Wreck It Ralph: Rating your club’s 2022 off-season trades and player signings
Richmond gave up a lot to bring in two GWS midfielders on long-term deals at the end of last year. Was it worth it? Jon Ralph rates every player move.
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The footy season is a marathon with so many twists and turns.
The genius call to recruit Tom Mitchell now has him battling to hold his spot in the side.
Sam Weideman was a five-goal hero then went seven games without kicking a goal and now is being repurposed as a VFL defender.
So 20 rounds into the AFL season, how is your club’s free agency and draft investment from the most recent off-season looking?
For some finals-bound sides all they need from their free agent is a single finals-winning performance that validates their investment.
So we run the rule over those 30-plus trades and give them an early grading - with the caveat that we reserve the right to change our minds by the end of the season.
LUKE JACKSON (FREMANTLE) A+
The Dockers will end up giving up a top-six pick and second-rounder from this year’s draft plus pick 13 last year (with picks 44 and 67 in return last year).
So what?
The kid is a freak, is only 21, has shown his remarkable range of gifts and has played injured this past month.
Do you think by the time he plays 200 games the club will look back and regret that their future first-rounder they gave away fell at pick 4-8 instead of 8-12?
TIM TARANTO (RICHMOND) A
Taranto has delivered on everything Richmond knew he would - huge leadership, phenomenal gut running, relentless accumulator, the ability to get forward and kick goals.
And kicking efficiency that has hovered around between 45-60 per cent across his entire career.
So for the price of picks 12 and 19 he has been everything they hoped for, kicking a superb 18 goals.
He will never be a great kick but against Melbourne only four of his 12 kicks were effective so he has a clear RFI (room for improvement) given he is only 25 years of age.
JACOB HOPPER (RICHMOND) B-
It has been a solid rather than spectacular year for Hopper, who hasn’t had a true breakout game and has only three 100-ranking point games averaging 4.6 clearances and 22 possessions (53 per cent kick efficiency).
But Richmond keeps rising up the ladder and the trade turns into pick 10 and 31 (with 53 and 63 back) it looks much better given Richmond at one stage was handing over this year’s top five pick.
IZAK RANKINE (ADELAIDE) A+
The Crows gave up a single top 10 pick (which turned into Bailey Humphrey in a win-win deal), they didn’t overpay him and while all small forwards will have quieter games his best has been sublime. Before his hamstring injury he had 35 goals in 18 games and the Crows had discovered another cult figure who is only 23 has a decade at the club ahead of him.
JOSH DUNKLEY (BRISBANE) A
Brisbane might not end up handing over a top 20 pick for Dunkley after giving up 21 and this year’s future second and third-rounders (with two third-rounders in return). That 2023 second-rounder could drift to the 18-22 given free agency compensation and father-son bids.
Dunkley has been as advertised (huge leadership, an average of 5.6 clearances, seven tackles, 26 disposals).
His goal output has dropped from 18 last year to two this year given a pure midfield role.
So can he be more dangerous in a final and turn this mark into an A+ with a 30-possession, two-goal qualifying final?
RORY LOBB (WESTERN BULLDOGS) D-
It was a risk worth taking - a four-year deal on over $500,000 for a player who kicked 36 goals for Fremantle last year. But he has already been dropped, has only 14 goals from 16 games (and only three in seven games since round 10) and has been used on a wing and in defence as the Dogs try to kick-start his season (and fill gaps with injuries).
It’s not too late for Lobb. In his first season Adam Treloar bounced back from a semi-final stinker to star in the preliminary final. Can Lobb play that one heroic finals game to make his deal worth it after giving up pick 30 and a 2023 second-rounder?
GRIFFIN LOGUE-DARCY TUCKER (NORTH MELBOURNE) C+
The Roos had to give up their priority picks (2023 second and third-rounders) and used them on Logue and Tucker.
Logue mixed strong games with shaky defensive moments and now has an ACL tear while Tucker has averaged 16.5 possessions on a wing across 14 games.
The Roos knew Logue would be in for some early punishment as a key back so the deal made a heap of sense but his ACL tear is a crushing blow.
TANNER BRUHN (GEELONG) B+
The Cats handed over pick 18 for GWS midfielder Bruhn, and his best moments have been glorious.
He averages only 69 ranking points (average 16 disposals, 2.8 clearances, 4.8 tackles) but contests like his two-goal, six-clearance performance in the Demons win have Geelong fans hopeful he can become an A grader.
Pick 18 turned into 21 (Darcy Jones), with Max Gruzewski, Harry Barnett, Charlie Clark and Lewis Hayes taken from picks 22-25 so Geelong would feel Bruhn was a better investment than taking a player in that draft range.
WILLIE RIOLI (PORT ADELAIDE) B-
Rioli has kicked 17 goals from his 13 matches but battled injury and suspension. He has never quite got going, spectacular against Collingwood with a goal, two score assists and six score involvements then suspended for his punch on Nathan Murphy. So let’s say this: his story is yet to be written this year given the huge finals series ahead.
LACHIE HUNTER (MELBOURNE) A
Hunter needed a fresh start and the Dogs needed him to move on. So for the price of a future third-rounder Hunter has been spectacular both from an impact perspective and as a value trade. He has played 17 games, averaged 4.5 score involvements and 401 meres gained and kicked the ball reasonably well - 56 per cent kick efficiency. The Demons nailed it - take a player at the bottom of their value and reprogram them with a fresh start.
JASON HORNE-FRANCIS (PORT ADELAIDE) A+
Horne-Francis could have had another year of growing pains and the Power would still believe giving away pick 8 and their future first-rounder (with Willie Rioli involved too) was the right decision given his talent. His last five weeks apart from the Collingwood game have been quiet as he has battled back soreness but his best has been earth-scorchingly good. His 11 clearances against St Kilda had to be seen to be believed. The best is yet to come.
JACK BOWES (GEELONG) A
It is impossible to separate Bowes’ acquisition from the No.7 pick the Cats received (Jhye Clark) as part of a $1.6 million salary dump. Bowes has been fine - 13 games averaging 16 possessions as he fits into a new system. He is 25-year-old so the question is how much upside he does have after seven years in the system. But as a whole Geelong gamed the system with Clark’s entire career yet to play out.
TOM MITCHELL (COLLINGWOOD) A
The question of whether Mitchell is in Collingwood’s best midfield in finals is separate to the one about his impact so far this year.
He has been spectacular - 19 games, averaging 97 ranking points, 4.9 clearances and 5.6 tackles.
Collingwood got pick 25 and Mitchell for the loss of Ollie Henry, so he basically came for free on a three-year deal worth only $500,000 a season.
If the Pies midfield is so good he is squeezed out, more power to them.
BRODIE GRUNDY (MELBOURNE) B-
Some will say this is far too generous a grade given he is currently playing VFL footy. But it’s all about the outlay.
The Demons gave up pick 27 for him (and are paying only $650,000 a season). They will end up trading him for a similar pick even if the 2023 experiment fails.
He might still be needed in finals and was valuable in the ruck when Max Gawn went down with a medial sprain.
So while the Demons have their critics on this deal, the potential upside was significant and the downside of trading him this summer is effectively zero.
DAN MCSTAY (COLLINGWOOD) C
Repeated injuries for Collingwood’s $600,000 free agent mean he has played eight games for nine goals. Yet this investment can pay off with a single big final in coming months and the evidence is there he is capable.
Against Carlton he took seven big marks (three contested) in his two-goal outing. Watch this space in September.
KARL AMON (HAWTHORN) A
It has been a super year from Amon (average of 22.4 disposals, 485 metres gained, 72 per cent kicking efficiency) even if he didn’t quite realise when he crossed as a free agent the Hawks would be so deep in rebuild mode. He is only 27 (he signed a four-year deal worth around $650,000 a season) so should be firmly in his peak when the Hawks enter finals mode.
WILL SETTERFIELD (ESSENDON) B+
What a frustrating season for Setterfield, who was in a brilliant vein of form as a big-bodied mid acquired for nothing (pick 68 swapped with a future fourth-round selection) before a foot stress injury stopped him in his tracks in round 9.
The 192cm mid is only 25 so should believe he can play 100 quality games at Essendon.
LIAM JONES (WESTERN BULLDOGS) A+
Jones is due back this week from a forearm break and will remind Dogs fans why he is so valuable in their side. Could he have been the difference in recent losses by less than a goal to GWS and Sydney, plus a 12-point defeat against Collingwood? Quite possibly. The three-year free agency deal looked a little risky but at 32 he has plenty of great football ahead.
ZAINE CORDY (ST KILDA) B
St Kilda took Dogs free agent Cordy as insurance and he has performed exactly what was asked of him in nine games during a key forward injury crisis kicking seven goals as the Dogs premiership player extends his career at a second club.
FRANCIS EVANS (PORT ADELAIDE) C+
The former Brunswick North Old Boys forward via Geelong had his moment in the sun with four goals in the Showdown loss to Adelaide. The Power gave up nothing for the delisted free agent, so can he turn it into a launching pad after seven games this year, four of them goalless?
FERGUS GREENE (HAWTHORN) B
The VFL success story has kicked 15 goals in 11 games across two separate stints in the AFL as a low-investment recruit to help the club’s forward issues. He will be thrilled with his output so can he find a way to stay in the side if the club bolsters its attack with a Jake Riccardi-type experienced forward?
JAYDEN HUNT (WEST COAST) A
Free agency acquisition Hunt is another example to West Coast why they should invest in some more mid-tier players who cost nothing rather than only a draft-based strategy as they rebuild.
He has played 18 games, given valuable run (averaging 383 metres gained) and generally given his all. He’s not a star but he’s been exactly as advertised.
BOBBY HILL (COLLINGWOOD) A
Hill was secured for the princely sum of a Pies future second-rounder which should land in the late 30s.
He has kicked 22 goals from 18 games, shown real dash up the ground (15 direct score assists, 69 score involvements) and kept Jack Ginnivan out of the side.
Now can he be a finals weapon?
BLAKE ACRES (CARLTON) B+
Acres’ worst moments with ball in hand have been costly but the Blues gave up only a third-rounder for a player who has played 18 games averaging 18 ranking points, 414 metres gained and 23 disposals.
He has been an upgrade on that position from Lochie O’Brien so at only 27 years of age it’s a canny investment that should get even better
BEN LONG (GOLD COAST) B
The Suns gave up pick 32 (and got a fourth-rounder back) for Long to add hardness to their backline. He has had tough moments - badly beaten by Toby Greene but who hasn’t been - yet after being given a four-year deal can he continue his improvement balancing attack on the footy and quality rebound?
TOM BERRY (GOLD COAST) C-
Berry has played only six games and never won more than 10 possessions after being brought in for depth by the Suns. They didn’t give up much - picks 25, 36 and 56 - and got back a second-rounder and pick 46 but he’s only been a depth player so far.
JOSH CORBETT (FREMANTLE) C
Just three games as a key position back-up so far for Corbett, with the Dockers only giving up a future fourth-rounder. He hasn’t played much but they gave up nothing to secure him.
TOBY BEDFORD (GWS) B+
Bedford has been spectacular for the Giants since his round seven return from a hamstring injury in exactly the ways they hoped. He is averaging 5.4 tackles and 42 forward-half pressure points in a forward line including Toby Greene and Brent Daniels even if he has kicked only a single goal in six weeks. Not bad when the Giants only gave up pick 44.
JACK GUNSTON (BRISBANE) C-
Another player whose story will be written in September after six and three goals after his return from a mini pre-season but then two goalless outings since then. The Lions gave up reasonable money and a two-year deal for Gunston (plus pick 48 and a future fourth-rounder) and while he has 20 total goals in 15 weeks it’s been only a qualified success so far. What has he got for us in September?
BILLY FRAMPTON (COLLINGWOOD) B
He cost only a future third-rounder and has played 12 games slotting in wherever needed with a bit of ruck, a bit of defence and a bit of forward-line work. Everything the Pies have touched has turned to gold and Frampton’s acquisition has been another success story.
AARON FRANCIS (ESSENDON) B-
The Swans gave up nothing (a future fourth-rounder plus a swap of 37 and 42) and have so far got 11 games as a back-up defender when the proverbial hit the fan with key back injuries.
Forget the fact he is a former top-10 pick and think of what the Swans would have done without him. Now can he find a way back into the side with Dane Rampe injured?
SAM WEIDEMAN (ESSENDON) C+
A speculative investment from Essendon (pick 37, got back 54 and 72) that might yet have its end-game with Weideman as a key position defender. He went goalless for seven weeks after 13 goals in his first eight matches, but in the past fortnight has been dominant in the VFL as a key back. Can he do a Liam Jones as a failed forward who ekes out a late-career run as a defender?
JOSH SCHACHE (MELBOURNE) C
Schache keeps kicking goals in the VFL (averaging 2.2 a game) and has only a single AFL game this year. The Demons gave up a future fourth for him, but he seems very much insurance at this stage.
OLLIE HENRY (GEELONG) B
Henry’s first season after the Cats gave up former first-round pick Cooper Stephens and pick 25 for him has been a real success.
He has kicked 30 goals but the question is can he become a more rounded player? He averages only 0.4 score assists a game and 1.4 tackles. Anyone averaging 1.7 goals a game is doing a heck of a lot right, but can he be more involved in the offensive game when he’s not kicking goals?
COOPER STEPHENS (HAWTHORN) D
The Hawks got cap relief by moving on Tom Mitchell but their return - former Geelong first-round pick Cooper Stephens as well as picks 41 and 50 - is yet to debut for Sam Mitchell’s side. His VFL form is just solid - an average of 19 possessions, 85 ranking points - but he seems relatively far back in the midfield pecking order at the Hawks.
JAEGER O’MEARA (FREMANTLE) B+
The Dockers gave up Lloyd Meek and a second-rounder (getting back a fourth-rounder) for O’Meara. He has held up his end of the bargain playing 18 games as a hard-tackling mid winning an average of 20 touches and 4.8 clearances. The Dockers midfield has been wildly inconsistent but O’Meara couldn’t have given much more.
LLOYD MEEK (HAWTHORN) C+
The cameos have been there - 14 possessions, eight hit-outs-to-advantage, five score involvements in the Brisbane win - but not the consistency. Meek has had the chance to play 14 games but still hasn’t grabbed the mantle as the Hawks No.1 ruckman. At 25 years of age it’s not too late.
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Originally published as Wreck It Ralph: Rating your club’s 2022 off-season trades and player signings
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