AFL trade period: Essendon working to secure Josh Dunkley and Jye Caldwell
Essendon has three top-10 draft picks in its arsenal but there’s one complication in its dealings with the Bulldogs to acquire Josh Dunkley.
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Essendon will consider potential pick swaps with Collingwood and Geelong in a bid to help unlock deals for Western Bulldogs’ midfielder Josh Dunkley and GWS Giants Jye Caldwell before the trade deadline.
The Bombers have picks No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 and have discussed swapping one of them for Collingwood’s pick 16 and the Magpies’ future first-round selection.
The deal would mean Essendon would have pick No. 16 to trade to Greater Western Sydney for Caldwell and then multiple first-round picks in this year’s draft and next year’s draft in the talks for Dunkley.
Collingwood star Adam Treloar is also weighing up a move to the kennel but the Bulldogs are yet to commit to the onball jet.
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Magpie Jaidyn Stephenson is considering a move to North Melbourne but Tom Phillips is likely to stay put.
The Bulldogs have remained coy about whether they want linebreaker Treloar, 27, and are adamant the Dunkley deal is completely separate despite the likelihood of a straight midfield swap.
The Bulldogs want two first-round picks in exchange for Dunkley, 23, but former Carlton list boss Stephen Silvagni warned that was too much to pay for the clearance winner.
“I’m not too sure they’re going to get two first-round picks for Dunkley,” Silvagni said on Trade Radio on Wednesday.
“I think they will get a really good first-round pick. Whether that is pick No. 6, No. 7 or No. 8, and whether the Bombers are going to have to give up something else as well.”
The Bombers have lost Joe Daniher, Adam Saad and likely Orazio Fantasia to Port Adelaide for a second-round pick.
But Essendon would be delighted to come away with Caldwell, Dunkley, tall forward Peter Wright and St Kilda speedster Nick Hind as replacements in Ben Rutten’s side next season.
Saad made his way to Carlton after the Blues agreed to a deal with the Bombers.
Saad was traded along with a third-round (currently 48) and fourth-round (78) draft pick for the Blues’ first-round selection (pick 8) and fifth-round (87) picks.
“We always knew that it was probably going to be a prickly negotiation but both parties came together in good faith,” Saad’s manager, John Meesen of Capital Sports, said on Trade Radio.
“The main thing is Adam gets to Carlton. Essendon would have loved to have kept him, but they have been compensated with pick 8 and I think that’s a fair deal for both parties.
But the Dunkley deal is complicated by the Western Bulldogs’ preference for picks in next year’s draft.
Picks in this year’s draft are less valuable to the Bulldogs as their early choices will be absorbed by the club’s bid on brilliant next generation academy member Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Next year’s draft is widely considered to be a bumper crop and significantly stronger than this season’s class which has been compromised by the COVID-19 break.
The Dogs also have pick No. 14 and are open to off-loading it for a draft points boost to a rival club including Adelaide and Melbourne who have multiple second-round selections.
Collingwood is keen to climb up the order in this year’s draft and is open to trading out its first choice in next year’s draft.
Similar to the Bulldogs, the Magpies have rights to father-son prospect Nick Daicos who is widely considered a top-three talent in next year’s draft.
It means any early picks the Magpies have in next year’s draft would be absorbed by the Daicos bid.
Geelong has picks No. 13, No. 15 and No. 20 and has discussed swapping them with Essendon to rise up the draft order if GWS Giants continue to hold out in the deal for Jeremy Cameron.
Carlton landed Saad on Wednesday after the Blues backed away from their demands for a second-round pick back from the Bombers.
Essendon received pick No. 8 and No. 87 for Saad and gave Carlton pick No. 48 and No. 78 to complete the deal.
The deal was all but agreed to on Tuesday when the two clubs met for three hours with Saad’s agents Marty Pask and John Meesen in Port Melbourne.
But Carlton backed down from the deal after marathon talks, only to go ahead with it again the following morning after swapping No. 78 for the Blues’ 87.
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