Carlton’s handling of the Bryce Gibbs trade will force the Blues to pay a premium for Mitch McGovern
CARLTON’S public stance on contracted players when it refused to trade Bryce Gibbs to Adelaide in 2016 will ensure it pays a premium on Mitch McGovern. How much will he cost?
CARLTON’S public stance on contracted players when it refused to trade Bryce Gibbs to Adelaide in 2016 will ensure it pays a premium on Mitch McGovern.
Blues list boss Steve Silvagni refused to trade Gibbs with two years on his contract in 2016, eventually relenting the following year.
McGovern has two years left on a contract of around $650,000 a season, and will receive a pay rise on a deal that could be as long as five years on as much as $700,000-$800,000 a season.
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But Silvagni made clear in late 2016 that securing a trade for multiple years on his deal took a special trade.
“When a player is in contract for two years you have to pay overs, they’re difficult to get out of clubs and they’re important to the clubs they belong to,’’ Silvagni said.
It means Adelaide will not relent on a late-teens pick for a 23-year-old contracted player who can play forward or back and has his best football ahead of him.
The Blues rank McGovern as worthy of a trade for a pick between 15-20, while Adelaide ranks him in the 10-15 range, so they are not a long way apart.
But Carlton will need to secure a priority pick as either a direct trade for McGovern or to help them secure a pick in the early teens.
The Herald Sun understands the Blues will this week lodge an official priority pick request ahead of Monday’s AFL Commission meeting.
They have picks 1, 24 (received from the Bulldogs) and 25 (received from Adelaide) then selections 65 and 73.
A mid first-round priority pick at 11 could be directly traded for McGovern or they could use an end-of-first-round priority pick (19) as part of a deal.
Bundling 19 and 24 to get an earlier pick to trade for McGovern might seal a deal.
Brisbane football boss David Noble told the Herald Sun after discussions about their priority pick submission on Monday they would lodge an official request by Friday this week.
Carlton must also make a decision on what to do with its No. 1 overall pick, likely to secure Geelong Falcon Sam Walsh, but still pondering whether to offer it up for GWS star Dylan Shiel.
Melbourne clubs are now convinced Shiel will ask for a trade back to Victoria, either in GWS exit meetings over the next two days or in the lead-in to the trade period.
Blues coach Brendon Bolton said last month the club’s positive “vibe” would help bring players to Ikon Park.
“Internally we’ve got a really strong vibe,” he said. ”There’s high rigour and challenge … what needs to be challenged gets challenged and what needs to be celebrated gets celebrated.
“It’s a place where you grow not only as footballers.
“When you create an environment like that, potential trade targets understand that and I think you can get them through the door.”
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Originally published as Carlton’s handling of the Bryce Gibbs trade will force the Blues to pay a premium for Mitch McGovern