Adam Cooney reveals what trade period is really like for AFL players

ADAM Cooney reveals what it’s like to hear your name in trade rumours and the day he knew his papers were stamped at the Bulldogs. Plus Cooney rates this year’s trade targets.

Adam Cooney in his final year at the Bulldogs.

TO STEAL UFC champ Conor McGregor’s famous quote: “Break out the red panties baby, it’s the trade period.”

This statement (or words to that effect) echo from AFL fringe players, inconsistent performers and free agents all over the country at this time of year.

Andrew Hooper (sorry Hoops) turns from occasional goalsneak into Gary Ablett. Ty Vickery is reportedly getting a half a million clams to join the Hawks after a much-maligned career at the Tigers. Names get thrown up from all kinds of anonymous sources, some around the mark but others just to create discussion.

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It can be the perfect time for a player to cash in when a club has a substandard year as everyone is looking for someone who can fill a gap in their team and help them move up the ladder.

Most of the time clubs are willing to pay “overs”, meaning forking out more money than a player is worth or has shown on the field. This can be because a couple of clubs could be interested in a player which, similar to going to an auction for a property, drives the player’s price up, sometimes to ridiculous levels. Or possibly because the club rates a particular point of their game and feels they can improve their overall output by backing in the club’s systems, development and culture. Sydney and the Hawks have shown this can pay off — Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson, David Hale, Ted Richards and Jack Gunston are a few that come to mind!

For me the 2014 trade period was the most stressful time of my career.

That was not a particularly successful year for the Dogs. After showing some improvement in the back end of 2013, development stalled and we ended up winning only seven games, one fewer than the previous year.

From that point I knew my papers had well and truly been stamped.

- Adam Cooney

After signing a two-year deal at the end of the 2013 season I had a pretty inconsistent year, interrupted midyear by a hamstring injury. My form dropped away to the point where I was subbed off halfway through the third quarter against the Hawks down in Tassie (I did kick three the next week against the Saints, though!)

I knew the coach at the time Brendon McCartney wasn’t happy with me and it all came to a head in my end-of-season interview. He asked me about my form and I explained that I was really struggling for motivation as I felt like my body kept letting me down, and subsequently my professionalism dropped towards the end of the year.

Brendon told me there was a chance my career at the Dogs could be over before I knew it. He told me to go away, have a think and then call him to try to convince him why I should still be a part of the club.

From that point I knew my papers had well and truly been stamped so I called my manager Rick Olarenshaw, explained what had transpired and tried to formulate a plan to see if I could find a lifeline at another club.

I had a few conversations with different clubs but narrowed it down to two: North Melbourne and Essendon.

After meeting with head recruiter Adrian Dodoro, James Hird and then meeting a few of the players, I toured Essendon’s facilities and decided that was the club I wanted to go to.

I knew I was taking a huge risk with my career with everything that was going on at the Bombers at the time, but I thought if the players were found not guilty and they could play footy with nothing hanging over their heads, there was a huge upside. Now, as we all know, that didn’t turn out to be the case, but I stand by my decision and have no regrets and love the club and the people at it.

Two weeks into the trade period, my trade finally got done in the last couple of hours after the club decided to release Paddy Ryder to Port Adelaide and received a pick which was traded on to the Dogs for me.

It was slightly surreal listening and watching my name being linked to certain clubs during trade period that I hadn’t even had any contact with. I can only imagine how it would be if you were a contracted player then all of a sudden your name is thrust into a conversation about ‘player X’ being traded and you’re the “steak knives” part of the deal. It would be unnerving, to say the least. I remember when Jade Rawlings came to the Dogs in a big trade at the time and poor Lachie Veale was thrown in as the consolation prize (the trade became known as the Veale deal) and unfortunately never played a senior game for the Bulldogs.

Adam Cooney confronts his old Bulldogs teammates on the field. Picture: Michael Klein

Players leave clubs for all sorts of reasons. Money, opportunity, they are pushed out or disgruntled. But it is never an easy decision (even when it’s not your own!) and one which I certainly didn’t enjoy. Leaving your mates is a really hard thing to do, but football is big business now and with the introduction of free agency and contracts seemingly not worth the paper they are written on, we are going to see more and more players switching clubs more frequently in the future.

Loyalty is on the way out in football clubs. Welcome to the big money era of AFL.

MY TAKE ON THIS YEAR’S TRADE TARGETS

Ever heard the expression a year’s a long time in footy?

People quickly forget quickly the value of some players after a poor season. The problem with this time of year is that as soon as one or two clubs go off a player he quickly becomes rotten in the market; it takes a good recruiter and list manager to block out the external noise, back your instincts, judgment and your club’s culture and have an eye to 2-3 years down the track at all times.

One player I am slightly perplexed and is Steven Motlop. According to the rumour mill there is not much interest in Motlop, who finished second in Geelong’s best-and-fairest count only 12 months ago.

The criticism is he turned up overweight and unprofessional to start the pre-season and had a poor finals series. But I think a change of club would do him a world of good. He would join his new club in a good head space, no doubt will put the work in over the break (you wouldn’t roll into a new club with a high skinfolds!).

Richmond and Carlton say they aren’t interested in Steven Motlop.

I think Richmond and Geelong could orchestrate a trade to get Deledio to the Cats and Motlop to the Tigers. Deledio will be the icing on the cake for the Cats midfield which, outside of Dangerfield and Selwood, lacks depth and polish on the wings. He would put them right into contention for a flag tilt in 2017.

Matthew Lobbe is in another player who has taken a bit hit in public perception. Twelve months ago the Dogs were willing to give up a first-round draft pick for him and pay him a stack. Fast-forward 12 months and Port seemingly can’t offload him to anyone.

Too often we write players off after a poor season. Perhaps the amount of money he is on is off-putting for some clubs but I believe he has huge upside if his body stays sound.

Here’s my take on a couple of others being bandied about.

BRYCE GIBBS

Wants to head home to SA. Why? Good question. He cited family reasons, more family help with a young baby. Please mate, having one baby is like being on a holiday at the Cooney house.

Not the worst position for the Blues to be in. Play hardball with him for a first-round pick, possibly squeeze a player like Jarryd Lyons out of the crows and if Adelaide can’t satisfy them, force him to stay. Gibbs is a pro who was pride in his performance so if the Blues made him stay I have no doubt his performance would remain elite.

JAEGER O’MEARA

The Hawks will need to give up their first-round pick and probably a premiership player — Issac Smith looks the most promising to get from a Gold Coast point of view.

That is a huge risk for the Hawks in my opinion on a player who hasn’t played in two years and had knee surgery only a number of weeks ago. My knee used to hurt and I had arthroscope after arthroscope to try to help it, but after each surgery it was more painful than before, so I worry about O’Meara and his long-term future.

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JOEL HAMLING

From delisted Cat to premiership Dog. Currency will never be higher. Take the money and run across the Nullarbor back to your home state of WA, buy a little place on Cable Beach with your pay raise and frame the medal in the pool room!

Joel Hamling (left) could leave the Bulldogs on a high.

TY VICKERY

Deal done to Hawks. Makes sense to me. They will back their culture to improve

him, their track record speaks for itself and he will bolster their depleted tall stocks. Don’t be surprised if he kicks 50 goals next year.

CHRIS MAYNE

He is worth $300-$325,000 a year on a two-year deal but he is reportedly being offered a four-year deal at $450,000-plus. He didn’t have a great year, but it was tough to get a kick let alone kick a goal in Fremantle’s forward line. He’s a huge forward pressure player, averaging five tackles per game this year. I think he is slightly overpriced, but a good fit for the Pies.

Originally published as Adam Cooney reveals what trade period is really like for AFL players