Trade Requested Bailey Smith - Reportedly headed to Geelong

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Biggy_Boy said:
If people want to talk about how things "should be" and point out flaws in the system, the actual fundamental flaw here is that Bailey Smith is an uncontracted player, but he still needs to be traded for. This is not the case in other professional sporting leagues. An unsigned player is a free agent and can walk to where he wants to go. That's really how it should be, but the AFL don't have the balls to do it.

Any unsigned player by trade period is a free agent and can freely walk (no lame comp system either). This forces clubs to either get players signed promptly, or to organise trades when they're still under contract as requested. All this jostling for a player who doesn't have a contract with their "current" club is really pretty illogical and ludicrous. Smith actually is not a Bulldogs player because he does not have a contract with them for next season.

I'm sure that in the future this is how the AFL will go as well. I'm sure the AFLPA will push hard for it given how frequently you get clubs holding players somewhere they don't want to be for another year on their contract, and still being hard-nosed pricks the following year when the player is no longer theirs.
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Not exactly true. the NFL and NBA have restricted free agency as well. Under those models, Smith would be a restriced free agent as the Dogs have offered him a contract. He would only be able to get to Geelong if the Dogs didnt match Geelong's contract offer, or he could be traded to Geelong
 
Biggy_Boy said:
If people want to talk about how things "should be" and point out flaws in the system, the actual fundamental flaw here is that Bailey Smith is an uncontracted player, but he still needs to be traded for. This is not the case in other professional sporting leagues. An unsigned player is a free agent and can walk to where he wants to go. That's really how it should be, but the AFL don't have the balls to do it.

Any unsigned player by trade period is a free agent and can freely walk (no lame comp system either). This forces clubs to either get players signed promptly, or to organise trades when they're still under contract as requested. All this jostling for a player who doesn't have a contract with their "current" club is really pretty illogical and ludicrous. Smith actually is not a Bulldogs player because he does not have a contract with them for next season.

I'm sure that in the future this is how the AFL will go as well. I'm sure the AFLPA will push hard for it given how frequently you get clubs holding players somewhere they don't want to be for another year on their contract, and still being hard-nosed pricks the following year when the player is no longer theirs.
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This isnt true at all

With Bailey Smiths level of service he would be a restricted free agent where Bulldogs could match Geelongs salary offer... which they would... which means Bailey Smith would either play AFL for the Western Bulldogs or stack groceries at Aldi
 
Sirlemsip said:
Cats supporters want people to just forget that trade...

The Kelly trade was:
  • Geelong: Kelly, Pick 52, F3
  • WC: Pick 14, Pick 24, Pick 37 and F1

This equated Kelly's value at Pick 2

The only significant difference between Kelly and Smith is that Smith is coming off the year out with an ACL.
Both uncontracted.
Both with a six-year deal waiting at their new club.
Smith is 23. Kelly was 26, but definitely had another 6 years left at the top level, particularly as he was a late starter.

It is crazy that Geelong think pick 17 alone is a 'fair deal'.
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Apart from the fact Kelly was coming off a career-best season, and Smith is at arguably his lowest point (mediocre 2023 and missed all of 2024), yeah they're exactly the same. :$
 

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MisterMarcus said:
Apart from the fact Kelly was coming off a career-best season, and Smith is at arguably his lowest point (mediocre 2023 and missed all of 2024), yeah they're exactly the same. :$
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Mediocre 2023? He averaged:

24 disposals
3.5 clearances
3.5 tackles
3.5 inside 50s

For context, Max Holmes who won your best and fairest averaged:

24 disposals
3.3 clerances
3 tackles
4 inside 50s

It was down on his previous form but let's not rewrite history and pretend he wasn't still at a high level in 2023..
 
Sirlemsip said:
Cats supporters want people to just forget that trade...

The Kelly trade was:
  • Geelong: Kelly, Pick 52, F3
  • WC: Pick 14, Pick 24, Pick 37 and F1

This equated Kelly's value at Pick 2

The only significant difference between Kelly and Smith is that Smith is coming off the year out with an ACL.
Both uncontracted.
Both with a six-year deal waiting at their new club.
Smith is 23. Kelly was 26, but definitely had another 6 years left at the top level, particularly as he was a late starter.

It is crazy that Geelong think pick 17 alone is a 'fair deal'.
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Kelly’s form when getting traded was better than Smiths. Finished second in the bnf.
 
adogsfan5 said:
Kelly’s form when getting traded was better than Smiths. Finished second in the bnf.
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And AA and 5th in the Brownlow.

And Geelong and Kelly's relationship was not fractured like BS and the Dogs is. And we don't/didn't have Bevo as coach who seems to have a toxic relationship with a few of his players, inc. BS.

And Geelong was willing to offer Kelly and serious contract, unlike the Dogs pretend 2 year deal tabled for BS.

Plus WCE had overlooked Kelly for about 5 years, until we picked him up and made hi a star.

Not comparable trades at all.
 
adogsfan5 said:
Kelly’s form when getting traded was better than Smiths. Finished second in the bnf.
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And Geelong traded with his club of choice despite offers elsewhere, but I'm not sure what point is being made by the comparison anyway.

The fact that there isn't even the hint of a rumour about clubs with a pick higher than Geelong even making vague contact with the Dogs about Smith should surely be enough of a reality check, but good luck to em. Gotta haggle.
 
joe444 said:
And Geelong traded with his club of choice despite offers elsewhere, but I'm not sure what point is being made by the comparison anyway.

The fact that there isn't even the hint of a rumour about clubs with a pick higher than Geelong even making vague contact with the Dogs about Smith should surely be enough of a reality check, but good luck to em. Gotta haggle.
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Genuinely curious, if it comes to the night and the team with a pick before yours says "We are going to take Bailey Smith, but we're open to trading our pick for yours and your future first, what say you?" what then?

It's all good and well to say teams won't draft him, but they don't have to, to take advantage of the situation.
 
Bald said:
Mediocre 2023? He averaged:

24 disposals
3.5 clearances
3.5 tackles
3.5 inside 50s

For context, Max Holmes who won your best and fairest averaged:

24 disposals
3.3 clerances
3 tackles
4 inside 50s

It was down on his previous form but let's not rewrite history and pretend he wasn't still at a high level in 2023..
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Some serious cherry picking of stats here.
 
Bald said:
Genuinely curious, if it comes to the night and the team with a pick before yours says "We are going to take Bailey Smith, but we're open to trading our pick for yours and your future first, what say you?" what then?

It's all good and well to say teams won't draft him, but they don't have to, to take advantage of the situation.
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No, obviously. A future second, maybe. It's a hell of a risk for a club to take on a player they don't necessarily want.

I think in all these discussions we overlook the fact that it's genuinely in clubs' interests to not develop a reputation as screwing around with the careers and personal lives of their players. And no p8767896ing off player managers.

But I try to remain as clear eyed about this as possible. Pick 17 on its own seems a bit skinny. But there has to be something in the consensus that he goes to the PSD, he will get to Geelong.
 

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Bald said:
Genuinely curious, if it comes to the night and the team with a pick before yours says "We are going to take Bailey Smith, but we're open to trading our pick for yours and your future first, what say you?" what then?

It's all good and well to say teams won't draft him, but they don't have to, to take advantage of the situation.
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We ask them why they're spending a precious Top 10-15 pick in a supposedly great draft, on a player who openly does not want to be at their club.
 
GoEaglesGoSGIO said:
This isnt true at all

With Bailey Smiths level of service he would be a restricted free agent where Bulldogs could match Geelongs salary offer... which they would... which means Bailey Smith would either play AFL for the Western Bulldogs or stack groceries at Aldi
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RFA doesn't exist in other sports, I think Biggy_Boy is referring to a situation where RFA is not a thing.
 
MacStradbroke said:
Some serious cherry picking of stats here.
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Not really? I can push it further.

Max Holmes only has a significant advantage over Bailey in meters gained and marks.

If that's all it takes to differentiate between the best player at your club and a mediocre season then that's interesting to say the least.
 
MisterMarcus said:
We ask them why they're spending a precious Top 10-15 pick in a supposedly great draft, on a player who openly does not want to be at their club.
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Because we really like what Bailey brings and we'll back in our system, given we're taking him in the first round we'll have 3 years to do it and if it clearly isn't working, you can offer us a trade at the end of next year for a contracted Bailey Smith.

There, easy.
 
Bald said:
Genuinely curious, if it comes to the night and the team with a pick before yours says "We are going to take Bailey Smith, but we're open to trading our pick for yours and your future first, what say you?" what then?

It's all good and well to say teams won't draft him, but they don't have to, to take advantage of the situation.
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And btw, you can't swap picks in the PSD, which is where Smith would go.
 
Bald said:
Because we really like what Bailey brings and we'll back in our system, given we're taking him in the first round we'll have 3 years to do it and if it clearly isn't working, you can offer us a trade at the end of next year for a contracted Bailey Smith.

There, easy.
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If it didn't work out, his value would tank further so the other team would end up getting less than they paid for him. So it would seem very silly to me.

And I don't understand why Dogs fans are desperately trying to talk up this scenario. If it happens, instead of getting what you see as 80c in the dollar, you get nothing.
 

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Trade Requested Bailey Smith - Reportedly headed to Geelong

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