Moneyball: Braydon Preuss wants to be a Giant, Orazio Fantasia to leave Essendon
Braydon Preuss will play for a third club next season after being stuck behind Max Gawn in the Demons ruck queue. After interst from several clubs, who has he nominated? Plus another Bomber wants out.
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Melbourne ruckman Braydon Preuss will press ahead with his move to Greater Western Sydney after turning down some late interest from Hawthorn.
The 206cm big man will make his way to a third club in next month’s trade period after telling the Demons he wanted to seek a fresh start at the Giants next year.
At GWS Preuss, 25, should become the No.1 ruckman, taking over from veteran big men Sam Jacobs and Shane Mumford.
Preuss was stuck behind superstar captain Max Gawn at Melbourne and played second fiddle to Todd Goldstein at North Melbourne before he was traded to the Dees in exchange for Dom Tyson.
The Giants was a more appealing option than the Hawks, where veteran talls Jon Ceglar and Ben McEvoy are contracted for next season.
Initial indications suggest Melbourne will look for a second-round pick from the Giants for Preuss, who played 10 games in red and blue over the past two seasons.
The aggressive big man has overcome a knee injury which sidelined him for the first half of this year.
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ANOTHER BOMBER WALKS OUT AND TARGETS SA
Adelaide has confirmed Orazio Fantasia wants to return to South Australia after his aborted trade request last year.
The Essendon utility is the third Bomber to walk out in the past week, off-setting the club’s two-season contract extension with Andy McGrath.
The Herald Sun revealed last week that Fantasia had passed independent tests on his body which had been forwarded to the South Australian clubs after a series of quad, calf, knee and hip issues.
It means Adelaide and Port Adelaide will consider whether to launch bids for the talented but injury prone players, who kicked 39 goals in 2017.
Adelaide wants to recruit players in the right age profile who grew up in the state, while Port Adelaide wants to be able to push Connor Rozee and Zac Butters into the midfield in coming seasons.
Fantasia’s contract has another season to run, but while Essendon would want an early pick for the player his injury history would mean South Australian clubs would be wary about giving too much for him.
Adelaide football boss Adam Kelly confirmed he wanted to return home.
“We understand he wants to come back to South Australia,” he said.
“Any player that’s gone interstate who wants to return home we’re keen to talk to and understand what their motivations are.
“We’re just not sure where that one will lie and how that will play out, but we’re always keen to talk to South Australians who want to come home.”
He told SEN the club would be wary about his injury history.
“As you’d imagine there would be some obvious concern there. I think he’s played 33 games over the last three years, so he’s had some durability issues,” he said.
“If we went down that path our medical team would make a thorough assessment because that obviously is an area of risk, but hopefully for Orazio it’s something that can be managed and he can get back to the footy he was playing (at his best).”
Adelaide is still waiting for offers to come in for Brad Crouch, but the Herald Sun reported last week Geelong might only offer him $450,000 a season.
That would not trigger a first-round compensation pick for Adelaide, which means they would likely match a bid and offer him a contract to stay.
The Crows have leverage in their deal to secure GWS midfielder Jackson Hately, who has requested a trade to Adelaide, given they have the first pick in the pre-season draft.
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CORR NOT DETERRED FROM ROOS
North Melbourne’s player exodus won’t deter GWS Giants’ Aidan Corr from joining the club in massive show of faith in the club’s list rebuild.
The Roos have targeted Corr for months to help bolster the club’s key backline but could let go as many as 14 players in an extraordinary move to rejuvenate the list.
Stars Shaun Higgins, Ben Brown and Jared Polec could all be out the door, prompting speculation Corr could get cold feet and consider a move to Hawthorn.
But the Herald Sun has confirmed Corr, 26, won’t do a backflip on his intention to join North Melbourne and will accept a long-term deal to start a new chapter in blue and white.
His speed of movement and selfless work won plenty of admirers at GWS but the 195cm backman wanted to move back to Victoria to be closer to family.
As a free agent, Corr will cost the Roos nothing in a trade. His signature is a considerable boost for the Roos as football boss Brady Rawlings’ looks to reset the list.
The Kangaroos made the bold call to delist 11 players and have also confirmed they will consider trading Higgins to Geelong and Brown to a rival club. Polec also has interest.
Melbourne and Essendon are considering trading for Brown, but the Roos are set to be low-balled on offers for the spearhead in a massive fall from grace for the man who booted 188 goals in 2017-19.
Sources said Brown, 28, may only be worth a second or third-round selection following the Roos’ decision to put him up for trade last month.
The Cats are also considering swapping a third-round selection for 32-year-old Higgins, while the Roos would also have to pay some of Polec’s 2021 salary to trade him out after falling out of favour.
Brown originally wanted to stay at the club and was disappointed to be told the Roos wanted to move him on on the back of a knee injury and subsequent surgery.
But he has accepted he won’t be at Arden St next season, even if North is disappointed with the offers it receives for Brown and want to consider keeping him.
“It’s not a decision we’ve made lightly as Ben has been a tremendous part of our club since 2014,” Rawlings said.
“It was a very honest discussion. Ben was very mature and understood our decision.
“We will work with Ben and his management to secure a mutually beneficial outcome.”
Brown is a natural replacement for departing free agent Joe Daniher at Essendon, while Melbourne may have to move on Tom McDonald to fit Brown in the salary cap at the Demons.
Tom’s brother Oscar is uncontracted for next season at the Demons, while Alex Neal-Bullen could also be moved on.
Fremantle is another club which could enter the frame for Brown as it weighs up what to do with Jesse Hogan.
The goal kicker will have talks with the Docks on his future when his quarantine ends this week.
Hogan was ordered to complete a 14-day hotel quarantine after he was caught having a female visitor over to his home last month.
Hogan has booted 18 goals in 19 games at Fremantle in the two years since he was traded from Melbourne as part of the deal which landed Steven May.
Hogan is contracted in the west for next year.
PIES SHOCK BID FOR EAGLES SPEARHEAD REVEALED
Collingwood can be revealed as the mystery other suitor who made an audacious but unsuccessful bid to prise two-time Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy out of West Coast.
The Magpies and Gold Coast were the clubs chasing the 33-year-old key forward before he agreed to accept a one-year deal to stay with the Eagles on Thursday.
Kennedy has a long-range plan to transition into a development/assistant coaching role and that piqued the interest of the Magpies and Suns.
Both clubs had pitched to Kennedy’s management that he could play for at least one more season before transitioning into a coaching or development role, much in the manner of Sam Mitchell’s deal with the Eagles signed after the 2016 season.
Kennedy initially believed 2020 might be his last season of AFL football, but a strong return to form in the second half of the season convinced him to play on.
He kicked a season-high seven goals against the Magpies in Round 8 – and 34 for the year, to take out his seventh club goal kicking award.
The Collingwood option would have been an interesting situation, given how much damage he has done to Nathan Buckley’s Magpies across his career.
He booted three goals in West Coast’s five-point victory over Collingwood in the 2018 Grand Final. He has kicked 49 goals against the Magpies in his career – more than any other club, bar Western Bulldogs – and he still managed three goals in this year’s elimination final loss.
Kennedy seems certain to now head in a coaching/development pathway with West Coast when his playing days are over, most likely at the end of the season.
Kennedy and Hurn signed one year deals, while Andrew Gaff has now been locked away until the end of the 2024 season.
CATS OPEN TO CONSTABLE TRADE
Geelong will release inside midfielder Charlie Constable if the club can work out a commensurate trade deal.
But Brandan Parfitt will sign a new deal and ward off Adelaide’s interest which would have only intensified if the Crows matched a potential Geelong contract for Brad Crouch.
Ballwinner Constable has played only nine senior games in the past two years including two this season and has been frustrated by his lack of opportunities.
The reality is there are other senior ball-winners ahead of him in the queue at Geelong and Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood aren’t going anywhere for next season.
It means Constable, who remains contracted to Geelong, will likely swap teams in the November exchange period in a bid to establish himself at AFL level next season.
But the club has no plans to release small forward midfielder Lachie Fogarty at this stage, even though he too has taken time to break into the senior side.
Parfitt is one of Geelong’s most exciting young midfielders in a team that is ageing and might bring in more mature-agers like Crouch to add to Shaun Higgins’ acquisition.
As a South Australian-raised player he would fit perfectly into the club’s determination to bring in local players, which has already started with Jackson Hately’s recruitment.
But he loves Geelong and a deal isn’t far off with both parties happy with the progress.
If Geelong does only offer a modest deal for Crouch that didn’t trigger first-round compensation for Adelaide they would certainly match a deal.
It would mean Geelong, which has three first-round picks, would be in the tough spot of having to trade for a free agent after already handing over picks 9, 28 and Dean Gore for free agent Patrick Dangerfield.
HIGGINS TRADE NEGOTIATIONS TO RAMP UP
Expect trade negotiations on a Shaun Higgins deal to ramp up when the Cats’ finals campaign finishes.
The Cats have spoken to Higgins about returning home and are certain to clinch a deal with North Melbourne for the former Falcons’ ball-winner.
Given he’s already turned 32 and may have two or three years left in his career, a third-round draft pick seems a likely starting point for negotiations on the Higgins trade.
A similar deal was struck between St Kilda and Geelong last year when Jack Steven moved to Geelong for pick No. 58, while Hawthorn got their hands on Tom Scully for a future fourth-round selection.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR SMITH?
Isaac Smith is exploring his opportunities elsewhere as the Hawks consider trading the gun wingman.
Hawthorn has a two-year deal on the table for Smith but it is understood the veteran ball-winner is open-minded about his future.
Smith will turn 33 before next season and has received some interest from Melbourne.
Hawthorn will look to give more opportunities to young Hawks James Cousins, Harry Morrison and Finn Maginness next season.
CLUBS CIRCLE SAINT LONIE
Jack Lonie has as many as four suitors – three from Victoria – as he attempts to secure a two-season deal from the Saints.
Heading into the final against Richmond Lonie had played 12 games for 46 score involvements and a dozen goals as one of the success stories for Brett Ratten’s Saints.
But he has been offered only a one-season deal and would want enough security in a two-season deal to stay put.
The Bulldogs are one of those teams keen to add some bite to their half forward line as Cody Weightman takes time to mature, with Tory Dickson having retired and Ben Cavarra having failed to make an impact after being recruited from the VFL.
St Kilda’s Shane Savage, coming in for only his second game of the season for the final given Ben Long’s suspension, has interest from rival clubs and will likely move on after this season.
PIES CLOSING IN ON DAICOS DEAL
Contract talks have resumed with excellent progress for Josh Daicos for a two-year deal that will see him given a hefty pay-rise if he can hit certain incentives.
Daicos has been one of the finds of the AFL season, going from playing five games last year to seamlessly slot into Steele Sidebottom’s wing position in 17 games leading into Saturday’s final against Geelong.
Those talks are now ticking along after the parties were at one stage keen to see what the CBA looked like next year before progressing on a new deal.
Many players of his ilk are handed contracts with a base element and then incentives but given his slashing form he will back himself to continue hitting those heights next year to earn that big pay rise, freeing up Sidebottom to continue playing all over the ground.
WHY CLUBS ARE CRAZY FOR CALDWELL
Why is every Melbourne club chasing GWS second-year midfielder Jye Caldwell?
Because of comments like this from then-GWS captain Phil Davis, who said last year if there was anyone at the club he would give a ten-year deal to it would be Caldwell.
Caldwell has been pushed to half forward so far but GWS is aware of his special skill set, having offered him an extremely generous offer that reflects his talent.
Essendon and St Kilda are pushing hard for him but the line of clubs keen extends around the block.
Here is Davis at the start of last year: ““If I was going to put a 10-year contract in front of anyone, I‘d put it in front of Jye Caldwell. I just love Jye,” said.
“He‘s tough and he kicked this goal against Sydney the other day off two steps on the run and I was like ’That’s special’. Every now and again you get glimpses.
“I think we‘ve seen enough of Tim (Taranto) to see he’s going to be a star, but for those we haven’t seen a lot, I think Jye is something really special.”
MANAGER CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE
AFL agent Marty Pask had it tough this week as Bomber Adam Saad made the call to move to Carlton.
Pask has overseen some of the most fruitful trades in the game in recent years, including Dion Prestia to Richmond and Brian Lake to Hawthorn.
The problem in the Saad case was that one of Pask’s other key Kapital Sports clients is Bombers’ captain Dyson Heppell.
Heppell was desperately keen to keep Saad at the club and Pask was in the middle of things as Carlton pitched a juicy five-year deal.
Heppell would be terribly disappointed, but Saad maybe didn’t love it when Devon Smith made a late-season move to the back half, effectively taking over Saad’s rebounding role.
It forced Saad to the back pocket, and made him think more about a big club switch.
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