Will Collingwood follow Hawthorn’s lead and let go of its marquee superstar Brodie Grundy?
Collingwood could get a compensation pick as low as No. 20 if Brodie Grundy departs as a free agent. It leaves the Magpies with a huge decision to make on their superstar.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Brodie Grundy often drops the unicorn emoji on his Instagram posts.
By definition, the mythical creatures are unique, highly-desirable, and hard to find.
In books and movies, they have special powers, a bit like Grundy himself on the football field.
If the unicorn thing is a self-reference, it’s a snug fit.
Replay the 2019 Toyota AFL Finals Series and Grand Final on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial and start streaming instantly >
Certainly over the past two decades, few ruckmen have been able to impact the contest like Collingwood’s superstar big man, the way he wrenches the ball out of the ruck, takes a contested grab and can do it all at ground level.
He averaged 42 hit-outs, 21 disposals and six clearances a game this season, the only man in the competition to hit those highs.
For a 203cm ruckman, his versatility to essentially play as big-bodied midfielder who can plough the ball forward in different ways is one of the club’s biggest trump cards.
And on Friday night, Grundy looks set to take home a second-consecutive Copeland Trophy, after finishing sixth in the Brownlow Medal.
Manager Robbie D’Orazio knows he only has to say the word to rival clubs and the contract offers will come from everywhere, if not in the Lance Franklin vicinity then potentially not that far off.
“We have had clubs inquire already,” D’Orazio said.
“And you would expect them to because he’s a unique player in top-10 of the Brownlow.
“If you look at the top-10 he was the only one — the unicorn in the group — because the majority were midfielders and he was the ruckman who finished sixth.
“I think they (rivals) wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t making inquiries.”
Then there is his immense marketing potential off the field, an area which Grundy has only begun to scratch at the surface.
He is a deep-thinker, a budding traveller and an artist, who in a recent documentary called out the need to “celebrate” players’ individual strengths and traits as much as the collective within a football club.
By next year, Grundy, 25, will be up there with Paddy Dangerfield, Patrick Cripps, Dustin Martin, teammate Scott Pendlebury and Nat Fyfe as one of the game’s genuine superheroes.
But whether Collingwood does a Hawthorn in 2012 and lets go of its next marquee man will hinge on whether the Magpies will bow to Grundy’s desire to sign a seven-year deal, on about $1 million a season.
It is huge bucks within a $14 million salary cap, but D’Orazio knows his value sits comfortably alongside the likes of Tom Lynch and Dylan Shiel, who also signed long-term contracts.
“I think seven years could even be a bit short,” D’Orazio said.
“He’s not just a ruckman, he is the ultimate pro.
“We will stand by that (contract). I’m sure in the end we will get what we need.”
MORE AFL
Brodie Grundy is ready to sign at Collingwood as soon as the club offers him a seven-year deal
Moneyball AFL trade column: Brodie Grundy’s trade dilemma
Collingwood’s raging bull defender Brayden Maynard is showing his compassionate side
GWS forward Jon Patton sees his future at Hawthorn
It lays down the gauntlet to Collingwood that the club may lose him (for a single first-round draft pick as free agency compensation) if the lifetime deal doesn’t come next year. That compensation pick will be as low as No. 20 at the end of next season, if the Pies win the flag.
And while some players may ordinarily feel the pressure to re-sign to eliminate distraction in a premiership window — Andrew Gaff admitted recently his contract saga would keep him awake at night — Grundy is happy to back himself in to look after his long-term future.
Originally published as Will Collingwood follow Hawthorn’s lead and let go of its marquee superstar Brodie Grundy?
‘Up to 10’ AFL stars facing suspensions
Several players have been offered suspensions as an AFL probe continues over alleged “inappropriate behaviour” at a post-season event.
‘Under par’: Inside the twists and turns of the Houston bombshell
Dan Houston got his wish to be a Magpie, but it certainly wasn’t that simple, as the story that has dominated the trade period threatened to go off the rails. So how did they get it done?