Western Bulldogs and Collingwood continue to haggle over Patrick Lipinski’s price
The Western Bulldogs and Collingwood continue to haggle over Patrick Lipinski’s price. Will the pre-season draft become a factor?
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The Western Bulldogs and Collingwood continue to haggle over Patrick Lipinski’s price in a deal that has the Pies with the strong whip hand given their pre-season draft position.
The Dogs are keen for a single higher draft pick but Collingwood at this stage has offered up a combination of selections that would make up a similar points value.
Collingwood’s exact offer is not known but handing over picks 55 and 58 would have the same points value as giving the Dogs the earlier pick 43.
The Dogs are keen for the earlier pick even though they might eventually use those picks for their points value to secure father-son Sam Darcy.
Despite their three-season offer the Dogs did not have inside midfielder Lipinski in their finals squads and have dropped him six times over his short career.
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It means if a deal could not be brokered he would be able to walk into the pre-season draft, where Collingwood has the No. 2 overall selection.
For that reason, despite the parties being some way apart a deal should eventually be struck to see Lipinski join Geelong’s Nathan Kreuger at the Holden Centre.
Lipinski was played on a wing at the Dogs but has claims as an inside midfielder given his brilliant VFL performances in that position this year.
The Pies now have a range of picks that will allow them to secure father-son Nick Daicos after brokering a deal for Geelong swingman Kreuger earlier in the week.
DOCKERS BIG MAN PREPARED TO TAKE PAY CUT
Fremantle big man Rory Lobb wants to be a Giant again and is willing to restructure his lucrative contract to make it work.
The trade bombshell is set to headline the final six days of this year’s trade period, given a lot of work needs to be done for Lobb’s wish to come true.
Greater Western Sydney officials want to make it happen, knowing it is the type of move that could propel the Giants back into premiership contention.
The 28-year-old has completed a medical for GWS, where he played 74 games and kicked 64 goals between 2014 and 2018 before requesting a trade home to Western Australia.
He retains a strong relationship with his former teammates and discussed a reunion with some of them after they emerged from quarantine in Perth during the finals series.
There are complications to any potential deal, given 207cm Lobb has two more years to run on his contract and boasts a hefty salary.
The Dockers would be reluctant to pay any of his remaining wage to make it work, so the Giants may need to offer Lobb a three or even four-year deal to smooth out his wage.
Any trade would also leave Fremantle short on key forwards and ruckmen, with Sean Darcy and Lloyd Meek the only other ruck options and Matt Taberner and Josh Treacy the tall timber in attack.
The Dockers invested heavily in Lobb three years ago, giving up picks 11 and 19 for him, while also receiving selections 14, 43 and 47 back.
GWS has picks two and 13 in next month’s draft – both of which club officials want to keep – and its next selection after that isn’t until 53, so future selections may need to be involved.
A future second-round pick is likely to be the opening offer.
The Giants are well stocked for ruckmen, with Braydon Preuss, Matt Flynn and Kieren Briggs, so their interest is in Lobb returning as a strong-marking forward after Jeremy Finlayson was shipped to Port Adelaide.
The Power handed over a future third-round pick for Finlayson, whose partner is from South Australia and recently gave birth to their first child.
It’s suddenly become a hectic exchange period for Fremantle, which sent in-demand midfielder Adam Cerra to Carlton on Thursday for pick six and a future third-round selection.
The Dockers remain in tense negotiations with Geelong over the trade value of wantaway Cat Jordan Clark, who is from WA and wants greater senior opportunities.
They have acquired picks 19 and 22 in separate deals this week with Gold Coast and Collingwood, while also adding former Sun Will Brodie.
The No. 22 selection is the major piece of an offer that Fremantle list boss David Walls hopes will clinch an agreement for Clark to become a Docker on a four-year deal.
DOCKERS MAKE MOVE IN CLARK NEGOTIATIONS
Fremantle will offer up pick 22 to Geelong for contracted midfielder Jordan Clark but will quarantine their new No. 19 selection and refuse to trade it as it improves its draft hand.
The Dockers have secured Will Brodie from Gold Coast in a deal that sees them hand over future second and fourth-rounders but secure picks 19, 61 and 69.
And after a pick swap with Collingwood they secure pick 22 but give up a future third-rounder and pick 27.
It means Fremantle has picks 19 and 22, with Geelong determined to get its hands on pick 19 in a straight swap for Clark.
But while the Dockers now have the trade arsenal for Clark, they are determined to hold on to pick 19.
They could eventually sweeten the offer of pick 22 with some back-ended pick swaps, but are likely to have traded all their future picks away except their first-rounder by the time they haggle on Clark.
As revealed by the Herald Sun, Fremantle will secure Carlton’s pick 6 in a deal for young midfielder Adam Cerra.
So the Dockers are adamant they will take their own pick 8, Carlton’s pick 6 and the No. 19 overall pick to the national draft.
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They will do so having also secured Clark and Brodie, two players in the right age demographic with a significant upside.
Pick 19 is the first selection of the second round of the national draft, so has extra cache given it will be the first selection of the second day of the two-day draft marathon.
Clubs have the chance to consider players overlooked and often want to trade up for that selection having assessed the trade board overnight.
It means Fremantle could either take that pick or they could trade it for a rival’s selections to improve their draft hand.
Clark will sign a fresh four-year deal with the Dockers despite having a single season left on his Geelong contract.
BLUE GETS WISH TO HEAD WEST IN THREE-WAY DEAL
Carlton has jettisoned top ten pick Sam Petrevski-Seton to reinforce its back six with Lewis Young in a three-way deal involving West Coast and the Western Bulldogs.
The Blues on Thursday off-loaded No. 6 selection Petrevski-Seton after 94 games where he struggled to establish himself as a regular contributor, with West Coast giving up pick 52 to the Blues.
As revealed by the Herald Sun on Thursday, the Blues then on-traded that selection to the Western Bulldogs for Young.
Carlton is still uncertain about whether it might delist No. 10 draft pick Lochie O’Brien as the second top-10 pick to leave the club this year.
But given Petrevski-Seton was no certainty to be recontracted it is smart business to bring in Young as a key position defender who can also ruck.
Intercepting tall Caleb Marchbank tore his ACL in April and has not played any football in the past two seasons, so Young will slot in as defensive cover behind Liam Jones and Jacob Weitering.
Young played two finals as a ruckman this year for the Dogs, who are looking for more ruck reinforcements despite re-signing Jordan Sweet on a two-year deal.
The Blues love his adaptability as a player who can slot in as a defender, ruckman or even third attacking tall.
Petrevski-Seton has similar versatility but has not been able to show the matchwinning exploits that made him such a brilliant junior talent playing midfield, forward and defence.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson has flagged a role playing midfield with some time at half forward for Petrevski-Seton, who has signed a two-year deal.
“We rated Sam highly during his draft year and believe he still has plenty of upside as he continues his development,” Recruiting and List Manager Rohan O’Brien said.
“He is a talented footballer who uses the ball well and we think he can add to our midfield and forward mix.
“Sam is currently serving his 14-day quarantine period in Perth after flying in to WA from Victoria, and we look forward to welcoming him to the club at the earliest opportunity.”
BIG HAWK JOINS BULLDOGS AS FREE AGENT
Hawthorn key tall Tim O’Brien has officially joined the Western Bulldogs as an intercept defender after agreeing to terms on Thursday morning.
The Dogs got first-hand experience of his improved form as a defender when he took six intercept marks and had 14 intercept possessions against Luke Beveridge’s side in Round 22.
With Lewis Young off to Carlton for pick 52, the Dogs have snapped up O’Brien as an unrestricted free agent on a two-season deal.
O’Brien can play as a lockdown defender in a side with Zaine Cordy, Ryan Gardner and Alex Keath or play a floating role attempting to intercept mark in the mould of Aliir Aliir at Port Adelaide.
In an overall solid year of 19 games he was able to find his niche in defence after eight seasons at the Hawks where he kicked 73 goals in 97 games.
Apart from a 19-goal 2017 season he had never kicked more than 12 goals in a season but the maturing key position tall is handy back-up for the Dogs and potentially much more.
The Western Bulldogs are still haggling with Collingwood over the value of Patrick Lipinski, with the Pies having picks 22, 36, 43, 46, 48, 55, 58, 78, 79.
They are also on the lookout for another ruckman and alongside Geelong are expected to chase Hawthorn’s Jon Ceglar.
He would be the perfect bridge between young Tim English and banged-up veteran Stef Martin, who will play on at 35 for another season despite groin issues this year.
PICK SWAP UNLOCKS TWO MASSIVE DEALS
The Adam Cerra and Jordan Clark deals are one step closer thanks to a Fremantle-Gold Coast pick swap that includes Will Brodie becoming a Docker.
The Suns swapped out-of-favour midfielder Brodie and picks 19, 61 and 69 for Fremantle’s future second- and fourth-round selections.
That No. 19 pick was part of the AFL’s rescue package for Gold Coast and key to offloading one-time top-10 draftee Brodie’s bloated salary and giving him a fresh start after only five games this year.
The Suns had already completed a trade of picks with Collingwood to strengthen their draft hand next year, given they are tight on list spots and only prioritising pick three in next month’s draft.
With Cerra certain to become a Blue, the Dockers were keen to add midfield depth to Justin Longmuir’s squad for next year.
Fremantle also wants to trade for West Australian Clark, the No. 15 pick in the 2018 draft who has been starved of opportunities, but had so far been unable to appease Geelong.
The Cats asked for the eighth selection in this year’s draft in return and were going to send another pick back, but the Dockers don’t plan on giving that up.
FREE AGENCY: WILL CATS LAND STENGLE?
They had put forward their 27th selection, which Geelong wasn’t satisfied with, so No. 19 looms as the key now in unlocking that deal.
Carlton will hand over its sixth pick for Cerra, but the rest of the moving parts are still to be decided.
Among the options are a swap of second-round picks this year in Fremantle’s favour and/or involving future selections.
YOUNG CLOSING IN ON BLUES MOVE
Lewis Young’s trade to Carlton looks set to be finalised today with the youngster’s manager confident a deal between the Western Bulldogs and the Blues has been worked through.
“They’ve already agreed on a pick. I’m very confident by the end of the day Lewis will find his way to Carlton,” Young’s manager Peter Rohde told AFL Trade Radio.
Rohde said the Blues’ need for a key defender was the sticking point in Young’s trade request to IKON Park.
“Lewis sees himself as a key defender. The Bulldogs have plenty of them and Carlton have a need there, so Lewis sees himself settling in the backline.”
DEMON SET TO STAY AFTER CROWS MEETING
Melbourne will retain young small forward Kade Chandler despite him meeting with Adelaide last weekend.
News Corp Australia revealed the Crows’ pursuit of Chandler this week as they looked to bolster a small forward group that includes James Rowe, Shane McAdam, Lachie Murphy and Ned McHenry.
They also parted ways with another goalsneak, Tyson Stengle, in March after three off-field indiscretions.
There was mutual interest between Adelaide and Chandler, who was a grand final emergency but snuck in only five matches this season for a career tally of six in three years.
The 21-year-old is originally from South Australia, where he played for Norwood and Western United.
Chandler was a strong VFL performer this past season, averaging 15 disposals, four tackles and one goal as a pressure forward who fits the Demons’ style of play.
But he’s been stuck behind the likes of Kozzy Pickett, Alex Neal-Bullen and Charlie Spargo.
Chandler is set to re-sign with Melbourne for the next two years.
HAWKS EYE SWOOP FOR PIES RUCKMAN
Hawthorn remains in the thick of this year’s ruck merry-go-round as it maintains an interest in Collingwood’s Max Lynch.
The Hawks also inquired about the uncontracted 200cm Magpie last year.
Veteran captain Ben McEvoy and five-gamer Ned Reeves are the other ruckmen on Hawthorn’s list.
But the club has told contracted big man Jon Ceglar to see if there are any opportunities for him elsewhere.
Geelong list boss Stephen Wells has confirmed his club’s interest in Ceglar to potentially partner or be a back-up to Rhys Stanley in the ruck next year.
But any move for Ceglar, 30, would happen only if Darcy Fort finds his way from the Cattery to Brisbane, which is keen to add to its tall stocks behind Oscar McInerney.
Other ongoing ruck-related news centres around North Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda.
Tiger Callum Coleman-Jones has requested a trade to the Kangaroos but a deal is still some way off for him to become Todd Goldstein’s ruck successor at Arden St.
With Coleman-Jones’ impending arrival, the Saints have sounded out North’s Tristan Xerri as a long-term option, with Paddy Ryder likely entering his final season in 2022.
St Kilda likes to play two ruckmen and Rowan Marshall will need a new ruck partner once Ryder retires.
However, the Roos could also be left short in that scenario, given Goldstein, 33, and uncontracted Tom Campbell, who turns 30 in November, are their only other ruckmen.
Originally published as Western Bulldogs and Collingwood continue to haggle over Patrick Lipinski’s price
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