AFL trade news: Jordan De Goey, Dan McStay, Brodie Grundy and the latest whispers
Brodie Grundy has likely played his last game for Collingwood but four players are set to arrive in the trade period from other clubs. Plus Jordan De Goey, Ollie Henry latest.
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Brodie Grundy has likely played his last game for Collingwood as the Pies aggressively alter their list and prepare to welcome Bobby Hill, Dan McStay, Brayden Fiorini and Billy Frampton in coming weeks.
But Collingwood is still holding out hope it could retain Ollie Henry despite him exploring the option of returning to Geelong to be closer to family and friends.
The Pies’ glorious late-season surge came up one point short in a preliminary final but already the club has made significant ground on addressing areas of concern for next year.
While dual All Australian Grundy would improve the club’s clearance work – ranked 18th in the competition this year – it is the Pies that have driven the trade interest that will likely see him end up at Melbourne.
The early discussions over him moving have allowed Grundy to explore rival interest and conditioned Pies fans to him getting to a new home after the diabolical off-season firesale of late 2020.
The club’s quartet of incoming players and likely signing of Jordan De Goey means the Pies will likely need Grundy’s contract off their books, even if they pay $300,000 per season of his deal at Melbourne.
Collingwood is not yet out of the race to re-sign exciting forward Henry, a No.17 draft pick pushed out of the side late in the year.
While Geelong has expressed an interest, the Cats’ main priority is landing GWS midfielder Tanner Bruhn.
Former Geelong Falcon Henry, whose brother Jack plays with the Cats, has increasingly spent more time back in Geelong this year as his contract talks have drifted in his second season.
The Cats are aware that as he assesses his future prospects at Collingwood he could be open to a move down the highway.
But they have not progressed those discussions as he works through whether there is a role for him at the Pies in an increasingly crowded forward line.
The Cats have an assortment of small forwards including Tyson Stengle, Brad Close and Gryan Miers, and could be unwilling to hand over a first-round selection.
Collingwood loves the pace and precision ball use of GWS wingman Bobby Hill, who has officially chosen the Pies but held off public confirmation until after their final game.
GWS is prepared to trade him given the return from injury of Brent Daniels.
Brisbane free agent McStay is certain to join the Pies, as reported by the Herald Sun in August.
While his last final against Geelong was poor he put together two excellent finals and was in the coaches’ votes in two of his final six home-and-away games.
Adelaide’s Billy Frampton has chosen the Pies as his new home, with Collingwood eyeing him as defensive cover and likely to secure him for a late pick.
The Pies have real interest in Gold Coast’s Fiorini, with the Suns exploring left-field ways to shed cap space in a manner that creates opportunities for rival clubs.
It means Collingwood might secure him in a Suns salary dump and spread his $600,000 salary over multiple years. Last season Fiorini averaged 23.4 possessions, 91 ranking points and 4.1 marks.
Gold Coast’s determination to bring their salary cap into alignment means players like Fiorini and goalsneak Alex Sexton would be available for rival clubs in trades that could see them improve their draft position while securing Suns players.
Saints won’t make Godfather offer for De Goey
Jordan De Goey looks certain to remain at Collingwood, with St Kilda unwilling to offer the monster deal that is the only chance of ripping him out the Pies next year.
Free agent De Goey will now progress his contract talks with the Pies, after coach Craig McRae said on Saturday night he had urged the Pies star’s manager Ryan Vague to get to work on a new deal with the club.
The Herald Sun understands St Kilda believes De Goey would be a perfect fit for their list and has made an impressive pitch to the 26-year-old about a move to Moorabbin.
But the Saints believe he would need to come for the right reasons and will not throw a massive $1 million-plus offer at him that might be the only chance to test his loyalty, aware his likely course of action is staying at Collingwood.
While their pitch could have more guaranteed years and even more money than Collingwood’s maximum $800,000-per-year offer, it is unlikely to be the game-changer that would convince De Goey to leave the Pies.
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De Goey is keen to sign a new deal and the Collingwood board has approved a financial offer as long as it has a behavioural clause inserted to safeguard the club.
While talks are officially off until this week, there have been regular talks between the club and his manager Vague.
The Herald Sun revealed this month the Pies would offer him a four-year deal worth $800,000 per season that includes a trigger for behavioural clauses, but were not prepared to pay him more.
It would now take a shock development for De Goey to leave.
Collingwood teammate Jack Crisp said De Goey’s emotional connection to the group and his belief in what they would achieve could keep him in black and white.
“I probably don’t even need to say anything to him,” Crisp said.
“You can see how much he has enjoyed his footy, especially in the last month.
“He would understand that we have had a great year. There is a lot to look forward to, that’s pretty clear, so hopefully he re-signs again soon.”
Crisp said he remained confident the huge strides the playing group had taken in Craig McRae’s first season as coach will hold the club in good stead next season and beyond.
He revealed the coaching staff and the players spoke at halftime about the three 50m penalties they conceded in the first two quarters, which ended up being four by game’s end.
While a couple of them looked questionable, Crisp said players had to learn to move on from mistakes.
“We addressed it at half time,” he said.
“We spoke a bit about managing the moments and moving on. We gave away a 50m and all of a sudden the ball is down the other end, and we’ve got a bloke who is still in the forward line. It is about how we switch on, stay in the moment and forget about our mistakes.”
He stressed there was a lot of improvement in the playing group and that young players including Jack Ginnivan and Ash Johnson would continue to raise the bar in the coming years.
“There is a lot to look forward to,” he said. “This has only been after one year (under McRae), so hopefully we get another pre-season into the young kids and develop really well.
“Who knows what we can do.”
Crisp said even when the Magpies were 36 points down early in the third term, the players knew they were still in the hunt and could flip the narrative.
“We always think we are a chance,” he said. “I think our change in game style was more aggressive with our ball movement.
“Some things were working: some things were not working. We just had to mix and match with what we were doing. But when you are down like that, you have to take some risks.
“It was an unbelievable fightback. We know we are never going to give in, no matter what.
‘We have a great group of young players, it was an awesome first year under Fly (McRae).”
Fagan resigned to losing McStay
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan is all but resigned to losing Collingwood-bound Daniel McStay in free agency despite him not revealing his intentions yet.
The Lions’ season came to a crashing halt at Geelong’s hands on Friday night in a 71-point preliminary final demolition that illustrated the improvement they still need to make.
Brisbane will get a significant boost next year with likely No.1 selection Will Ashcroft to join a midfield that could also boast Bulldog Josh Dunkley – but Fagan refused to comment on Dunkley’s status.
On the sixth-year coach’s logic on McStay, one of Brisbane or Port Adelaide can expect to lure Dunkley out of the Kennel.
“I don’t know (what McStay is doing), because Dan hasn’t told me,” Fagan said.
“But I would suspect if he was going to be a Brisbane player next year, we would know that by now.
“So, if Collingwood is the club, then Collingwood is the club – that wouldn’t surprise me – but we haven’t had that conversation.”
Fagan deferred a question about Dunkley to his list management team, saying he was “not prepared to comment about potential trades from other clubs”.
The Lions were competitive enough in the first quarter on Friday night but a trend of not being able to solve the Cats’ defensive riddle had already begun.
Fagan was yet to address his players when he spoke to the media but expected the post-mortem to be a mixture of optimism about the strides they made in 2022 versus the preliminary final “disappointment”.
“There have been a lot of good things that have happened this year,” he said.
“(Friday night) wasn’t one of them, so we shouldn’t not talk about those things.
“But we should also talk about the learnings we get from playing against a great side like Geelong, which just played a brilliant finals game tonight and looks in great shape for next week.”
Which Vic clubs are into big Docker?
Greater Western Sydney is not one of the clubs chasing Fremantle ruckman Lloyd Meek.
Meek is caught in the Luke Jackson trade crossfire, given he has already struggled for regular senior opportunities with Sean Darcy the resident No.1 big man and Rory Lobb as forward-ruck.
Jackson is yet to specify whether he wants to be a Docker or Eagle but the strong suspicion is he will make his way to Fremantle eventually.
But Lobb’s trade request to the Western Bulldogs — even though the Dockers are standing firm they won’t trade him now Griffin Logue is leaving — and Meek being contracted until the end of next year are complicating factors.
If Lobb is to leave and Jackson lands at Freo, the Dockers still might prefer to have Meek as depth in case of injury to Darcy or Jackson because there are no other ruckmen on the list.
West Coast, which remains in the Jackson race, is understood to be one club keen to bring in Meek as it considers life after 32-year-old Nic Naitanui, who just re-signed for two years.
Melbourne is also an option, given it will lose Jackson to Fremantle and has little ruck depth behind Max Gawn, even with Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy expected to be in red and blue in 2023.
But Meek won’t be at the Giants, who already have Braydon Preuss, Matt Flynn and Kieren Briggs and may bring in Tiger Ivan Soldo as part of the potential package for Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper.
Crisp to be rewarded with long-term Pies deal
Jack Crisp’s extraordinary rise from hard-running half-back to a powerful midfield force is likely to be rewarded with a new long-term deal in the months after Collingwood’s 2022 trade/free agency period.
While the Magpies have yet to start serious negotiations with Crisp as they work through more immediate list management issues, Crisp’s manager Anthony McConville is keen to kick-start the dialogue after next month’s trade period.
Crisp, who turns 29 next month, still has one more year to run on the five-year deal he inked in early 2019.
In the years since he has elevated his game to a new level, winning last year’s Copeland Trophy and he remains one of the favourites to make it back-to-back best and fairests.
“He’s contracted until the end of next year, so I would imagine once we get past (the) trade (period) and when the club sees its salary cap position, those conversations will come,” McConville, from Macs Sports Promotions, told Moneyball.
“He has just been such a consistent player so I am sure common sense will prevail.”
Crisp hasn’t missed a Collingwood game since joining the club in late 2014.
The Magpies have offered restricted free agent De Goey a four-year $3.2 million contract — with some behaviour clauses — as they look to stave off interest from a cashed-up St Kilda.
Collingwood will have a busy trade and free agency period with a number of players expected to join the club in 2023.
Lions forward Dan McStay is certain to be in black and white next season, as is GWS small forward Bobby Hill.
Adelaide’s Billy Frampton and Gold Coast’s Brayden Fiorini are keen to join the Magpies, while Hawk Tom Mitchell has been linked to a number of clubs, including Collingwood.
Will Bombers move on possession magnet?
Essendon will not make a move on former Hawthorn and Collingwood wingman Tom Phillips for next season.
Phillips was linked to the Bombers to help add some depth to their outside midfield options, but the club is not prepared to add him to the list under a new coach for 2023.
Phillips played four games for the Hawks this year after 22 last season but the club was keen to head in a more youthful direction under Sam Mitchell.
The wingman, who is 26, could still play at the top level for several more years if he is given the opportunity.
Phillips is renowned for his hard run and ability to win high possession numbers but he was moved on from Collingwood as part of the 2020 salary cap cleanse.
Essendon has spoken to ex-Blue Liam Stocker but there are no guarantees the hard nut defender will receive an AFL lifeline for next season after four years at Carlton.
Blues’ midfielder Will Setterfield is also looking for a new opportunity, while Paddy Dow could also be tempted after a dominant year in the VFL.
Essendon will zero in on young talent and is intent on keeping its top draft pick to pick up another elite young talents after adding Nik Cox, Zach Reid, Archie Perkins and Ben Hobbs over the past two drafts.
Win or lose! Former Bomber expected at The Hangar
Essendon premiership player Dean Solomon seems certain to be at Tullamarine next season, regardless of whether he wins the race to become the club’s senior coach or not.
Solomon, 43, pitched for the club’s senior coaching job on Wednesday along with three other candidates, including his close friend and former teammate James Hird.
Even before Ben Rutten was sacked as coach, the highly-rated Solomon was approached about potentially playing a role in the Bombers’ football department next season.
Solomon could be offered a long-term deal working within the club in what would be a welcome return for the much-loved 2000 premiership hardman.
He was a long-time assistant coach at Gold Coast and filled in as caretaker coach for three games after Rodney Eade was sacked.
He lost out on the Suns’ senior job when Stuart Dew was appointed and was moved on from the Gold Coast at the end of 2020.
He took a break from coaching until he and Hird were approached by GWS caretaker Mark McVeigh mid-season to come on as part-time assistant coaches. He wants to get back into football full-time.
Logue trade might have some more meat on bone
A second Fremantle player could be headed to North Melbourne behind Griffin Logue, with Darcy Tucker set to undergo a medical in the coming weeks.
Tucker dodged an ACL injury playing in the WAFL two weekends ago but is recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The Dockers used the 25-year-old in defence in recent times but it’s understood the Kangaroos see him as a midfield option who can also play on the wing and up forward.
He has struggled to cement a regular spot under Justin Longmuir and would have a clearer path to games at North Melbourne.
Tucker is yet to nominate a club, with Essendon among his other suitors, but Fremantle is willing to trade him at the right price, potentially in the same deal as Logue, who has chosen the Roos.
North’s new coach Alastair Clarkson is quickly becoming the AFL’s answer to the Pied Piper as he aggressively works alongside list boss Brady Rawlings to add more mature talent to the existing playing group.
But Tucker is believed to have been on Rawlings’ radar before Clarkson was appointed.
St Kilda’s Ben Long, who has since nominated Gold Coast, Hunter Clark and Bradley Hill, as well as wantaway Giant Tanner Bruhn, have all met with or been linked with North Melbourne since the season ended.
Bruhn is yet to officially declare his preference but is leaning towards Geelong, while there have been no developments with Clark in the past fortnight.
Hill is contracted until 2025 at the Saints but played in the Hawks’ flag three-peat from 2013-15 under Clarkson, so it is a situation to monitor.
If the Roos and Dockers are unable to agree on a suitable trade deal over Logue, North could follow in Carlton’s footsteps on Jack Martin and try to land the 24-year-old in the pre-season draft.
It would mean North, which has asked the AFL for a suite of draft picks as part of an assistance package, would not have to cough up a draft pick to secure Logue.
The Kangaroos have only one pick inside the first 50 selections, however they are expected to receive at least one pick at the end of the first round, plus additional list spots, from the league.
Carlton picked up Martin for nothing the same way from Gold Coast three years ago, after the Suns and Blues were unable to agree on a trade.
Johannisen is firming to stay a Bulldog
Saint Ben Long’s decision to request a trade to Gold Coast on a four-year deal means 2016 Norm Smith medallist Jason Johannisen is firming to stay a Bulldog.
Johannisen, who turns 30 in November, was among the Suns’ options to replace injured half-back trio Lachie Weller, Wil Powell and Connor Budarick, who are all recovering from ACL tears.
He was keen for a three-year deal at Gold Coast but is no longer a priority for the Suns since Long’s commitment fills that defensive need.
The Dogs are understood to have presented Johannisen with a two-year offer that may now be his best option as negotiations continue.
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