Will Setterfield didn’t get a private jet but Carlton think they do after luring the young gun from GWS
To say Will Setterfield was flattered by Carlton and Essendon’s interest in him this trade period would be an understatement and while there was no private jet, a Blues big gun was enough to lure the young gun out of GWS.
Carlton
Don't miss out on the headlines from Carlton. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Will Setterfield ventured into the Melbourne CBD for an off-site meeting that helped seal his move to Carlton.
The Blues rolled out plenty of heavy hitters in their pursuit of Setterfield.
The GWS midfielder spoke to list chief Stephen Silvagni a couple of times as well as coach Brendon Bolton, chief executive Cain Liddle, Silvagni’s offsider Michael Agresta and members of the club’s leadership group.
RUSSELL: HAIL MARY THAT DELIVERED GENIUS TO BLUES
CHARACTER: DRAFTEES’ SOCIAL MEDIA UNDER SPOTLIGHT
FORWARDS: BLUES TO UNLEASH THREE-HEADED MONSTER
Also seated at the city meeting was dual Brownlow Medallist Chris Judd.
“Obviously Juddy moved clubs as well, so he was talking to me from the position I was in,” Setterfield said.
“He spoke about the Carlton network, playing for a big club in front of big crowds and the excitement that brought him.
“I actually met Juddy a few times. That was a cool experience.”
As powerful as Judd was, he was not the defining factor as Setterfield settled on Carlton over Essendon.
“It was pretty humbling meeting a great and having him talk about your footy,” the 20-year-old said.
“But just like any footy club they’ve got greats of the game.
“It came down to the young list they’ve got at Carlton and the age I am. The demographic really suits me and I can really build with the group.”
Setterfield said the Blues and Bombers “both came really hard at me”, just as they did two years ago.
Two weeks before the 2016 draft and Setterfield - a childhood Bombers fan - was summoned to the club’s Tullamarine base for an interview with coach John Worsfold, chief executive Xavier Campbell, list manager Adrian Dodoro and then-football boss Rob Kerr.
While the Albury boy was in the Giants’ talent academy, Essendon had threatened to bid its No.1 draft pick on him.
“The fact he’s in the GWS academy has got no bearing whatsoever,” Dodoro said at the time.
“When he was ready to take off this year he was best-on-ground in a final.
“He’s a different type, he’s a taller mid (190cm), he can play forward, he plays inside and he’s got a huge engine. The scope for him is enormous.”
In that TAC Cup final Setterfield laid 16 tackles and took marks inside 50m to solidify his claims as the draft’s best midfielder.
But when the Bombers plumped for his Sandringham Dragons teammate Andy McGrath, the Blues bid their No.5 pick on Setterfield, which the Giants swiftly matched.
In 2018 there was no private jet to Noosa - the negotiating tactic Carlton pulled for Dylan Shiel, who eventually chose Essendon - but the Blues still got their man.
“Considering (Shiel’s) an All-Australian who’s played 130-odd games, I don’t think I’d quite be getting that,” Setterfield joked.
“It was very humbling getting so much attention from two big clubs, considering I’ve played only two games and done my knee.”
Setterfield’s ACL buckled in the pre-season, ending his 2018 season before it started.
The blow capped a teenage injury run including an ankle syndesmosis strain, a shoulder problem and multiple concussions.
Cousin Isabel Huntington - the Western Bulldogs’ No.1 pick in the 2017 AFLW draft - received a text from her brother the night Setterfield went down.
Earlier that day Huntington had been discharged from hospital after her second ACL.
“Probably against the surgeon’s advice I’ve gone to our game that night, because I was so keen to watch the girls,” Huntington said.
“I got a text from my brother about Will and I’ve had to check Twitter, there were reports it was a suspected ACL.
“I was shattered. I didn’t know what to feel. I was probably still on a few painkillers, which were making me a bit loopy.
“It was a pretty crazy scenario. He was shattered for me and then the week later he did his.
“You can probably tell the family’s got a little bit of a genetic predisposition to it. It was pretty insane.”
Surgeon Julian Feller operated on both cousins inside a fortnight and they then spent a month at Huntington’s South Melbourne home recuperating together, crutches at the ready.
And it was Setterfield’s ACL injury which helped trigger his move to Melbourne.
Setterfield and Huntington both turned to teammates for support this year.
The Giants onballer was locker neighbours with Jon Patton - who suffered a third ACL in July - while Huntington had teammate Aasta O’Connor, who has since been traded to Geelong.
But it was still a lonely year for Setterfield, and a long one.
“It was a challenging year, especially being away from family,” he said.
“And especially doing your knee in the first pre-season game after a long pre-season.”
While Setterfield grew up in Albury, only his parents remain there. His brother has joined plenty of cousins who live in Melbourne.
The Caulfield Grammar alumni spent three years boarding here and walked into the Blues last week knowing Matthew Kennedy, Cam Polson and Harrison Macreadie.
While Setterfield was a touch younger than the midfielders Carlton was targeting, he knows what his role will be.
“It’ll be helping Patty Cripps and Kennedy and (Paddy) Dowy and all those inside midfielders,” he said.
“I should join the main group around Christmas time. I’ll focus on building my game and getting in the side for Round 1.”
Originally published as Will Setterfield didn’t get a private jet but Carlton think they do after luring the young gun from GWS
Blues turn attention to next major deal after Weitering extension
Jacob Weitering is the latest Blue to sign a long-term deal on big coin, now the Blues are turning their attention to another star name, one that will command a hefty price.
Trade limbo: How biggest deals will get done
Carlton and Hawthorn’s pick swap has turned the trade period on its head. JON RALPH breaks down what it means for several stars and the Blues’ hopes of taking two highly-touted father-sons.