Moneyball column: Shaun McKernan announces Bomber departure, Geelong eyes premiership before Patrick Dangerfield’s contract expires
Shaun McKernan has announced he has played his final game with Essendon. And there may be other Bombers who won’t be at The Hangar in 2021.
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Essendon forward Shaun McKernan has played his final game for the Bombers, announcing his departure on social media soon after the club’s last game of 2020.
McKernan, 30, hasn’t played since Round 12, and managed only nine games for five goals this season.
His departure comes just days after ruckman Tom Bellchambers announced his retirement as the Bombers look to make significant list changes under coach Ben Rutten while desperately trying to keep out of contract stars Joe Daniher and Adam Saad.
“Unfortunately my time at Essendon has come to end,” McKernan posted on Instagram.
“I came here in 2015 with the hope of playing a few games and ended up being here for 6 years, exceeding far more than I ever expected.
“While I can’t thank everyone on here publicly, I would like to thank all my teammates, coaches, support staff and anyone else I’ve crossed paths while at this great club. To the passionate supporters, you are truly amazing and hearing that roar when we run out onto the MCG is something I’ll miss.
“And trust me that success is not far away. Excited for whatever opportunity comes next.”
McKernan played 87 AFL games - 34 with Adelaide and 53 with Essendon - joining the Bombers in the 2014 rookie draft.
McKernan was been a handy goalkicker in the absence of Daniher, slotting 51 goals across 53 games in six seasons at Tullamarine.
He was delisted by the Bombers in late 2016, but was redrafted by the club.
Meanwhile, Jacob Townsend is facing an uncertain future at Essendon as the Bombers look to rejuvenate their list.
The forward is without a contract for next season and is waiting on Joe Daniher and Adam Saad to make big calls on whether they will remain at the club.
Townsend, 27, has played an admirable role in attack, booting 12 goals across nine games in red and black since crossing from Richmond.
He arrived on a one-year deal and is hopeful of an extension to help provide a hard edge in the Essendon forward set up.
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CATS GO ALL IN FOR ‘DANGERFLAG’
Geelong couldn’t prise Kangaroos star Shaun Higgins out of Arden St last off-season, but could the Cats have one more crack at the classy midfielder?
That is the mail at a club that is going all-in for one more premiership for Tom Hawkins and Joel Selwood, and a first flag for their “transformational” star Patrick Dangerfield.
Let’s call it the “Dangerflag”, given Dangerfield is contracted to 2024 and will turn 31 in the first weeks of the 2021 season.
Geelong clearly won’t get all of the stars they are linked to but so far they are believed to have asked players such as Jack Viney, Brad Crouch, Joe Daniher and Jeremy Cameron.
Crouch is a leading free agency target for the Blues but Geelong is tipped to have its nose in front for the Crows’ best and fairest winner.
All those players are free agents, which means the Cats could use their spare Tim Kelly salary space while still using their three first-rounders to good effect.
Higgins ended up signing a two-year deal with North Melbourne last September, which takes him through to the end of the 2021 season.
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While the Cats have already been linked to a host of players in the lead-up to what will be a frenzied off-season this year, it is understood they still retain an interest in the 32-year-old midfielder, who has strangely been used on the wing at times in 2020.
Given North Melbourne’s slide down the ladder and their willingness to go the draft, would the club consider moving the contracted Higgins on if the interest is still there in what could be a win-win for all parties?
This could all depend on how confident the Cats are of attaining their targets.
But as much as the Roos have denied he would be on the trade table it would be pointless forcing him to run around as a 33-year-old playing out of position if they could get even a late second-round pick for him.
The Higgins situation is definitely a “watch this space”.
WINES CONTENT AT PORT
Reborn Port Adelaide onballer Ollie Wines insists he is happy in South Australia and won’t be making a bombshell move home to Victoria in the trade period.
The star clearance winner has been on recruiters whiteboards all season after Carlton last year entertained a move for Wines in the hope he would ride shotgun alongside Patrick Cripps.
The two big bodies would make a formidable pairing in the engine room for 2021.
But we’ll take Wines’ word for it that he is happy in South Australia as Port Adelaide shoot for a flag under coach Ken Hinkley.
Asked recently if he had any interest in a move home for next season, Wines said: “No, not at the moment, I’m fully comfortable where I am at. I’m perfectly happy where I am.
“With so many interstate guys, we have developed such a good culture at this club that no one wants to go anywhere.”
It means the Blues may have to look elsewhere for a ready-made onballer, with the club making clear it wants a mature-age inside-outside midfielder to help compliment Cripps.
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CROWS CONDUCT TO BE APPLAUDED
As the Giants shunning of the departing Aidan Corr shows how far football must come to reach maturity in the player movement space, at least the position of Brad Crouch is thoroughly refreshing.
No one is even attempting to hide the fact that the Crows and Crouch will examine the AFL’s free agency compensation situation.
His manager Garry Winter told the Herald Sun this week he would field offers for him next week.
Carlton, St Kilda and Geelong will likely be among the bidders.
It’s basically highest-bidder stuff given he doesn’t yet have a set preference, and if the Crows get a first-rounder as compensation they will let him go.
If they don’t, they will likely match the bid and attempt to trade him for a better selection.
The Crows did not officially match a bid for Patrick Dangerfield but forced a trade with Geelong when it became clear they would have matched a bid if it were lodged.
Meanwhile, clubs are rolling their eyes at Leon Cameron baking his playing group on Monday after Corr told the club he was leaving.
GWS has poached their fair share of players from clubs mid-season including captain Phil Davis.
To be fair to Cameron, who said he was shocked and disappointed by the development, he did say Corr was within his rights to leave as a free agent.
“Aidan left yesterday afternoon. That was a disappointing thing to happen (but) he exercised his right for free agency. That’s the rules. He can make that choice,” Cameron said.
“Clearly he’s not going to play for probably three or four weeks because of his ankle and so he probably thought that (leaving the hub) was the decision he wanted to make during the week. I’m not going to lie about it, it’s really disappointing.
“We really rate Aidan, we thought he’s come a long way in the last year and a half at fullback. But he has that right and we have to respect that.”
BUDDY DEAL SET IN STONE
Sydney might be in a bit of a fix with Lance Franklin’s contract, but there is no chance the league will allow the club to alter the mega deal.
The Swans signed the superstar forward to a nine-year $10 million contract but injuries have limited the champion goal kicker to 10 games over the past two seasons including none this year.
Clearly, there are doubts over how much footy “Buddy” has left in him.
It has prompted some suggestion the Swans might like to reassess the last two years of Franklin’s deal, worth an estimated $1.5 million next season.
But under AFL rules there is no flexibility to adjust the value of the last two years of the 33-year-old’s contract because the club lodged the offer for the restricted free agent, meaning it is set in concrete.
It remains to be seen how much salary cap room the Swans have to land Bomber Joe Daniher.
WAGE BARRIER TO POLEC MOVE
Jared Polec’s prospects of joining a fourth club hinge on whether North Melbourne can find a suitor willing to share part of the costs of his costly long-term deal.
It won’t be easy, even if the Kangaroos understand they will have to foot much of the bill.
St Kilda, a team looking for a bit more outside run, could be an option, so long as they don‘t have to pay too much for the player who has been dropped by the Kangaroos on multiple occasions this season.
Polec, 27, remains contracted until the end of the 2023 season.
He may have played his last game for the Kangaroos last night, taking his total to 35 matches in his two seasons at the club since crossing from Port Adelaide.
Roos coach Rhyce Shaw lost patience with Polec’s lack of defensive pressure at times this season, but he returned for the club’s last three games of 2020.
HAS JONES PLAYED LAST GAME FOR DEES?
- Nick Wade
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin says now is not the time to have discussions with former captain Nathan Jones about his playing future.
Jones this week declared he still had plenty to offer next year if the Demons were prepared to offer him a new contract.
But there are fears the 32-year-old has played his final game for the club, with a quad injury keeping him sidelined until at least the first week of finals – should the Demons qualify.
Jones has played only eight matches this year and is stranded on 294 games – second on the Demons’ all-time games list behind David Neitz (306).
“We’ll sit down with Nathan and have the appropriate conversations at the right time,” Goodwin said on Friday.
“Clearly he has been an unbelievable person for the Melbourne footy club and someone that we do really value highly, so we’ll sit down at that time.
“At the moment Nathan is purely focused on getting himself right to continue on in the season and that’s all our focus is with Nathan as well.
“That time will come when we sit down and have the chat. It will be two parties sitting down and discussing what’s best for not only Nathan but the Melbourne footy club.”
Jones has been completing his rehab on a neighbouring oval away from the main group at the Marychodore training complex.
“If I was to go on, my thinking would be around what I can still offer to the group,” Jones told The Captain’s Run podcast.
“I’ve had a tough year, really, with injury in particular, but in saying that I’ve probably learnt more than I ever have (in regards to having) an influence and impact on the group.
“From a mental point of view, I feel really balanced and excited about what I could potentially offer next year.”
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Originally published as Moneyball column: Shaun McKernan announces Bomber departure, Geelong eyes premiership before Patrick Dangerfield’s contract expires