Stewart Crameri finally got to the Western Bulldogs while three Brisbane Lions left the Gabba
A LAST-ditch phone call from Mark Thompson failed to convince Stewart Crameri to stay at Essendon. Live chat.
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A LAST-ditch phone call from Essendon coach Mark Thompson failed to convince Stewart Crameri to stay in red and black.
The Bombers yesterday let Crameri walk to the Western Bulldogs in exchange for pick 26 - the very deal they had rejected for a month.
Three Brisbane Lions also found new homes, with Sam Docherty (Carlton), Jared Polec (Port Adelaide) and Elliott Yeo (West Coast) all leaving.
The trade period closes at 2pm today with several deals still up in the air.
Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro admitted the club wanted more for Crameri, but were wary of losing the forward without compensation in the pre-season draft.
“I’m confident pick 26 will get us a quality player,” Dodoro said yesterday.
“We’ve picked up guys like David Zaharakis and Jake Carlisle with second round picks and there’s no reason why we can’t pick up a player of that calibre to join Kurt Aylett and Shaun Edwards and hopefully Paul Chapman on the list.
“We’re disappointed but realistic that that was the position we were put in, and the best possible result was to get a second-round draft pick.”
The 57-gamer has been Essendon’s leading goalkicker over the past three seasons and was identified by the Bulldogs as the man to fix its forward line deficiencies.
Crameri worked closely with Dogs coach Brendan McCartney at Essendon in 2011, a relationship that was crucial in his decision to leave.
But former Geelong star Paul Chapman will join the Bombers as a delisted free agent on November 1.
The three-time premiership hero had medicals with both Essendon and Carlton but was lured to Windy Hill to be with his former coach Mark Thompson.
Chapman, 31, yesterday said he thought he could land a fourth flag with the Bombers within two years.
Carlton finally landed Docherty in exchange for its second round pick 33.
Polec went to the Power in a complicated three-way trade involving Brisbane and Greater Western Sydney.
Port gave up pick 14 (to GWS) and pick 34 (Brisbane), while the Giants traded pick 21 to the Power and pick 22 to the Lions.
Brisbane off-loaded Polec and pick 45 to Port and gave pick 29 to GWS.
Yeo got to West Coast in exchange for pick 28.
Collingwood has offered tall forward Jackson Paine as a straight swap for out-of-contract Brisbane youngster Patrick Karnezis.
Karnezis is in demand with North Melbourne also showing interest and have offered pick 47 to the Lions.
But the 21-year-old, who grew up in Hawthorn, wants to play for the Magpies and is expected to make it to Westpac Centre even if the straight swap doesn’t eventuate.
Sydney’s Andrejs Everitt is being pursued by Carlton, West Coast and the Giants.
St Kilda remains hopeful of securing Brisbane’s Billy Longer in a three-way trade involving GWS before today’s deadline.