Speculation Liam Baker

[Jeremias]

Time for some house cleaning.

1) Do not drag discussions or individual posts over here from other threads or boards.

Feel free to respond to those posts wherever they were posted, if you so choose.

2) Enough with the personal attacks. It’s a long season and this one may go the distance, so if you want to remain a part of the discussion, do it respectfully.

We will use thread bans and infractions if necessary.

 

[s_wd6]

I think everyone is mate

****ing Port. So selfish. Couldn't sacrifice for the greater good of this country. They would've stayed in 2nd too.

 

[tigs2010]

****ing Port. So selfish. Couldn't sacrifice for the greater good of this country. They would've stayed in 2nd too.

Tell me about it. Invested 6 hours of my life into what was looking like a great Sunday for 3.5 of them

 

[Jeremias]

I think everyone is mate

Speak for yourself!!

 

[Barrybran]

You can plug the hole for much cheaper though? Especially if Baker is going to cost you the Barrass pick.

Baker isn't going to cost the Barrass pick. We'll look after Richmond through Graham and they'll make up any shortfall through Gold Coast and Fremantle (some combination of picks 1, 9/10 (not both), 13, 17, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 29 is pretty darn good and they'll be able to move up the order with those, just not through us).

To answer your question though, who is coming to West Coast? It would be nice to fill that hole for cheaper but I don't see it happening.

 

[Rich01]

No Freo doesnt make sense as We cant even make finals.

Baker is better off Staying at Richmond. Saying that, I can see the tigers to a Hawks style rebuild with the picks they have.

Trade or bring in 2 or 3 blokes from other clubs each season while getting 4 or 5 or 6 kids in the national draft. Get the occasional Gem in the rookie draft. Tigers will spent 4 or 5 seasons in a row outside the top 8, but they will be fine.

Baker would bring much needed leadership to a young core. Thats my one big concern with him and Graham leaving after Cotchin, Jack, Dusty, Grimes all retired over the past 12 months.

Your team has talent but not the tenacity to put it all on the line when the big moments in big games are there to be won. Baker will help guys like Serong shine in big moments. On Sunday he withered against the Port mids who took it on. At west coast all he does is set an example and help build a winning culture for a young group, that at best has success after he’s gone. Thats not a bad outcome for the club bereft of leadership as it is.

Personally I’d like to keep him.
But if he says tomorrow he’d like to go, I’d like to get as much as possible for him, that’s always been my view. And I think he’s gone because he hasn’t signed for us.

 

[s_wd6]

Baker isn't going to cost the Barrass pick. We'll look after Richmond through Graham and they'll make up any shortfall through Gold Coast and Fremantle (some combination of picks 1, 9/10 (not both), 13, 17, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 29 is pretty darn good and they'll be able to move up the order with those, just not through us).

To answer your question though, who is coming to West Coast? It would be nice to fill that hole for cheaper but I don't see it happening.

Will Brodie

 

[tigs2010]

Speak for yourself!!

Checks moderator status

 

[Barrybran]

Will Brodie

I haven't seen any interest from us in him. Contracted until the end of 2026. What would you give him up for?

 

[DragoDelph]

I haven't seen any interest from us in him. Contracted until the end of 2026. What would you give him up for?

Good vibes?

 

[s_wd6]

I haven't seen any interest from us in him. Contracted until the end of 2026. What would you give him up for?

Literally anything

 

[Barrybran]

Good vibes?

Reuben Ginbey is going to host half of the Eagles kids in Dunsborough this summer. I think we'll be set for good vibes!

 

[Rich01]

Baker to West Coast is something I don't understand for either side, unless he was a massive West Coast fan growing up and West Coast's list manager is delulu.

West coast’s list manager picked him up as a junior for the Tigers.

Let’s just say he’s a big fan.

 

[stallon]

I haven't seen any interest from us in him. Contracted until the end of 2026. What would you give him up for?

Hes really not a good fit haha. We need defensive effort and running power, which are supposedly his biggest flaws

 

[Barrybran]

Hes really not a good fit haha. We need defensive effort and running power, which are supposedly his biggest flaws

So we're trading Liam Ryan to Fremantle after all

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Jamie Cripps is out of contract at the end of next year. I expect Baker to fill his role. Like Jayden Hunt, it's a decent stop gap while our kids develop at WAFL level.

Giving up a good draft pick for that stop gap means one less good kid to develop.

 

[eaglespremiers]

Personally (and I've said this before on this thread), I don't think the Barass pick will be on the table, but you will need to pony up more than your 2nd. I've said before, I suspect it will be 23 plus F2 with a 3rd in either 2024 or 2025 coming back to you, maybe your 3rd in 2024 comes back to you.

Something like 23 and F2, for Baker and 41. You take 3, 11 (or whatever the Barass pick ends up as) and 41 to the draft and hope to get Champion after that (not many of the lists anymore have him top 40). You guys add Baker and potentially Graham (if thats where he ends up). I reckon you'd back yourselves in to improve in 2025.

I'd personally prefer to keep my 2nd rounders (both this year and next) than trade them for Baker.
If we must get him, for some strange reason, this draft bats deep so I guess next year's 2nd round, but even then I'd do it begrudgingly as I don't think he's for us. We need to do sensationally well in the next two drafts. Every pick we trade away lowers our chances of doing so.

 

[eaglespremiers]

Agree. Tobies body of work across his AFL career is far superior to that of Baker.

Anyone who suggests the value of a known quantity in Baker is superior to that of an unknown but full of potential undrafted player is an idiot.

What a disingenuous straw man response.

 

[TY24]

I can see the reasoning for Baker picking WC, it's more WC handing over draft capital for him - while they are literally letting a best 22 29 year old KPD walk out the door at the same time. It's just dumb.

The idea is we won’t be handing over much.

Anything more than a 2nd rounder and we should be saying thanks but no thanks.

He’d be nice to have but he should not be our priority.

 

[Barrybran]

Giving up a good draft pick for that stop gap means one less good kid to develop.

It does but we've had kids developing at AFL level the last couple of years that really shouldn't have been and we've got best 23 players on the verge of retirement or diminishing speed/skills. I'm in the camp of not wanting to give up a decent pick for Baker but I'm probably more accepting of the idea than most on our board. Once the likes of McGovern, Yeo, Kelly, Cripps, etc. goes it is pretty much kids and B/C graders outside of Allen/Waterman. We kinda have to fill some holes or risk looking like North Melbourne or early days GWS. Ideally we would do that via free agency though.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

The idea is we won’t be handing over much.

Anything more than a 2nd rounder and we should be saying thanks but no thanks.

He’d be nice to have but he should not be our priority.

Seems like it would be two 2nds at least given most see him as worth a top 20 pick at minimum. The whole thing is weird, just feels like WC are forcing themselves to trade for someone they know they shouldn't be.

Legitimately when I looked earlier in the year, I think a bottom 4 side hasn't paid a top 30 pick for someone 26 or over since at least 2010. It's just not a thing clubs do.

 

[eaglespremiers]

Seems like it would be two 2nds at least given most see him as worth a top 20 pick at minimum.

There is no scenario in which West Coast should entertain a trade of two 2nds. It would be an extremely amateur list manager who would do such a trade.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

There is no scenario in which West Coast should entertain a trade of two 2nds. It would be an extremely amateur list manager who would do such a trade.

I agree but Baker seems to want to have his cake then (look after Richmond) and eat it too (join a club that can't afford to look after Richmond). I'm fascinated to see who looks like the biggest dickhead once it's all done.

 

[eaglespremiers]

I agree but Baker seems to want to have his cake then (look after Richmond) and eat it too (join a club that can't afford to look after Richmond). I'm fascinated to see who looks like the biggest dickhead once it's all done.

I doubt there would be a single West Coast fan who would be happy to give up the Barrass pick or two 2nds for Baker. It's just so counter-intuitive given his age and what we really need (and could get in this draft).
I think most West Coast fans really want us to have nothing to do with the Baker trade (at least if here and Facebook is anything to go off).

 

[Cobbler]

I agree but Baker seems to want to have his cake then (look after Richmond) and eat it too (join a club that can't afford to look after Richmond). I'm fascinated to see who looks like the biggest dickhead once it's all done.

Somehow the answer will be Freo…

 

[Triggering Tiger]

I'm going to miss Liam but two first round draft picks will ease the pain.