From Chad Morrison to Mal Michael, Collingwood’s biggest trade regrets
After pulling off a complicated three-club deal it’s almost impressive to have every aspect of the trade blow up in your face. But is that 2004 swap the Magpies’ biggest trade regret?
Collingwood
Don't miss out on the headlines from Collingwood. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Collingwood is the clear winner in the three-way Travis Varcoe-Heritier Lumumba-Mitch Clark deal.
Snaring Jeremy Howe in a trade with Melbourne was a masterstroke, and Jack Crisp is the best value “steak knives” in the competition.
But trades haven’t all worked out so clearly in the Magpies’ favour.
Every club has skeletons in the trade closet, and it is sometimes a fine line between recruiting genius and trade disaster.
Having said all that, with the benefit of hindsight, here are four trades the Magpies might like to take back if they had the chance.
1. CHAD MORRISON DEAL
This 2004 multi-club deal has several layers, and none of them look great for the Pies in hindsight, even though Collingwood didn’t seem to be giving up a lot when it dropped three spots down the draft order from pick seven to pick 10 as part of a three-way swap with West Coast and Hawthorn.
The Pies received ex-Eagle Chad Morrison, who managed 21 games over three seasons, and used pick 10 on Chris Egan, who was delisted after 27 games in four seasons.
The Hawks, meanwhile, picked up Bo Nixon from the Pies (one game) and used that pick 7 on four-time premiership star Jordan Lewis. And in the final piece of the puzzle the Eagles ended up with pick 37 from the Hawks, which they used on Mark LeCras, who caused defenders headaches for 13 seasons, booting 441 goals and retiring after playing in a premiership in his last game — against Collingwood.
Replay the 2019 Toyota AFL Grand Final in full on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
2. NICK DAVIS FOR PICK 21
Rewind a few years and things get even darker.
The Magpies had to do a last-minute deal with Sydney when exciting goalkicker Nick Davis asked for a trade after the 2002 season.
The Swans got a bargain, parting with pick 21 in a straight swap for a player who set up their drought-breaking 2005 premiership with one of the great individual finals performances in a semi-final against Geelong.
Collingwood used pick 21 on ... Bo Nixon, who played three games before being traded to Hawthorn as part of the Morrison/Lewis/LeCras deal.
3. MAL MICHAEL FOR JARROD MOLLOY
Mal Michael holds a unique piece of footy history as the first player to be elevated to the seniors from the new rookie list in 1997. The Papua New Guinea-born backman showed promise at full-back in 61 games for the Pies but was sent to Brisbane at the end of the 2000 season in the hunt for a key forward.
Jarrod Molloy finished second in the Copeland Trophy in his first year at Victoria Park but was gone two years later, registering 49 games and 42 goals. Michael, meanwhile, became a key member of Brisbane’s triple-premiership juggernaut before finishing his career at Essendon in 2008.
MORE NEWS:
From Tom Harley to Nathan Lonie, the worst trade deals in the Power’s history
From Wayne Carey to Bryce Gibbs, the worst trade deals in the Adelaide Crows’ history
Collingwood considered a Gold Coast Suns request to trade Adam Treloar
Gary Buckenara analyses Adelaide’s list after the 2019 season
There were draft picks attached to the deal and unfortunately they don’t make it much easier reading for Magpie fans.
Molloy arrived with pick 44 which was on-traded to Geelong in exchange for Carl Steinfort (27 games for Collingwood, including the 2002 Grand Final). The Cats used the pick on Josh Hunt (128 games and two flags with the Cats). And finally, the Lions used pick 22 — the extra selection the Pies sent to the Lions with Michael — on Richard Hadley, who played in the Lions’ winning 2003 Grand Final team — against Collingwood.
4. CLINTON KING FOR STEVE McKEE
Another deal that came back to bite the Pies because of how the clubs involved used the associated draft picks.
The King for McKee swap with Richmond worked out OK for both clubs, with King playing 58 games for the Tigers and McKee offering solid service in the ruck for 64 games, including the 2002 Grand Final.
The sting in the tail is the swap of Collingwood’s pick three for Richmond’s pick seven.
Richmond has its own regrets after using pick 3 on Aaron Fiora, but Pies fans still wonder what might have been if they had kept the selection and used it on Matthew Pavlich, who was still available.
He was gone by the time pick 7 rolled around, and Collingwood used it to recruit Danny Roach, who played one game before his career was ended by hip injuries.
Originally published as From Chad Morrison to Mal Michael, Collingwood’s biggest trade regrets
‘Crazy brave’ or reckless? Old Pies’ massive trade gamble
Collingwood has the oldest list in the AFL and is again shunning the draft in favour of chasing free agents and older trade targets as its youth flounders. Are they flying too close to the sun?
‘Disastrous’: Pies called out over trade move
The AFL Trade Period is in full swing and Collingwood have been warned about the “disastrous” perils of the direction they have chosen.