Recruiting AFL Trade & Free Agency XII - 💰💰💰

[Lore]

Quick links: Player Contract Status | Draft Watch 2023 | AFLW Draft, Trade & Sign

The embedded resources below are kept up to date by the trade board mods (as much as possible – we are human after all). Enjoy!

Spoiler: 2024 Draft Order

 

[Schnitzengruben]

Yeah, we would have. We can still bring in Rosas and Menzie would have been signed anyway.

We re-signed him to give him a chance at returning to the form before this year. I get that you haven't rated Menzie from the get go but come on.

Alwyn looks more of an outside mid than small forward. Jayden is a long shot and might not be on the list next year. Guelfi is OOC and might request a trade.

You don't like Menzie so you think it's poor list management. Giving a one year deal to a guy who's 21 and previously shown to be AFL capable is fine. It's not panic stations.

We obviously got an indication that Ainsworth was going to re-sign with the GC and so we signed Menzies at the same time. That was very clearly a panic move by the club, others would say an insurance policy.

If Ainsworth had chosen us, there is zero chance Menzies would've been re-signed at this point (if at all). But now we could perhaps be overstocked for smalls, once again - depending how the trade period goes.

I don't rate him. But if the end of the year came around and we decided it was the best move to retain him, then sure. It just made no sense to do it early.

 

[Westlo]

Well, no, Merrett is the skipper. We’re obviously not trading him. You don’t trade your leaders, especially when you have so few.

We can call it awful, no doubt about that. But what are we here for? To win flags, supposedly. We had incompetent list management who did stupid things that we now have to try to fix. Relocating a professional athlete to another club on the same pay doesn’t really rate up there in terms of horrible acts for mine. You need a bit of ruthlessness.

That's all well and good but if Martin signs a 6 year contract after his current one and decides to go back to WA after a year (and harley reid is not part of that trade) you're going to be all good with that?

Works both ways.

 

[Zach Package]

That's all well and good but if Martin signs a 6 year contract after his current one and decides to go back to WA after a year (and harley reid is not part of that trade) you're going to be all good with that?

Works both ways.

Love that someone has said this.

We’ve spent the better part of a decade trying to regain standing in the community after literally treating the playing group like livestock, the solution to that is not treating the players that offer us long term commitment with complete and utter contempt for minimal return. To say it’s not a great look is the understatement of the century.

Utter ****ing lunacy

 

[yodellinhank]

Yeah, we would have. We can still bring in Rosas and Menzie would have been signed anyway.

We re-signed him to give him a chance at returning to the form before this year. I get that you haven't rated Menzie from the get go but come on.

Alwyn looks more of an outside mid than small forward. Jayden is a long shot and might not be on the list next year. Guelfi is OOC and might request a trade.

You don't like Menzie so you think it's poor list management. Giving a one year deal to a guy who's 21 and previously shown to be AFL capable is fine. It's not panic stations.

He needs to take more of his chances as a forward, Jayden seems to have a far better goal sense. He'd also look better if we had forwards bringing the ball to ground for him to crumb.

He's younger than we think because he has managed to play regularly and people are familiar with the name. That makes people think he's been around for ages doing nothing. Better to be doing nothing and not being known (like say, a Hunter, who some fans wouldn't even know).

I would like to see more of him at half back, we need someone there who can run and kick and there's nobody developing in that role.

 

[ghostdog]

Nah, that's kinda stupid logic.

Everyone knows we needed another small forward regardless of Menzie getting another year. Menzie can play despite the popular opinion on here. He had a poor year that nobody denies. His first year and a half were good and giving him a one year deal allows him the chance to prove himself again. There are plenty of players who've been on the list longer than should get cut before him.

Bringing in Rosas wouldn't change that.

To me he's had that chance.
Approval of the contract offer was premature I reckon.

 

[P Money]

Love that someone has said this.

We’ve spent the better part of a decade trying to regain standing in the community after literally treating the playing group like livestock, the solution to that is not treating the players that offer us long term commitment with complete and utter contempt for minimal return. To say it’s not a great look is the understatement of the century.

Utter ****ing lunacy

I look forward to the day our footy club can make decisions based on what will make us a more successful footy club rather than the 'debt of gratitude' we apparently STILL owe every player and administrator and the AFL and entire football community.

Collingwood shipped off multiple contracted players (who were arguably better players than the ones being discussed on here) and won the premiership in the following years. 'Not a great look' didn't seem to hurt the pies.

 

[cAsEy_18]

Rosa 2 Rosas

You could say we’re going to come out of this trade period smelling like Rosa’s..

 

[Bunk Moreland]

That's all well and good but if Martin signs a 6 year contract after his current one and decides to go back to WA after a year (and harley reid is not part of that trade) you're going to be all good with that?

Works both ways.

If somebody contracted wants out then - provided we get a fair trade in return - I think you’re best to get rid of them anyway.

A player is guaranteed $ and term for their contract and if they club wanted to trade them, they should retain those same conditions for the life of their contract. If no other club will pay it then we make up the difference.

Equally, the club is guaranteed the player’s service under a contract. If we’re not going to get that, we should be compensated via a reasonable trade.

 

[Zach Package]

I look forward to the day our footy club can make decisions based on what will make us a more successful footy club rather than the 'debt of gratitude' we apparently STILL owe every player and administrator and the AFL and entire football community.

Collingwood shipped off multiple contracted players (who were arguably better players than the ones being discussed on here) and won the premiership in the following years. 'Not a great look' didn't seem to hurt the pies.

This isn’t debt of gratitude stuff. This is treating your employees well so they don’t hate their job and the people they work for.

I know when I threaten my employees job security on a consistent basis they perform really well, but I’m probably an outlier.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Bunk Moreland you need to get a grip on yourself.

We're not trading Redman and Ridley and it would be absolutely stupid to do so. Yeah one has been injured a lot this year and the other a rough patch but to use that against them as if they're not quality players is the definition of a knee-jerk reaction.

In 2+ years our backline will be the most experienced part of the ground making up the 27 age mark bar maybe 2 players and an experienced defense that has worked together for multiple years is a vital requirement for the rest of the side adjusting.

The true reason our backline has struggled is the presence of Laverde, Kelly and Heppell (along with the rest of the side's inability to defend at an efficient rate yet). These 3 have handicapped it's improvement yet even with that on them and injuries to Ridley our backline as a collective was probably the only reason we didn't fall to 100 point drubbings on a regular basis from mistakes up the ground.

 

[eth-dog]

Don't think he's complaining about the re-sign, more the timing of when it happened. Nobody stands to gain from doing it mid year when so much water needs to go under the bridge. As he said nobody else was knocking

And I disagree. Us re-signing him at that point indicates that we were going to do so regardless.

We obviously got an indication that Ainsworth was going to re-sign with the GC and so we signed Menzies at the same time. That was very clearly a panic move by the club, others would say an insurance policy.

If Ainsworth had chosen us, there is zero chance Menzies would've been re-signed at this point (if at all). But now we could perhaps be overstocked for smalls, once again - depending how the trade period goes.

I don't rate him. But if the end of the year came around and we decided it was the best move to retain him, then sure. It just made no sense to do it early.

Or, we were always going to re-sign him and we agreed to the terms of the deal already and signed him.

You don't rate him so by your logic, if xyz had happened then we wouldn't have re-signed him. Because of your perception of him as a player.

EHe needs to take more of his chances as a forward, Jayden seems to have a far better goal sense. He'd also look better if we had forwards bringing the ball to ground for him to crumb.

He's younger than we think because he has managed to play regularly and people are familiar with the name. That makes people think he's been around for ages doing nothing. Better to be doing nothing and not being known (like say, a Hunter, who some fans wouldn't even know).

I would like to see more of him at half back, we need someone there who can run and kick and there's nobody developing in that role.

Does he? In the 5 VFL games Jye played this year (one of which was off half back, mind) he had 1, 0, 2, 2 and 3 goals and Jayden 3, 0, 0, 1 and 0. Jayden kicked less goals than games played this year too.

To me he's had that chance.
Approval of the contract offer was premature I reckon.

He had a bad year. As soon as any player who's played seniors fairly regularly has a bad year yhis board jump up and down and act crazy.

Re-signing him that early also probably gives him a necessary boost of confidence coming into pre-season. If we were going to re-sign him anyway, which the early re-signing indicates, why put it off?

 

[Mercurial89]

My man Alex Davies is out of contract and has Collingwood and Geelong's interest. What do they know about list building?

191cm mid and only 22. Struggled to get games behind Rowell, Anderson and Miller until Hardwick came along. Played 7 games in the back end of the season but was suspended for 3 from an incident v. Port. During that game he had 20 disposals, 13 contested 12 tackles and 8 clearances. He projects well just needs consistency.

Meanwhile, we have Setterfield who can't stay on the park. There's an option there.

I don't hate the player but does he play in our side?

I don't mean does he have a spot and should he play,

it's will our coaches select him in his proper position.
Or does he play a bulk of VFL and when he does play they stick him on a flank or as sub?

 

[Mercurial89]

Bunk Moreland you need to get a grip on yourself.

We're not trading Redman and Ridley and it would be absolutely stupid to do so. Yeah one has been injured a lot this year and the other a rough patch but to use that against them as if they're not quality players is the definition of a knee-jerk reaction.

In 2+ years our backline will be the most experienced part of the ground making up the 27 age mark bar maybe 2 players and an experienced defense that has worked together for multiple years is a vital requirement for the rest of the side adjusting.

The true reason our backline has struggled is the presence of Laverde, Kelly and Heppell (along with the rest of the side's inability to defend at an efficient rate yet). These 3 have handicapped it's improvement yet even with that on them and injuries to Ridley our backline as a collective was probably the only reason we didn't fall to 100 point drubbings on a regular basis from mistakes up the ground.

He doesn't think they aren't quality.

It's specifically that they are quality that he is raising their names because they would get us real tangible capital to rebalance the list.

I disagree with the names but I agree with the premise.
If you are going to argue back against him at least understand his point, the players are good he acknowledges that.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

Us re-signing him at that point indicates that we were going to do so regardless.

It doesn't. In fact, I think it's pretty obvious we panicked.

Or, we were always going to re-sign him and we agreed to the terms of the deal already and signed him.

We signed him in mid September 2023 to a 1 year deal after an objectively much better season. That at least made sense.

You cannot tell me, with a straight face, that re-signing him in July, after a very poor season, within a week~ of Ainsworth turning us down, was just a coincidence.

You don't rate him so by your logic, if xyz had happened then we wouldn't have re-signed him. Because of your perception of him as a player.

I already said I didn't mind if it was the end of the year and if that was clear after all player movement that it was the best decision for us.

You keep trying to make it personal with me, but I'm not bringing up your clear bias - ie you think it's a good decision because you really rate him.

 

[Mercurial89]

It doesn't. In fact, I think it's pretty obvious we panicked.

We signed him in mid September 2023 to a 1 year deal after an objectively much better season. That at least made sense.

You cannot tell me, with a straight face, that re-signing him in July, after a very poor season, within a week~ of Ainsworth turning us down, was just a coincidence.

I already said I didn't mind if it was the end of the year and if that was clear after all player movement that it was the best decision for us.

You keep trying to make it personal with me, but I'm not bringing up your clear bias - ie you think it's a good decision because you really rate him.

I think a simple way of looking at it is your more annoyed by the process that was followed rather than the specific player being re-signed.

 

[Blind Turn]

I propose we relocate the club to Margaret River and call ourselves the Margaret River Mosquitoes in order to lure Kossie to the club.

 

[Call Me Cake]

He doesn't think they aren't quality.

It's specifically that they are quality that he is raising their names because they would get us real tangible capital to rebalance the list.

I disagree with the names but I agree with the premise.
If you are going to argue back against him at least understand his point, the players are good he acknowledges that.

That wasn't the crux of my point either but it is relavant in that even if they've had a form slump or injuries their quality is important to us. Not just to remain competitive so we don't look like norf for 6 years but also because they are a part of our long term future and are a part of the equation of our prospect of success in the next 3 years and more, whether that is consistency in finals or a flag. When we go through the delistings/retirements and form slumps of older players elsewhere on the ground in that time our backline is set to naturally become the most mature/gelled part of the ground and that is something you need for finals and contention.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

I think a simple way of looking at it is your more annoyed by the process that was followed rather than the specific player being re-signed.

Yeah, pretty much. I said a few times if we made the decision at the end of the season, it's fine. But no other club would've come knocking for Jye. He's the type of player you'd re-sign if we had zero other options and it could've easily waited.

Now if the prospect of Rosa comes along, and Kako being gifted to us - it makes the early re-signing decision seem rather bad.

If he was un-signed right now, I bet you they would be shelving it until the end of trade period and he probably doesn't get another gig.

 

[eth-dog]

It doesn't. In fact, I think it's pretty obvious we panicked.

We signed him in mid September 2023 to a 1 year deal after an objectively much better season. That at least made sense.

You cannot tell me, with a straight face, that re-signing him in July, after a very poor season, within a week~ of Ainsworth turning us down, was just a coincidence.

I already said I didn't mind if it was the end of the year and if that was clear after all player movement that it was the best decision for us.

You keep trying to make it personal with me, but I'm not bringing up your clear bias - ie you think it's a good decision because you really rate him.

I'm really not. Is there any indication that we weren't gonna re-sign him beyond you saying that was the case? You're saying we panicked based on one player re-signing with their club.

I'm not hiding the fact that I rate him. But there's also more evidence supporting my point that we were going to re-sign him anyway.

You can't tell me with a straight face, that even though we re-signed him in July, that you think he wasn't going to get a contract next year.

 

[faible]

In terms of small forwards, we currently have Jayden Davey as the only real 'crumber' that I would consider on the list. We've got Kako coming in, otherwise we've been relying on guys like Gresham, Menzie and Guelfi to fill a hole.

ADJ always did his best work further up the field, nothing at AFL or VFL level has shown otherwise IMO.

If we brought in Rosas it would provide a genuine crumber who's likely to play at AFL level each week, meaning we're not solely reliant on a first-year Kako or a speculative Jayden Davey.

Guelfi is more of a hard-working utility that can plug and play anywhere on the field. If we needed a guy on the list for depth that could play back, forward or through the midfield at VFL level, it's Guelfi.

Menzie is a bit speculative, he did OK as a small forward playing closer to goal last year, got a bit lost playing higher this year, and showed he might be passable as a small defender in a pinch. Retaining him for another year means Kako and/or Jayden Davey don't need to be rushed in to the AFL before they're ready, he's still young enough at 21 that he can improve, and if the small forwards go past him, he can be tried down back as a small defender given we've used Kelly or had to play Redman as a defensive small at the expense of his run and carry.

Watching us play this year it's pretty clear we need at least 2 more genuine small forwards in the AFL side. Jayden is a big maybe, Kako isn't even drafted yet.

 

[d-mac3276]

This is Rosas' mum allegedly!

Cmon Essendon this is our chance.

View attachment 2095361

Terrible grammar...do not want

 

[joey_jo_jo]

I dont think we should have a complete firesale of all our contracted players, you would lose the playing group's trust if you went down that path.
But I do think we need to be creative and also accept that a couple of the guys on long contracts arent going to be the A-graders we thought they are.
I would ask one or two of the below three to explore options:

• Parish has been overtaken by guys who arent as one dimensional so isnt the key cog in the midfield they thought he was.
• Redman is way too inconsistent, I dont think he has ever put together a whole season of good performances, always manages at least a couple of stinkers.
• Ridley - injury prone.

The only reason I am not including McGrath is I still think he is a quality lockdown defender, just take the VC of him please.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Menzie had a good 2023 and when you compare his stats to another rookie pick in Papley at the same stage of their careers they're similar. He's also 21. And, reglardless of whether you think a different player would be good enough to break into the side first up or not, small forwards weren't exactly something we had a lot of and not many were banging the door down to break into the side.

Menzie also had 2023 as proof that he could provide. He had shown more recent evidence to warrant faith than many small forwards on the outer (or even others) to warrant belief. Especially for a 1 year contract. Not to mention many players who are far older than him have had down years. He cops a lot of heavily weighted flak compared to anyone his age that it's pretty unbelievable imo. Reckon it's probably because he looks older than he is so people expect more.

 

[P Money]

This isn’t debt of gratitude stuff. This is treating your employees well so they don’t hate their job and the people they work for.

I know when I threaten my employees job security on a consistent basis they perform really well, but I’m probably an outlier.

I mean you're the one referencing the saga as if what happened then should influence decisions we make on players now. And I'll say it again - Collingwood pushed out gun players on long contracts who publicly lamented that they didn't want to go. How did that work out for them? Did the remaining players underperform? Did it kill their culture? Did they struggle to attract players from other clubs afterwards?

Basically you're arguing against it from a theoretical standpoint when, while it might be a solid theory, you have a practical example right in front of you that flies directly in its face.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

I'm really not. Is there any indication that we weren't gonna re-sign him beyond you saying that was the case? You're saying we panicked based on one player re-signing with their club.

Well, pursuing Ainsworth seems to me they had clear aspirations of an upgrade. Also a fringe player who repeatedly got dropped on a 1 year deal doesn't exactly scream confidence.

I think it's clear when the ideal replacement re-signs, you go for the back up plan, which Menzie was. Trouble is, we panicked when we could've easily waited.

But there's also more evidence supporting my point that we were going to re-sign him anyway.

You haven't really provided any evidence, only just said it was so.

I highlighted that they re-signed him in mid September 2023 after a much better season. A July re-signing after a terrible season makes no season comparatively.

They tried to pursue Ainsworth (a Menzie type but much better), failed, then re-signed Menzie at basically same time?

If Ainsworth said he wanted to join, we would've still signed Menzie right then and there? You can't be serious.

You can't tell me with a straight face, that even though we re-signed him in July, that you think he wasn't going to get a contract next year.

Sorry but why was a contract for 2025 such a lock in your eyes after spitting out a putrid 0.2 goal-a-game season as a fumbly small forward?

He did enough in 2023 for a 1 year deal, sure. But he clearly wasn't re-signed in 2024 on merit, so perhaps connect the dots around our Plan A falling though.