyd: pick 1 Josh Schache: pick 2 Jesse Hogan: pre draft priority pick Luke Jackson: pick 3 Adam Cerra: pick 5 Jason Horn Francis: pick 1 Tanner Bruhn: pick 12 Isaac Rankine: pick 3 I'm sure there are lots of others around the league. And of course many have stayed the course at an i/state club. But still a big risk at the pointy end. So good on WCE. Geelong are certainly adopting the recruit locals appproach. Most of their top end recruits in recent years have been 'locals' ie Greater Geelong region. Nearly half their list will be 'locals'

They still want a high pick. The mooted deal with Port gives them pick 8 plus a F1 (and probably a player). So not sure #2 for LJ was ever an option.

An interesting view on WCE sliding down the draft from #2. The Age podcast indicated they see some of the players at the top of the draft as 'flight risks' so will look to local players. Given recent trends with elite players 'going home' very early in their careers and the drafting club being short changed in most cases, that is smart thinking for the top end of the draft. The view of 'backing in your system and development' doesn't seem so compelling these days.

@Demonstoneto the rescue with a brainteaser quiz, perhaps?

It isn't just the PSD the AFL needs to look at. It seems that 'good faith negotiating' has gone out the window right across the board. The new mo seems to be: entice players to their club, make unrealistic offers dig heels in stalemate It is not so bad when one or two clubs played that way but now it is nearly every club. Even the typical 'honest brokers' like Geelong are making ridiculously low offers; Mackie trying to big note himself in his first year whereas Wells would get deals done. Its like clubs have been to Dodoro's school of trading techniques! The bizarre thing is that apparntly after the top 5 players in the draft it is pretty even, so what is everyone fighting for, other than ego! As an aside does Ess still exist. Very quiet on the trading front. All too busy with the politics and looking after their own patch I guess!

They've done zip to improve their trade hand for Jackson. And it looks like they never intended to. Now are holding back on the Lobb and Meeks trades so they don't have more to add to their offer.

Well done! This post gave me a great laugh! Must admit I did ponder the 'weight issue' as he looked fine to me...

I don't think it taints them per se. But it is part of a stubborn pattern (and perhaps overestimating a player's market worth) when you consider the Stringer trade and they refused to trade Dunkley while in contract because they didn't get the picks they asked for (fair enough) and now repeating the Stringer experience, as I say there is a bit of form there. We definitely have the right approach. Clubs, players and their managers know that we will get deals done and don't try to win every trade.

The AFL twitter is a bit confusing. Are they waiting for a club to be interested or 'need another club to participate' ie a third club to make a deal happen that we can get done, hence in 'the hands of the dees' comment...

The Bulldogs have form in grandstanding, being stubborn, rejecting good deals end up shooting themselves in the foot. eg Stringer. They are a bit like Diodoro wanting to 'win the trade' rather than like us who look at the big picture. If we have turned down a Freo offer it isn't public. We have a reputation of getting deals done smoothly and fairly. Grandstander vs Honest broker.

Thanks, AFL press releases on trades are usually accurate. What I think has happened is that the club and Tomlinson have quietly renegotiated his contract giving him an extra year to the 4 originally and spreading the $ a bit more. We did that last year with Lever, Gawn and a few others. In a way it makes Tomlinson slightly more attractive if the $ are less in the last two years not so much if we back ended it...

On Dunkley. AFL website reports: "The Lions put forward pick 15 and a future first-round pick for Dunkley but were keen to get picks 30, 39 and a future third-round back, which would have seen them essentially splitting for points as well as getting Dunkley". Bulldogs turned it down, pick 15 was traded out and now they are bleating about what Brisbane can offer and threatening the PSD. Bulldogs should have learnt their lesson with the Stringer trade a few years ago. Knocked back the picks offered, Ess traded some out and Bulldogs got a fair bit less than the initial offer. Bulldogs showing lack of understanding of what the other party needs: points for their F/S which clearly the Lions have prioritised.. Lots of grandstanding happening at the kennel over Dunkley. No way will they send thier BnF into the PSD. Also, losing some cred in not being able to smoothly get deals done. They should wisen up. They can't win every trade!!

I'm sure there is a friendly Geelong travel agent that will 'organise' the airfares and accommodation for family. Oh, you need a car Jack? Right O, go and see Blogs and he will set you up. Your partner needs a job? xxx are looking for staff they might help. Repeat those attractions for any service/product a player coming to Geelong may want and their salary package stretches much much further and it is all tax free to the player!! No cash to player so never appears anywhere near Geelong's books or anyone else's.

No we don't need to but only if it is necessary to make the trade happen. We won't use #54.

Further support to the 'job for the boys' proposition. From The Age: "We were intrigued to learn, amid the furore on Wednesday over the brief tenure of Andrew Thorburn as boss of the Essendon footy club, that the Dons director assigned to support consultant EY’s work on the selection process was Dorothy Hisgrove. That’s because Hisgrove worked with Thorburn at NAB in the noughties... so it is interesting, to say the least, to ponder what position such an accomplished executive and a champion of women’s rights took on EY’s recommendation to hire a bloke who is chairman of an organisation – City on a Hill – that doesn’t allow women to sit on its board because “Eve was created Adam’s helper” and “eldership belongs to men”. We sent questions to Hisgrove on Wednesday but have not had a response". Very difficult for her to spin away that commentary. So it was Hisgrove that championed Thornburn as CEO, to the Ess board. Her professional and personal credibility are shot. Can't see her lasting long on the Ess Board. I'm guessing their AFLW team will be pretty upset by her role in this. They can't stop kicking 'own goals'!!

Toby not happy according to Tom Browne trade-news-rumours-whispers It looks like click bait because he says: “I've checked with sources directly aligned to Greene tonight, there’s no prospect of a trade, there’s no prospect of a trade for Greene this period. “He’s got four years to run on a deal worth north of a million dollars a year, he’s also the Giants' coveted co-captain.” Non-story!

Looks like we will have competition to go up the order. Carlton have put #10 on the market and will use future picks to sweeten the deal. So if our highest pick from Freo is 13 we will need to add more 'sweeteners' to a deal than Carlton does.

Fair point that 27 will slide to 25. But Brisbane didn't have 25 at the time I made that post in which I was saying to just give Coll 27. So I agree no need to sweeten the Grundy deal I could only see a sweetener for Coll optics and give them 54 which we won't use.

He sounds happy but I think his heart still beats true 😢 "Part of Hunt’s signature style West Coast fans might be familiar with has been the Demons-coloured headband he has worn in games, but the new Eagle is still deciding whether he will continue that tradition with a blue and gold accessory out west. “I don’t know about that. It might be a good opportunity to go back to a normal, conservative black one,” Hunt said with a laugh. “I don’t know yet. I’ve got to think about it.” hunt-ready-to-bring-back-attack Eagles keen from the middle of the year and other clubs interested.

And the second part of my post: What then is LJ worth?

Technically Eagles must use a first round pick this year, unless AFL give them an exemption