AFL Trade Period: Carlton set to land pick 3 from West Coast

Carlton is set to land one of the best kids from a bumper draft crop after agreeing a deal with West Coast to land pick 3. Here’s how it went down and what it means for Liam Baker.

Carlton has secured the prized No.3 draft pick and the Eagles have handed pick 14 to Richmond for Liam Baker in a three-team trade that has the Eagles pushing back in the draft order to No.12.

In a deal that has polarised the Eagles fans, new list boss Matt Clarke and CEO Don Pyke are prepared to push back in the draft order to secure the 26-year-old Richmond vice-captain despite the risks of missing one of the draft’s elite talents.

The Eagles have gone from holding pick 3 to securing pick 12, Baker and Carlton’s Matt Owies as well as some later picks as part of the three-club deal.

The Herald Sun revealed in early September the Eagles were considering a pick slide with their No.3 selection in an attempt to get Baker from Richmond.

Richmond secured pick 14 for Baker, having always said they would let him go for a pick between 15-20 after he asked for a trade back home.

Carlton trade Matthew Owies, its Round One selection (currently 12) and its Round Four selection (currently 73) to West Coast Eagles.

Carlton trade its Round One selection (currently 14 ) to Richmond.

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And Carlton secures its highest pick since taking Sam Walsh at pick 1 in 2018 and has its eyes on pacy draft prospect Finn O’Sullivan to secure the outside the speed the club wants in its midfield.

The club had picks 12 and 14 after handing over a future first and second-round selection in a deal with Hawthorn to secure another 2024 first-rounder, but now has only pick 3 and then a suite of late picks to match bids for the Camporeale twins.

The Blues will be thrilled at the prospect of taking another elite draft prospect and have clearly made a beeline for the second cousin of star Walsh.

But while they have prioritised an early draft pick, the Eagles are at risk of missing out on elite kids after sliding down the draft order for the second time in three years.

Carlton has its eyes on Finn O’Sullivan. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Carlton list boss Nick Austin. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos via Getty Images

In 2022, they gave up the No.2 pick to secure home-grown talents Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett with picks 9 and 14.

And while both have huge talent neither are in the same realm as the generational star Harry Sheezel, who is taking all before him.

Richmond is also set to land picks 6 and 23 from Gold Coast (handing back a pick in the 30s) for Dan Rioli.

The club’s draft hand is taking shape with the Tigers set to secure picks 1, 6, 10 (for Shai Bolton), 14, potentially 18 (for Bolton), 20 and 24.

The Tigers will need to shuffle back one of those selections at some stage to get the extra mid-30s pick to hand to the Suns in exchange for picks 6 and 23.

Eagles fans will believe they might have got Owies on the cheap anyway given he didn’t have an offer from the Blues and had only some mild interest from Gold Coast.

So it will be up to the Eagles to secure a star prospect at pick 12 and hope that Baker has many years of great football left in him.

He has been a hugely consistent player in his six full years at Richmond (he debuted in 2018 and played three games), finishing fifth, sixth, fourth, equal second, sixth and 13th in those six years in the Jack Dyer Medal.

But with Harley Reid in no rush to sign a new contract and with some close to him still believing he will one day return to Victoria, the Eagles are taking a risk in not accumulating enough top five draft picks as they seek to rise up the ladder.

Originally published as AFL Trade Period: Carlton set to land pick 3 from West Coast