Carlton Liam Stocker-pick swap deal with Adelaide to help Blues snare Tom Papley, Jack Martin
Carlton’s ballsy draft-day Liam Stocker-pick swap trade with Adelaide 12 months ago could soon be hailed as a stunning masterstroke, with the ensuing assets set to net it Tom Papley and Jack Martin.
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The biggest gamble of last year’s draft is set to play a major role in helping Carlton snare priority trade targets Tom Papley and Jack Martin.
The Blues took a considerable punt swapping their first pick in this year’s draft to secure Liam Stocker in a swap for Adelaide’s pick No.19 last year.
But it’s the leftovers of that pivotal deal — the No.9 pick Carlton secured from Adelaide for this year’s draft — which is looming large.
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The Blues are considering splitting that pick into two later selections to help pull off deals for toughnut Papley and slick ball-winner Martin.
If successful, it means Carlton could ultimately secure three players — Stocker, Papley and Martin — for the No.4 pick in this year’s draft which it controversially traded to Adelaide 12 months ago.
Carlton is in talks with Sydney about the possibility of giving the Swans pick No.9 in exchange for Papley, and possibly, pick No.25 as part of a broader deal as the Blues are reluctant to part with their top-10 pick on its own for the forward pocket.
But they are interested in gaining No.25 back from the Swans as part of a deal which could enable them to poach Martin from the Suns.
Another alternative for Carlton is to look to deal with Geelong for picks No.14 and No.24. It could offer pick No.9 and another choice, such as No. 43.
Under that scenario, No.14 could go to the Swans for Papley, while No.24 could be part of a package of picks for Martin.
While the Suns want a first-round pick for Martin, the Blues do not want to overpay for a talented young player who was dropped to the NEAFL late in the year.
Industry sources are still split on Martin’s value and whether he will fulfil his potential after making the call to depart the Suns this season.
To land Martin, the Blues could float passing on two second-round choices to Gold Coast, including its future second-round selection for next year.
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Carlton list boss Stephen Silvagni said the club was well-placed to snare Papley and Martin.
“Hopefully what we put on the table will be sufficient enough to get the deal done,” Silvagni said.
“We’ve targeted a couple of players and they’re priorities for us to get over the line.
“We’re confident that we’ll be able to get something done.”
But these talks are likely to drag out as Essendon plays hardball with the Swans over the Joe Daniher trade.
The Swans have pick No. 5 already but may need No. 9 as well to help complete a deal with Essendon for Daniher.
Essendon has vowed not to trade Daniher unless it can secure two high-end selections in return.