MoneyBall: Latest AFL trade and free agency news and chatter
He was out of favour for much of the season at North Melbourne, but that hasn’t put at least one rival off a move for wingman Jared Polec. Get the latest trade whispers in midweek Moneyball.
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Melbourne could throw North Melbourne wingman Jared Polec a lifeline to help reinvigorate his stalled career next season.
Polec, 27, has fallen out of favour at the Kangaroos and is keen to make a move to a fourth club.
The Demons have shown some interest but are unlikely to part with more than a late draft pick to nab the speedster.
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Melbourne is also not prepared to overpay for Polec who signed a bumper deal to move from Port Adelaide to North Melbourne at the end of 2018.
It is another big call for North Melbourne which has already off-loaded 11 players and is trying to keep slick veteran Shaun Higgins from joining Geelong.
The Cats are interested in Higgins but won’t give up one of their three first-round draft picks for a man who turns 33 in March next year.
Essendon is still waiting for a decision from spearhead Joe Daniher as he weighs up interest from Brisbane Lions, Geelong and Sydney Swans.
Melbourne is in the market for some more speed and polish to complement its hard nut midfield brigade as Simon Goodwin’s men attempt to break back into the top-eight next season.
Polec could help improve the Demons’ delivery and finishing skills in the forward half of the ground but Melbourne haven’t made any promises to him.
It means that while Polec is on the Dees’ radar, he is not seen as a must-have in the November exchange period.
It remains unclear whether there are any other suitors for the No. 5 draft pick who was dropped three times this year but finished the year strongly gathering 25 possessions in the last game of the season against West Coast.
The Demons are likely to try and meet with Polec and establish his intentions for next season and seek feedback on where things broke down at North Melbourne.
The Dees remain confident of keeping former co-captain Jack Viney despite interest from the Cats.
Polec has three more years to run on his contract at Arden St after previous stints at Brisbane and Port Adelaide.
The South Australian’s defensive ability has been scrutinised as he was omitted after gathering 25 disposals against Carlton in Round 8.
In that match he spent some time on superstar Patrick Cripps early but was shifted back to a wing after quarter time.
Melbourne acquired Harley Bennell in a bid to fill the same wing role early this year but the No. 2 draft pick is almost certain to be delisted after breaking COVID-19 protocols and dismissing the club in recent days.
Former Gold Coast Sun Kade Kolodjashnij also hasn’t worked after a nasty run of concussions which have threatened to end his career.
Adam Tomlinson was another who was traded-in to play a versatile outside midfield role but the former Greater Western Sydney utility could settle in a defensive position next year, helping open up a spot on the other wing to Ed Langdon.
Spearhead Ben Brown is also on the lookout for a new home and is set to become Essendon’s priority target if the Bombers lose Joe Daniher.
SHEEDS LAMENTS TALENT DRAIN FROM GWS
Kevin Sheedy, the man who oversaw the inaugural Greater Western Sydney playing list, has lamented the feeding frenzy of opposition clubs on the Giants’ talent in recent seasons.
In the wake of the departures of Zac Williams and Aiden Corr and question marks on a host of other players including key forward Jeremy Cameron, Sheedy said it made him sad to think only seven players are still remaining at the club from his first two seasons in 2012 and 2013.
But he warned that the Giants could rebound fast from their first season outside the finals since 2015.
“I’ve been asked about whether I was disappointed the Giants haven’t won a premiership yet, and I’ve said it’s unbelievable for a club in its first eight or nine years of existence to be a kick off a Grand Final, to be heavily beaten in a Grand Final and to (then) have a whole football team cleared out,” Sheedy said.
“There’s only seven left now. I do feel for them, absolutely I do.
“I would have loved some of them to stay. I was never really in agreement with taking players from other clubs.
“The only players I ever got were those who wanted to leave.”
Sheedy was disappointed to hear Williams had opted to leave the Giants, but understood given the long-term lucrative deal offered by the Blues.
“If Zac is going to get the contract Carlton is offering him, then that is an amazing story for a rookie who I kept picking ahead of other first round picks,” he said.
“It’s tough (losing players).”
He urged the AFL to keep investing in promoting football in western Sydney.
“(If I were the AFL) I would realign how you can keep promoting football in the west of Sydney, because there are more people there than in Western Australia and South Australia,” Sheedy said.
“If they don’t keep investing in that area, we are kidding ourselves … and I would have wasted my time starting the club with Mark Williams.”
But he threw his support behind coach Leon Cameron, saying he had “no doubt” the Giants could become “an incredible force” in the AFL in the future, despite the raids from rival clubs.
Williams has officially nominated Carlton as his club of choice, and with GWS not interested in matching a deal he will get to Visy Park by October 30.
Carlton didn’t announce Eddie Betts among their 10 signings on Tuesday, but the club is still working through the details of his contract, with the goalsneak certain to go on.
Many of the contracts announced on Tuesday were signed over recent weeks, while the Blues only made clear last week to Betts that he would play on.
At the other end of the scale, second-year star Sam Walsh has again franked his brilliance after rivals compared him unfavourably to Port Adelaide’s Conor Rozee.
Walsh spent the first 14 games of the year on the wing and was in 11 centre bounces then in 33 in his last three games, playing a trio of brilliant matches.
On his way to a top-five best-and-fairest performance, he has played every game possible averaging 87 and then 101 ranking points.
It’s hard to think of a more impressive first two seasons for a midfielder.
Even Bailey Smith, as good as he has been, has averaged 76 and 92 ranking points.
That pair will be judged constantly through their careers, but Carlton fans will back in their man Walsh.
Meanwhile, Jack Silvagni was mentioned as a possible trade target in a week where brother Ben was delisted, but he is contracted and despite an injury-ravaged year will play on at the Blues.
DEES HOPEFUL OF VINEY SIGNING
MELBOURNE believes it is still on track to sign up free agent Jack Viney despite Geelong acknowledging its interest in the hard inside mid.
Due to a variety of circumstances, including the COVID delay and his wife Charlotte giving birth to their first baby, the contract talks has been delayed.
But with the season having now finished, Viney is set to give the tick-off for contract negotiations to get into overdrive with the Demons.
Geelong seems on track to secure Brad Crouch as a free agent, with Geelong CEO Brian Cook confirming the Herald Sun’s story about the Cats’ interest in Viney, but Crouch seemingly the preferred option.
The Demons will likely let Harley Bennell go, and while Tom McDonald could be on the trade table North Melbourne has emphatically denied it has any interest in him.
BOMBERS SET TO STAY
IN A YEAR where everything turned pear-shaped at Essendon, players like Cale Hooker and Zach Merrett are cranky at the way the year ended but not likely to walk out the door.
Merrett could easily have won the best-and-fairest given a sensational year but despite all manner of speculation is contracted and will play on, while Hooker’s last year on his five-season deal is significant.
It means with the swingman about to turn 32 next year, he isn’t likely to find a new home.
The worry for Essendon would be losing Joe Daniher and Adam Saad, with senior teammates then wondering if the club is out of the premiership window.
New coach Ben Rutten is going to have to quickly find out the balance where it is possible to be the hard task master but only when solid relationships have already been built.
Tom Bellchambers was the sixth Essendon banned players to re-sign in 2016 and helped the club out in the biggest crisis it has ever faced.
If Rutten didn’t want to give him a farewell game someone at the club had to overrule him and make sure he realised the importance of sending Bellchambers off the right way.
PIES BACK YOUNG STAR
COLLINGWOOD’S Jaidyn Stephenson is going nowhere despite an extremely modest season for the Pies.
The young Pies tearaway has another season on his contract and while he has been repeatedly dropped, he has no plans to move on and the club is making all the right noises about keeping him.
Collingwood believes his on and off-field issues including a betting scandal and glandular fever have impacted his season but he will bounce back hard next year.
Glandular fever impacts energy levels even when it has officially left the system, with Stephenson also battling to put on weight because of his interrupted summer.
He will never be Jordan de Goey on the power scale but needs to hit the gym so he can be confident making and breaking tackles after Mick McGuane hit the nail on the head, calling him timid this year.
HAWKS CLOSE TO LOCKING DOWN DEFENDER
HAWTHORN’S Jack Scrimshaw is on track to sign a new deal as one of the club’s brightest prospects after they effectively secured him for free at the end of 2018.
The Hawks lured the former No. 7 draft pick to the club by a trade of their fourth-round and the Suns’ third-round picks and his first year was solid but not eye-catching.
This season he has been excellent in 13 games with a strong finish to the year as a rangy defender, elite for intercept marks and above average for intercepts and disposals.
He is one of many players waiting on clarity from the AFL about the salary cap but that is the only thing stopping him from signing on given the Hawks’ determination to lock him away.
The Hawks haven’t had huge success in Jon Patton, handed a three-season deal, while Tom Scully came cheap but in his 14 games this year averaged only 54 ranking points.
CROWS CONSIDER ALL DRAFT OPTIONS
ADELAIDE is blessed with choice when it comes to their first national draft selection even if they do end up bidding on Jamar Ugle-Hagan, who is linked to the Western Bulldogs.
Despite continually being linked to West Adelaide’s ruck-forward Riley Thilthorpe, the other contender is Perth’s Logan McDonald, who finished second in the WAFL senior goalkicking tally.
Thilthorpe was rested in the last few weeks of the SANFL season with sore groins which are no long-term concern, but also played for a West Adelaide side that has won only a single game.
It makes Adelaide’s job of lining them up against each trickier, and that is before they consider Ugle-Hagan, who hasn’t played at all this year.
Both Thilthorpe and McDonald have been secured by leading player agent Ben Williams, who also manages players including Isaac Heeney and Jack Lukosius.
WILL DONS TRIO HEAD FOR THE EXIT?
– Jon Ralph
Adam Saad’s multiple Victorian suitors include Carlton and premiers Richmond as Essendon awaits decisions on its stars including Joe Daniher and Orazio Fantasia.
Saad has not yet decided to walk away from Essendon despite speculation but will spend coming weeks with family after being offered a four-year deal.
He is yet to consider those rival offers after moving to Essendon to achieve success, but it is understood Richmond and Carlton are among clubs which have inquired about his availability.
RECAP JON RALPH’S TUESDAY TRADE Q&A BELOW!
Despite reported links to Melbourne, the Demons have not made any meaningful contact about a potential trade.
Flanker Orazio Fantasia’s future is again clouded at the Bombers, with cautious interest from both Adelaide clubs.
He has not made a decision about his future, but will return to Melbourne in coming days to weigh up his next step.
That could include an official trade request to explore a deal back to South Australia.
As Essendon’s season came to an end, players were angry and disgruntled about the club’s refusal to give Tom Bellchambers a send-off game.
They are also asking questions about the transition from John Worsfold to Ben Rutten, with their new coach seen to be more black and white with his communication methods than the more calming mentor-figure in Worsfold.
If Fantasia did decide he was interested in moving back to Adelaide, he would need to first officially declare his interest before Port Adelaide and the Crows became involved.
He would also need to pass a medical test with flying colours to satisfy those clubs he was worth the risk.
He has played only 33 games in the past three seasons and just five matches this year after a variety of soft-tissue ailments, as well as hip and knee concerns that needed surgery last year.
His season was ruined by a quad complaint, so both Adelaide and Port Adelaide would need to do extensive due diligence on his body before committing to a trade.
Despite that frustration, they would again consider him given his pace and upside, with the 24-year-old having kicked 39 goals as recently as 2017.
Now the club will need to try to secure Joe Daniher despite interest from Geelong, Sydney and Brisbane.
Players out of contract are keen for their fellow players to sign on to ensure the club remains in the premiership window.
But the concern will be if all of Daniher, Fantasia and Saad leave given Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell told supporters at the club’s best-and-fairest on Sunday the club was building towards its 17th premiership.
“We want to deliver our members the 17th premiership. We are committed to doing that as quickly as we can,” he said.
“An uprising is defined as an act of resistance or rebellion, a revolt. Within this team, our players and staff, you can feel there is an uprising.
“Not in a negative way, but in a positive way.
“There is a determination building to break the status quo and take the next step.
A weight of numbers is building. We are motivated to get better.”
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