Trade Secrets: The inside story how Carlton secured Jack Martin after trade talks with Gold Coast broke down
Carlton fans are in raptures about the form of Jack Martin and still in disbelief the Blues got him for free. This is the inside story of how the club engineered one of the great modern draft heists.
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It was the sliding doors moment of the 2018 trade period.
The biggest fish in the pond that year was Greater Western Sydney’s Dylan Shiel and both Essendon and Carlton had huge hooks in the water in a bid to snag the ace midfielder.
But behind the scenes, both the Bombers and Blues also had back-up plans which included Gold Coast’s Jack Martin.
Martin had a year to run on his contract at the Suns, but was considered by Victorian-based clubs to be gettable.
He's used to performing on Metricon Stadium.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) July 12, 2020
And we're used to Jack Martin providing some magic in the Navy Blue. ðŸ˜#OwnTheFuture #AFLBluesDogs pic.twitter.com/WMOfPrNW9B
Any trade period in which you get Jack Martin for free is a big, big win @CarltonFC
— Jay Clark (@ClarkyHeraldSun) July 12, 2020
Jack Martin is the gift that keeps on giving
— Matthew Lappin (@skinnylappin) July 12, 2020
Jack Martin is the silkiest player Carlton has had in a very long time and thank you SOS, thank you
— Jason Scando (@JScandizzo) July 12, 2020
Jack Martin for free, take a bow SOS
— Matthew Lappin (@skinnylappin) March 19, 2020
He eventually decided he wanted to move south and join the team at Tullamarine.
Discussions between Martin’s manager Jason Dover — now part of the TLA stable — and the Bombers were some way down the track.
But when Shiel nominated Essendon as his preferred club, any plans for Martin to join the Bombers fell through.
Having missed out on Shiel, Carlton turned to Plan B.
The Blues had been tracking Martin and knew he was open to a move.
Carlton made a late inquiry about securing the services of the Suns forward, but by then it was too late.
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Martin had not had time to do his homework on the Blues and did not want to rush into a decision.
He went back to the Gold Coast to fulfil the remainder of his contact in 2019 and made a commitment to the Suns he was “all-in”.
Carlton might have missed out that time, but its interest did not go away.
THE MID-SEASON MEETING
The Blues weren’t the only club interested in Martin as trade talks ramped up in 2019.
There were multiple clubs from all corners of the country making inquiries.
Dover and Martin sat down for a meeting mid-season to weigh up the options.
There were three on the table — staying at the Suns after six seasons, returning home to Perth or going to play in Melbourne.
At that stage, the desire to get to a Melbourne-based club remained, but staying at Gold Coast had not been ruled out.
DROPPED
Martin missed three games from Rounds 17-19 in 2019 with a finger injury and was dropped by the Suns after a quiet eight-disposal and one-goal performance in his return against Collingwood in Round 20.
He was sent back to the NEAFL, where he hurt his knee and, with only two games left in the season, all parties decided it was best to put Martin on ice.
If not for being dropped, Martin was on track to play his 100th game for the Suns in Round 23.
Instead, he finished the year on 97 games after being dropped from a side that had not won a game since Round 4.
“Jack had eyes on playing at least 100 games for Gold Coast and he hadn’t fully made up his mind he was leaving at that stage, either,” a source close to Martin said.
“But when you look back on it, it certainly didn’t help.”
CRIPPS CONNECTION
Like Martin, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps hails from Western Australia and the pair had played junior football with and against each other.
Cripps knew Martin’s talents well and had described those as “unmatched” when Martin was between the ages of 15 and 18.
Also knowing the Blues’ list management team rated Martin highly, Cripps set out on a “brainwashing” exercise to lure the Suns star to Princes Park.
“Patrick takes a strong interest in what we’re doing from a trade and draft point of view and he’s very engaged in that area,” Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd said.
“So he was really active through that period and built up a really good relationship with Jack and Brittany, his partner.
“Paddy certainly likes to build relationships with any prospective players that may come through the door. He just wants to see the club get better.”
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TRADE TIME
Cripps’ wooing worked and the out-of-contact Martin swiftly nominated Carlton as his preferred destination after the 2019 season had finished.
But it was not quite that easy.
Martin did not qualify as an unrestricted free agent until 2021, so a deal still had to be done at the trade table.
Carlton had pick No. 9 in the national draft and the Suns wanted a piece of it in any deal involving Martin.
Gold Coast offered Martin and pick 15 in exchange for pick 9 and a future second-round selection from Carlton.
But the Blues were unwilling to involve their first draft pick and instead offered a future second-round pick and a future third-round pick.
As hard as the two parties tried to get a deal done, neither was willing to budge on their demands.
“The Suns were more interested in our first pick and we didn’t want to go down that path,” Lloyd said.
“The Suns were fairly firm in their negotiations. Through our list manager at the time, Stephen Silvagni, we thought we offered a deal that was pretty fair and reasonable.
“But he was their player at the time and they didn’t feel it was the right deal so there was no issues from our end.”
A deal was not done.
THE OTHER ROUTE
Martin’s management — as well as the Blues — always knew there was another way to get their man in navy blue.
After the trade period passed, they got stuck into their back-up plan of using the pre-season draft.
Melbourne — which held pick No. 2 behind the Suns in the pre-season draft — made an inquiry about Martin but was swiftly told: “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Martin was fully committed to getting to the Blues with their pre-season pick No.3.
“I thought through that trade period the list management team really held up well and stuck to the plan, realising that the pre-season draft was an option even though it wasn’t our first option,” Lloyd said.
Martin delisted himself from the Suns before, in consultation with Dover, he lodged his terms for a new contract with the AFL.
The front-ended five-year deal was designed to ensure the Suns and Demons did not spoil the party, but nothing was certain until pick 3 came around for Carlton and Martin was still on the table.
Gold Coast contemplated making the shock decision to match Martin’s terms and take him back with the first season in the pre-season draft.
“You’re always a bit nervous, until the deal comes through,” Lloyd said.
“He’s a high-quality player and high-quality person so we wanted to get him through the door. But until it’s done, it’s not done.”
HAPPY BLUES
Having settled in well at Ikon Park and played all five rounds in 2020, Carlton could not be happier with Martin.
“He competes and he plays for his mates so we’ve loved having him,” Blues coach David Teague said.
“He’s a quiet person but he’s someone you look at and you just know he’s going to go and get his job done.”
The Blues consider Martin to be one of their best list management wins in recent years.
“Credit to Stephen Silvagni, Mick Agresta and Paul Brodie, our recruiting team, for the relationship they built up with Jack and the confidence they had in him as a player,” Lloyd said.
“I thought they did a terrific job to get him to the club.
“He’s really impressed us with his attack on the ball, he hits hard and he leads through his actions. We think he’s going to be a long-term player.”
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Originally published as Trade Secrets: The inside story how Carlton secured Jack Martin after trade talks with Gold Coast broke down