Moneyball: AFL contract updates, trade and draft whispers at Round 9

Tom Boyd’s sudden retirement has left Western Bulldogs with a war chest to chase top talent in coming years. But who will the Dogs pounce on? Plus, news on two mid-season draft fancies and the latest contract news and trade whispers.

South Fremantle’s Marlion Pickett.

Marlion Pickett’s manager has urged an AFL club to have the courage to select a player he says is a different person to the one who spent time in jail.

WAFL star Pickett spent time in jail in his teens for a string of offences including burglaries but has been a mature-aged phenomenon for South Fremantle, winning the past two club best-and-fairests.

Pickett has returned to Tim Kelly’s manager Anthony Van Der Wielen in recent weeks after spending time with another manager who tried to get him drafted last year.

But clubs are still scared off by his past, which came after a troubled upbringing which then turned into a period of crime punished by jail.

Van Der Wielen says clubs would not be sorry they took a risk on the brilliant 27-year-old midfielder.

“He is like the king at our football club (South Fremantle). He is hard as nails, he moves with grace and all of our players, especially the indigenous ones, hang off his every word.

“He barely speaks but he leads by example. He went into jail in 2010 and came out in 2012.

“He has been a real cleanskin since then. It isn’t a worry. I have sat him down in front of clubs and if they haven’t asked the hard questions I have made sure they ask them.

“This is a free hit for between 13 and 16 weeks. If it doesn’t work out they have nothing to lose.”

Will an AFL club take a chance on South Fremantle’s Marlion Pickett?

Essendon and Richmond have expressed interest in Pickett, with Gold Coast keen last year but reported to have cooled in recent weeks.

Pickett and his partner Jessica have four young children, and the silky onballer has their names tattooed on his ribs as inspiration.

“Being in (jail) for things like their first birthday and Christmas changed me,” he said. “From then it was all positive thoughts for when I got out.”

How will Dogs spend war chest?

The Western Bulldogs already had cap space and an inclination to go hunting for stars before Tom Boyd retired.

Now they have an extra $1.5 million of cap space and the luxury of both their first and second-round picks (currently 9 and 27) if they do luck into trading for an established star.

Much of Boyd’s contract was back-ended, so in some way he retired knowing he had already received the lion’s share of that massive contract.

But the Dogs won’t worry about that, more intent on exploring the opportunities after at one stage coming close to securing Chad Wingard.

They won’t be fussed they missed out on him given his modest form this season, with Bailey Smith coming on well after they used that top-10 pick on him.

The Dogs need more avenues to goal — small and tall — even with Aaron Naughton’s recent hot form.

So as the season progresses they can monitor Josh Schache’s form, aware that in an era when clubs talking about “war chests” they have enough gold bullion and pick to make any free agency or trade acquisition happen if they have a specific need.

Cockatoo hoping for change of luck

Nakia Cockatoo is slowly being eased back to full fitness with a view to playing senior football by July this year.

It has been another frustrating season for the wildly talented midfielder, who has battled knee, groin and hamstring injuries in the last year.

Over summer he was also bitten by a spider in Bali and had his tonsils out.

Out of contract this year, there will be rivals trying to lure him away to play a running halfback role.

But he is happy at the Cats and has his sights set on a VFL return in late June then hopefully a step up to VFL in time to push for a finals berth.

Nakia Cockatoo is still hoping to play AFL footy this year. Picture: Alison Wynd

How mid-season draft helps ‘twilight zone’ veterans

Veteran players could become unexpected beneficiaries of the mid-season draft.

In a largely unforeseen twist, clubs are becoming increasingly open to the idea of hanging on to veteran players for one more season, because they have the capacity to replace them on the list at the mid-season draft the following year.

It will let clubs roll the dice with their old boys for another year, knowing they can make the call to cut them mid-season if it isn’t working out.

Those who perhaps fit into this twilight zone include Western Bulldogs’ Dale Morris, Geelong’s Harry Taylor, Hawthorn’s Grant Birchall and Greater Western Sydney’s Shane Mumford.

Richmond’s Shaun Grigg made the selfless call to retire this week, opening up a spot for the Tigers at the May 27 draft.

Mid-season draft coming soon to a TV near you

The AFL has gone the full court press on the mid-season draft, with Fox Footy expected to telecast elements of the event and representatives of clubs with picks to attend AFL House to take selections.

Several years ago the rookie and pre-season drafts had become such fizzers that clubs took their selections electronically.

But AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan believes there will be 20 players good enough to be taken.

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He said yesterday that about a quarter of players taken by clubs in the November national and rookie drafts were over the age of 19.

He reasons that clubs are just taking those players six months early, even if they don’t have as much exposed form.

Sheehan believes some clubs will select players then contract them for 2020 within weeks.

But the players most likely to actually play football this year are those already aligned to the AFL’s club’s VFL partner.

Those clubs will know that player’s form and fitness, with the VFL player aware of the club’s systems and fit enough to make an impact.

Sam Lowson is tipped to go at No. 1 in the pre-season draft.

Manager signs likely No. 1 pick

The potential No. 1 pick in the mid-season draft, Sam Lowson, has joined the TLA management stable.

The explosive Coburg goalkicker is expected to be taken early in the May 27 draft with Carlton and North Melbourne, in particular, looking at small forwards who can apply searing defensive pressure.

A carpenter from East Ringwood, Lowson, 23 has been knocking back interview requests in the lead-up to the event, preferring to keep a low-profile.