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Kangaroos fans have been perplexed by the delay in getting a new deal arranged for tough midfielder Jed Anderson. What is holding it up?
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Collingwood winger Tom Phillips is eyeing a move to Hawthorn 12 months after he rebuffed Geelong’s interest in a trade.
The move with the contracted Phillips would help clear some of the Magpies’ salary cap pressure.
Phillips has an incentive-laden contract at the Pies which could have earned him more than $500,000 this season.
He damaged his hamstring late in the season but the Hawks are likely to swoop on the 24-year-old.
Phillips amassed 664 disposals and kicked 15.8 in the 2018 season when he finished fifth in the Copeland Trophy.
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But the emergence of Josh Daicos saw him pushed to half-forward this season, where he failed to make a significant impact with only five goals from 15 games.
At Hawthorn, coach Alastair Clarkson would in effect trade Isaac Smith in for a younger model after the triple premiership star left for Geelong at age 31.
Hawthorn is keen to take its No.4 pick in the draft given five elite kids in the early stages of the top 10, but might have to hand over a second or third-round selection for Phillips.
The Pies’ tight salary cap means they have been forced to make tough decisions on players, including moving on James Aish to Fremantle for purely salary cap-based reasons last year.
Dons’ plan to stop low-ball Saad offer from Blues
Essendon is ready to ask for a future first-round draft pick from Carlton for Adam Saad if the Blues trade-out their top choice to the Lions.
The Herald Sun on Friday revealed Carlton was considering swapping pick No. 8 for No. 18 and No. 19 from Brisbane Lions.
It would mean the Blues could try and low-ball the Bombers with pick No. 18 in a trade for Saad and use No. 19 in the draft.
But the Bombers are unfazed by the potential situation unfolding as Essendon, which has pick No. 7, could strike the same deal with the Lions to shut down the Blues’ move.
It would mean the Bombers have No. 6 and No. 18 and No. 19 in the first round of the draft plus something for Saad.
Essendon would also be happy to pivot entirely and ask for a future first-round pick from Carlton instead of this year’s No. 8.
That way the Bombers would bank on the Blues missing the finals again next season in a bid to land a top-10 pick at the end of 2021.
It would also allow the Bombers to spread their draft riches across two seasons as next year’s talent pool is expected to be a bumper crop.
Speedy defender Saad, 26, is out of contract and has chosen the Blues as his new home.
JONG SIGNS ON FOR THE DOGS
Western Bulldogs midfielder Lin Jong will play on for a 10th AFL season after signing a one-year deal to remain with the club in 2021.
Jong, 27, has backed himself to win his way back into the season team after yet another injury-plagued season that restricted him to only three senior games.
An ankle injury suffered in the Round 5 clash with North Melbourne prematurely ended his season, but the Dogs are confident he can play a big role next year.
“I’m grateful to the club for the opportunity and keeping the faith in me, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Jong said.
“To play on into a 10th year is pretty special. I never expected to make it this far when I first started playing.
“I feel like when I’m up and going that I’m part of our best 22 and can make a contribution to our team. I know I’ve got plenty of good footy ahead of me.”
Bulldogs list and recruiting manager Sam Power said the club believed Jong could lock in a spot next year if he gets some luck with his body.
“Lin has had some unfortunate luck with injuries in recent years, but we know he is a player capable of making an impact at AFL level,” Power said.
“We saw this again in the early stages of 2020, before his ankle setback.
“We know if he can get his body right and have a good run at it, he can be a regular senior player for us in 2021.”
The Bulldogs are trying to keep Josh Dunkley at the club, but softened in their trade stance on Friday, saying they were “open” to listening to offers from Essendon.
The club delisted three players on Friday - Billy Gowers, Fergus Greene and Brad Lynch - while Tory Dickson announced his retirement in September.
WHY ESAVA IS THE ANTI-JOSH DUNKLEY
Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea is the anti-Josh Dunkley, prepared to own his poor form and win back his spot in the Cats line-up even as Jeremy Cameron comes into the team.
Ratugolea has had his name raised by GWS in the Cameron trade as well as many rival clubs who believe he might be surplus to requirements from now on at the Cats.
But he will back himself in, with the 22-year-old loving Geelong and relishing the challenge of still playing in the Cats side.
He played a dozen games for the Cats but none of the finals, with a series of niggles hampering him as Geelong continued to say they were keen for him to peak for the finals.
It never eventuated, with Ratugolea still taking 17 contested marks for the year.
He might have to wait until Tom Hawkins, about to sign a two-year deal, eventually retires before he can get a good crack at being a No. 1 or No. 2 forward at the club.
But it is refreshing to see him so honest about his own form and ready to roll up his sleeves.
Jordan Clark is in the same boat, very keen to remain at Geelong and not about to be part of any trade to GWS.
Fremantle has interest but it would take a huge change of heart for him to move on after a season hampered by a shoulder dislocation.
HOW WILL DONS FIX FORWARD WOES?
Essendon is well aware of its lack of goalpower entering 2020 as it spends the next six days attempting to remedy the situation.
In this trade period alone it has lost Joe Daniher, Shaun McKernan, and Orazio Fantasia, with the club looking to play James Stewart as a defender next year but now likely having to push him forward again.
It raises the question of whether Cale Hooker will have to play key forward for all of 2021 alongside Peter Wright, who is expected to get to the club.
No Essendon forward averaged more than 1.5 goals a game in 2020 with Jake Stringer averaging exactly that figure, followed by Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (1.12 goals) and Stewart (1.1).
Since Daniher averaged 2.83 goals in 2017 no Dons forward has kicked more than 33 goals in a season.
As GWS and Geelong stopped talking mid-week the rumours went around Essendon might attempt to hijack the Cameron trade given their high picks.
But only in a total catastrophe would they re-enter the race for Cameron if the Cats failed to get a deal done.
And Stephen Wells always gets his man.
As the Dons consider a trade for Josh Dunkley, Michael Hurley is untouchable despite being 30 at a club with many emerging key defenders.
Hurley is one of the club’s best relationship-builders on a playing list that needs to come together, so his off-field presence is just as important as his sterling work on the last line.
PICK SWAP COULD HELP DOGS, CROWS
Western Bulldogs and Adelaide could strike a pick swap that would help both clubs’ draft positions.
The Dogs have pick No. 14 and are open to trading it as the selection will be absorbed by the club’s bid for freakish forward and next generation academy member Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Adelaide has picks No. 22 and 23 and could hand them both over to the Dogs in exchange for No. 14.
It would suit Adelaide’s desire to move higher up the draft order to get their hands on another top talent as part of the club’s rebuild.
It also bolsters the Dogs’ points balance for the Ugle-Hagan bid.
Pick 14 is worth only 1161 points whereas nabbing No. 22 and No. 23 from the Crows is worth 1660 to the Dogs.
To even the pick swap out the Dogs could give Adelaide its second pick No. 41 which is worth 220 points.
The Dogs would also hope the Crows do not bid on Ugle-Hagan at pick No. 1 which would also save the Dogs as many as 500 points on the bid.
North Melbourne (No. 2), Sydney (No. 3) and Hawthorn (No. 4) are the next in line in the draft order.
WILL DUNKLEY GET THE MIDFIELD MINUTES HE WANTS?
Josh Dunkley’s manager Liam Pickering this week confirmed the Herald Sun’s report of last month that his client wants to move because of a lack of midfield time.
The smart thing for the Bulldogs would be to match any contract offer for Dunkley that Essendon has handed him and promise more midfield time.
But Luke Beveridge’s issue is that he can scarcely do that given the brilliant career start of Bailey Smith.
For all his possession-winning abilities, Dunkley is assessed by Champion Data as a poor metres gained player.
Smith has come into the club and taken his role, with Marcus Bontempelli, Lachie Hunter,
Tom Liberatore, Jackson Macrae and Lachie Hunter all ahead of him on the list of midfielders.
He is the one more adept at hunting the footy forward of the ball, so how do they make him a promise they can’t keep?
Dunkley’s drop-off in midfield time was illustrated by just eight centre-square clearances in eight games, down from 39 last year.
Clubs can promise the world of new players, just as Nathan Buckley did when he promised Jeremy Howe he would be a forward but quickly settled him into defence.
At Essendon Dunkley would likely still be behind Zach Merrett, Andy McGrath, Dylan Shiel for centre square involvements, but might push out Darcy Parish, who finished behind only Shiel for clearances (72) this year.
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE ROOS?
North Melbourne maintains it has not had a single conversation about moving on Jared Polec despite discussions about him finding a new home.
They aren’t interested in paying any of his salary and believe he can still be a valuable contributor despite being dropped this year.
Kudos to recruit Aidan Corr for holding his nerve and keeping his word when Hawthorn came calling to try to usurp the Roos on their deal.
North Melbourne is asking for more than the No. 37 selection for Shaun Higgins, but there is no doubt he will eventually get back to his childhood home.
The Roos believe he only had one good year left in him, so while some trades will run aground it’s a certainty that the deal will eventually get done.
CLUBS WATCHING ANDERSON SITUATION
Kangaroos fans have been perplexed by the delay in getting a new deal arranged for tough midfielder Jed Anderson.
Anderson finished third in the Syd Barker Medal and it seemed certain an early deal would be arranged at the end of the season.
But his manager Liam Pickering expressed his frustration that nothing has been locked away ahead of this week’s kick off to the trade period.
Pickering spoke with the Kangaroos this week about a potential new deal for Anderson, but a handful of other clubs are monitoring the situation.
DOCKER’S FUTURE UP IN THE AIR
Fremantle hasn’t ruled out trading out of favour midfielder Connor Blakely, but there has only been limited interest in the contracted player.
Sydney has been linked to Blakely, but he could yet stay at the Dockers.
It is understood the 24-year-old – who only played five games this season after being overlooked for others – has been told others are well ahead of him.
He fell out of favour with midfield coach Josh Carr and managed only five games this year.
Dockers footy boss Peter Bell said this week: “Connor wants to play every week and he’s at that age, 23, 24, and he’s played some really good football and he would have been incredibly frustrated to find himself out of the team for long patches during the year.”
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“Where it sits is he is absolutely, 100 per cent aware that there are others in front of him right now, that doesn’t mean things can’t change.
“It’s up to him. He’s a contracted player, he can come back and train the house down over pre-season and try to get one of those midfield spots or he’s well within his rights to look elsewhere, where he might think and his management might think and family that there might be more opportunities.”