AFL Trades 2020: New deal for Tom Hawkins as Cats push on with chase for Adelaide midfielder Brad Crouch
After ticking off on a new deal for Tom Hawkins, Geelong has ramped up its due diligence over Brad Crouch as its chase for the Adelaide free agent continues. Plus Rory Atkins’ new club and all the latest trade and free agency whispers.
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Tom Hawkins is on the verge of agreeing to a two-year deal that would see him as the Cats’ sixth 300-game star as the club ramps up its due diligence over Adelaide free agent Brad Crouch.
The Cats enter Thursday’s finals series hoping three-time premiership star Hawkins can add to his glittering trophy cabinet after strong progress on his contract talks.
Both his manager and the club are now finalising an agreement on the tenure and finances, meaning the deal is effectively done.
Hawkins’ stunning form as the All Australian full forward and Coleman Medallist meant the Cats were more than content to hand him a two-season deal at 32 years of age.
He is finishing a five-season deal with the Cats that would have earned him around $800,000 a season and while he might take a small pay cut he remains in dynamic form.
On Thursday night he plays his 274th game, with Corey Enright holding the Geelong games record on 332 games.
He is followed by Ian Nankervis (325), Joel Selwood (306), Jimmy Bartel (305) and Sam Newman (300).
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Crouch’s drug controversy, where he was caught with cocaine in a cab alongside teammate Tyson Stengle, was horrific timing for the free agent.
He apologised on Thursday for his conduct and said he needed to regain the lost respect.
Geelong would need to tick off his recruitment with its board and senior players given the worries over his character.
But list managers and players managers across the competition do not believe it will seriously impact his capacity to find a home given he is far from the only player to have used drugs in an off-season.
Geelong has a policy of securing board approval for any contract longer than three seasons or above a certain salary, which would apply to Crouch.
News Corp revealed on Monday Crouch and Stengle are likely to be handed a drug strike by the AFL given they were caught with cocaine under an AFL illicit drugs policy that runs 12 months of the season.
It is understood clubs regularly ask potential recruits about their chequered pasts as they assess the risk of bringing them into the club.
One list manager said on Thursday he had asked players whether they had registered a drug strike, with one player admitting that he had.
It was seen as a sign of honesty and allowed the club to put support around him when he arrived.
But players are not forced to disclose previous drug issues, which is why clubs conduct such extensive due diligence on prospective recruits to ensure those decisions do not backfire.
Crouch apologised to Adelaide.
“I have made a big mistake. I hope and trust that it does not define me. This is not who I am. I will strive to be a better person and know that I need to regain the respect of those who I have let down,’’ he said.
“I have had a few days to reflect on my behaviour … and I think it’s important to get on here to publicly apologise.
“I am ashamed, embarrassed and disappointed in my actions.”
Atkins off to Gold Coast as Crows cool on big-bodied midfielder
Adelaide’s interest in Gold Coast extractor Will Brodie has waned as the club prepares for a compensation pick for departing free agent Rory Atkins.
The Suns will secure unrestricted free agent Atkins on a four-year with a fifth season, with the guaranteed aspect of the contract likely to hand Adelaide a second or third-round compensation selection.
Atkins also had some Victorian suitors but has been committed to the Suns for some time after playing only four games for Adelaide in 2020.
The Crows could still recoup two compensation selections in the national draft if Crouch leaves but are still threatening to match any offer that does not net them a first-round compensation pick for last year’s best-and-fairest winner.
The Crows had been linked to Brodie given his exceptional clearance skills but are not believed to be serious suitors for the former top-10 pick.
Roos cull claims another victim
North Melbourne assistant coach Jade Rawlings has been moved on from the club after only one season.
News Corp has confirmed the brother of Kangaroos’ football manager Brady Rawlings is set to part ways with the Roos after only 12 month as Rhyce Shaw’s senior assistant and midfield coach.
Rawlings was contracted for two more seasons, but isn’t expected to be part of the Roos’ coaching panel for 2021.
Rawlings wants to stay in the football industry and continue coaching at AFL level.
It continues the significant on and off field changes at the club which this year included making redundant assistant coaches Jared Rivers and Brendan Whitecross.
The Roos have also delisted 11 players and are in talks about trading Ben Brown, Jared Polec and Shaun Higgins.
Rawlings arrived from Melbourne last year where he served Simon Goodwin as back line coach since 2012.
He was poached from the Dees to be the senior lieutenant on Shaw’s coaching panel in 2020 and beyond but his time has been cut short.
Rawlings is highly rated in the industry and was interim senior coach at Richmond after Terry Wallace resigned in 2009.
He has been considered a leading contender for various senior coaching positions in recent years.
Clubs are being forced to make significant changes to their football departments to come under the $6.2 million salary cap for next season.
SAINTS LEAD VIC CLUBS IN RACE FOR YOUNG GIANT
Have the Saints found their next ace midfielder?
The club wants to be active in the trade period again and have set their sights on GWS midfielder Jye Caldwell.
Caldwell has many Victorian suitors and faces a big call whether to stay up north.
While the Giants remain confident, the No. 11 draft pick was dropped late in the season which increased the cloud hanging over his future.
North Melbourne has had a tougher time trying to attract top-line recruits such as Caldwell as the Roos attempt to plug as many as 14 holes on their list for next season.
CROWS CLOSING IN ON THEIR GIANT TARGET
Everything points to Adelaide securing GWS midfielder Jackson Hately in a trade after only two seasons at the Giants.
GWS is still optimistic it might hold onto second-year draftees Caldwell and Xavier O’Halloran but Hately’s home-town links will make it hard to keep him.
The Giants recruited a band of inside mids when it seemed one of Josh Kelly, Jacob Hopper or Stephen Coniglio might leave but they all stayed and then academy pick Tom Green turned into a young star and they took him at pick 10.
As Dermott Brereton has said on Fox Footy, now they have six inside mids who can only really take up three midfield spots.
The Giants have bigger issues in the ruck, with Richmond unlikely to release Callum Coleman-Jones after GWS interest last year.
They need a senior figure to help young rucks Matt Flynn and Kieren Briggs, with suggestions Shane Mumford might play one more season after committing to his second retirement mid-season.
KEY BOMBER STILL UNDECIDED
Saad remains genuinely torn about his future at Essendon but the club’s best-and-fairest results show why he is worth every dollar they have offered him over a four-season deal.
Saad finished third in the club’s best-and-fairest for the third straight year but the shock value was Dylan Shiel, who finished only 10th.
He is on $800,000 a season, which goes to show how consistently Saad has performed and how highly valued he is at other clubs.
Saad is interested in more holistic things than money including work-life balance and a greater purpose.
Despite reports about an end-of-week deadline he will simply make up his own mind in his time.
Saad was upset to be moved from freewheeling defender to lockdown on the last line, sometimes within quarters and with no communication.
Essendon has reportedly expressed interest in Richmond’s Bachar Houli on a deal for two seasons.
But while Saad and Houli would enjoy playing together, the Richmond star’s Bachar Houli Foundation at Punt Road and outstanding work he does through it in the community would surely be a significant roadblock.
CAMERON’S MEGA DEAL ON BACK BURNER
Greater Western Sydney’s offer to Jeremy Cameron is a sign footy’s mega deals have been put on the back burner.
The Giants are trying to sign the superstar forward for five more years which is a slight pull back on the seven-year deals to captain Stephen Coniglio and jet linebreaker Lachie Whitfield.
There has been a trend in footy to lock-in the superstars with whopping offers but industry sources believe the current economic restraints will impact ongoing contracts to the game’s biggest stars.
Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy’s monster seven-year contract on about $950,000 a year looks like the biggest deal we will see for some time.
Sydney Swans’ Lance Franklin signed a nine-year bumper deal to move on from Hawthorn but the champion goal kicker has been curbed by injuries recently, playing 10 games in the past two seasons including none this year.
Recent discussions between player agents and clubs indicate the same blockbuster long-term offers will be wound back somewhat to afford clubs better protection.
Sources have speculated the Giants are prepared to offer Cameron about $700,000 a year, which is about half of the $1.5 million he was due to be paid for 2020 before COVID-19 hit.
Geelong is interested in Cameron but has never paid overs for its players, believing its lifestyle and strong club culture is the greatest drawcard.
Essendon faces a steeper mountain to climb to poach Cameron as club heavyweights try and keep Joe Daniher and Adam Saad from departing the club.
VARCOE TIPPED TO JOIN REID IN RETIREMENT
Speedster Travis Varcoe is expected to be the next Collingwood veteran to join Ben Reid in retirement.
The 32-year-old has been a fine addition to the Magpies since departing Geelong at the end of 2014.
He has played 230 AFL games including 92 in black and white heading into the cutthroat final against West Coast in Perth on Saturday night.
The Pies have been the biggest winner in the three-way deal which saw Varcoe join Geelong, Heretier Lumumba land at Melbourne and Mitch Clark arrive at the Cats.
Clark played nine games at Geelong and Lumumba notched 24 at the Demons.
Reid, Varcoe and Dunn are all tipped to retire, while Matthew Scharenberg could head home to South Australia in the trade period as the Pies make room to re-sign Darcy Moore and Jordan De Goey.
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