AFL trade news: Carlton mid Sam Petrevski-Seton requests trade to West Coast
Sam Petrevski-Seton has already been touted as recruit of the year, but that doesn’t mean Carlton can expect much in return when he makes his way west.
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West Coast will try to low ball Carlton in a deal for outgoing Blue Sam Petrevski-Seton, who has already been declared a contender for recruit of the year next season.
The playmaker was frustrated by his lack of opportunities through the midfield at Calton has an eye on a wing-half forward role at West Coast in 2022.
The Eagles have a high opinion of the Halls Creek product and in particular how he can fit in with the team’s kicking game style.
But the Blues aren’t going to receive a high pick in return for a man who former Carlton list boss Stephen Silvagni nabbed originally nabbed with pick No. 6.
West Coast has selections N0. 10. No. 29 and No. 35 but will likely offer pick No. 49 first up when talks begin next week.
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Petrevski-Seton, 23, was twice dropped to the VFL this year and averaged 14 disposals across his 14 games in the senior team, playing a lot of half back and half forward.
Fremantle did not bang down the door for Petrevski-Seton but is keen on contracted Geelong speedster Jordan Clark.
Former Collingwood and Carlton great Dale Thomas said former teammate Petrevski-Seton loomed as one of the pick-ups of the year for the Eagles.
“I can see him being one the Carlton fans in a year’s time say ‘Geez, what are we doing letting him go, or how didn’t we keep him’ and ‘how didn’t we get the best out of him because he has unbelievable skills’,” Thomas said on Triple M.
“He was probably starved of a little bit of opportunity (and) some of it was his own doing because of his consistency, but I really do like him.
“He is a really good talent and next year I think certainly he will be in that conversation for recruit of the season … and have a really big impact.
“He loved it tough and he loved it hard and he has got the skills to match.”
Co-captain Patrick Cripps gave the departing Blue his blessing to head home.
“Sometimes guys just need change to have a fresh start and get back to the way they were playing,” Cripps said.
“From my point of view he’s a great mate and I chatted to him yesterday and wished him all the best.
“I’d like nothing better than to see him play well wherever he’s going.”
Blues get their man
Carlton has locked in its hard-nut defensive midfielder, with Sydney’s George Hewett now certain to sign with the Blues on a four-season deal.
The restricted free agent has not been offered a contract by Sydney despite another solid season that culminated in a 13-tackle, 19-possession final against GWS.
Hewett was told that while he was a required player he would have to wait until other priorities were settled before the club considered a new deal for him.
Instead, the Herald Sun understands he will sign a four-year deal of around $450,000 a season at Carlton as the hard-tackling defensive midfielder they badly need, given their midfield flaws.
The Swans have no plans to match that bid despite him being a restricted free agent, believing they have enough midfield cover with players in his positional type.
It means he will find himself in navy blue and likely join Adam Cerra in a new-look Carlton midfield with the Blues in the box seat to secure the Fremantle midfielder.
He is yet to choose a club but Carlton are the strong favourites given Melbourne would struggle to come up with an attractive trade off even if they included next year’s first-round pick.
Hewett played 21 games for Sydney this year and moved from a role playing defence into the midfield from Round 15 onwards.
In that time he tagged the likes of Travis Boak, Touk Miller and Jackson Macrae and averaged 22 disposals, 9.7 contested possessions, four clearances and five tackles.
The Blues have battled to lock rivals down and stop bursts of five consecutive goals with a lack of defensive transition a clear improvement point.
While Hewett can outright tag he can also play as a midfielder with a defensive mindset who still wins his own ball.
Tagger Ed Curnow is likely to play more time forward next year to help put on defensive pressure, with Eddie Betts having retired.
Hewett only turns 26 in December and comes at a reasonable salary so the four-year offer is responsible for the Blues.
Carlton attempted to fix its midfield by pushing Zac Williams into onball responsibilities but quickly realised he did not have the tank to play four quarters so settled him back into half back.
Carlton’s new coach, expected to be Michael Voss, will not only have two new midfielders but a brilliant fourth-year mid in Sam Walsh who polled the equal most Brownlow votes by a Blue in history on Sunday night.
Port tells tall to find another club
Port Adelaide ruck-forward Peter Ladhams will explore his options ahead of the trade period as the Power attempt to change their forward mix after their finals failure.
Ladhams has one more year left on a three-season deal and, despite mid-year speculation, was happy to remain at the club after booting 13.5 in 17 games this season.
But the Herald Sun can reveal, in his exit meeting, the club suggested he might like to consider his options given their list of key talls and determination to remain with first-choice ruckman Scott Lycett well into the future.
Port Adelaide lost the preliminary final to the Western Bulldogs and have since put GWS key position forward Jeremy Finlayson, who wants to return to South Australia for family reasons, through a medical.
They also have talls Charlie Dixon, Mitch Georgiades and Todd Marshall who will likely be ahead of Ladhams next year.
Ladhams was strongly pursued by Sydney last year before they secured Tom Hickey and is equally adept at playing in the ruck or pushing forward.
He is happy to stay and fight for his position but there are clubs on the market for a ruckman, who can rest forward.
Brisbane and St Kilda are both keen for a back-up ruckman, but neither are keen to offer significant money for a player who would be behind their established rucks in the pecking order.
The Western Bulldogs are keen to retain Stef Martin, who missed a games-based trigger clause on his one-year deal but is open to playing on.
They are still looking around for ruck-forwards to help out Tim English, who is still not fully developed as an established ruckman.
Sydney has cap space given the departure of Jordan Dawson but Hickey was a revelation in his first year at the Swans.
At only 23, Ladhams has significant upside and could play in a side as a 75-25 ruck-forward or take on more of the ruck responsibilities.
But the tight salary caps of most clubs, and the late notice of Port Adelaide’s intentions, mean Ladhams might see his deal out at Alberton and fight for his spot.
North Melbourne has secured Richmond’s Callum Coleman-Jones as Todd Goldstein’s heir apparent, while the Suns have lured unrestricted free agent Mabior Chol on a four-year deal.
The Tackle: Jon Ralph’s Pre-2021 grand final likes and dislikes
Ralphy has had plenty of time to work on his Tackle this week, given that the grand final is still nearly a week away.
And he’s not happy with the big gap in time from preliminary final weekend.
Some shrewd poaching from the Tigers gets the tick, as does the Blues’ good news on Brian Cook, while the Cats coach gets the blowtorch this week.
All Jon Ralph’s likes and dislikes in The Tackle.
LIKES
1. Blues Cook-ing up Clarko?
Brian Cook might be the most important appointment in the past 25 years at Carlton.
He has a chance to realign the club’s entire culture; to take it back from the cashed-up supporters who hold so much sway; to help with the final step in converting a list full of potential into a finals force.
And his appointment means if Alastair Clarkson did want to coach, it would not take a tremendous backflip where he again ate his words.
He could rightly point to a change in circumstances, with Cook’s challenge to offer a job that allowed him two weeks across a bye for a US fact-finding mission or even months of the next off-season away from the club expanding his horizons.
Let’s face it, the job Clarkson secures at the end of the year might not be anywhere near as enticing as the current Carlton one.
If all goes pear shaped with Stuart Dew the Suns might have lost their best kids and be starting again.
If Chris Scott served out his 2022 contract then left, the Cats would be in full-blown rebuild mode, so Cook will at least go into his talks with Clarkson with ample ammunition.
2. Tigers strike
What a smart bit of business by Richmond to nab North Melbourne’s Robbie Tarrant as a stopgap to play alongside Dylan Grimes and Noah Balta while the likes of Ben Miller take time to develop as key backs.
Is he washed up at 32?
Not on his return from the removal of a lump on his kidney that saw him play the final 10 games of the year.
On his return Matt Flynn and Jeremy Finlayson each kicked a pair of goals on him and in Round 18 Cale Hooker and Peter Wright kicked three in total.
But in the back half of the year he kept Joe Daniher goalless, Josh Bruce to two goals, Jack Riewoldt to one, Riley Thilthorpe to one goal and kept Esava Ratugolea goalless.
Tarrant is basically a David Astbury clone — dependable, versatile and low profile, with his absence only truly noticed by the vacuum left when he is not out on the park.
3. Take this chance, Ben
Ben Cousins has been afforded so many second chances and reprieves for his misdeeds, and it finally looks he might have grasped one.
Cousins is trying to drag his life back together and is attending Sunday night’s Brownlow Medal, five years after the AFL was so desperate to help him, it offered to pay for another rehab stint.
Cousins deserves credit for the determination to grab that chance, given the ever-present fear was he might follow the same path as his great mate Chris Mainwaring.
Who knows what the future holds for Ben, but if his recovery allows his parents Bryan and Stephanie some peace after a decade of turmoil it will be worth it for those who have attempted to help him along the way.
DISLIKES
1. Never again
The beauty of grand final week is in the chaos.
You don’t know where to look, at the injured stars recovering in hyperbaric chambers, to the Brownlow winner, to the tribunal dramas, to the selection intrigue, to the Grand Final parade until suddenly the Grand Final is upon us in a flash.
This first week of the fortnight-long build-up has felt like torture, with a Grand Final too long away to seriously preview, to a prelude absent from any real injury or selection drama, to a Grand Final across the other side of the country.
We understand the reasons why the AFL instituted a bye leading into the Grand Final, however tenuous they were.
But please.
Never again.
2. Give the kids a chance, Scotty
Geelong’s list decisions in coming weeks will give us the best indication of their desire to finally play some more kids, with Nathan Kreuger and Jordan Clark considering their futures.
Few Geelong supporters would begrudge Chris Scott going all out for a flag in 2021 after so many near misses.
But while those kids need to earn their chances they also need to be trusted with increased opportunities when games are up for grabs.
What has become apparent since the season has finished is some younger mids were walking on eggshells, aware if they failed in limited chances Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood would be thrust back into the midfield to save the game.
Fair enough too given the pedigree of that pair, but it is the improvement of those youngsters that will define 2022, so giving them the belief they can thrive despite their mistakes will be a priority over summer.
3. Who replaces Robbie?
Robbie Tarrant turns 33 on Anzac Day next year so he wouldn’t have been part of North Melbourne’s next flag but he might have helped save a game or two for David Noble next year.
With Ben McKay, Aidan Corr and swingman Josh Walker the key backs on the list, the Roos would ideally add another tall defender.
Essendon’s Jayden Laverde had a breakout year, has not signed a contract past 2022 and has been trade bait many times.
The Dons are adamant he has a long-term future at the club. But would a long-term offer from the Roos shift his thinking?
Could a long-term deal shift West Coast’s Harry Edwards, or is Hawthorn’s Tim O’Brien a two-year replacement?
The Roos will be methodical as they retain cap space for future years but it doesn’t mean a targeted approach for a player in the right age bracket can’t succeed.
The David Noble factor is real for player managers, with players who might have shied away from going to the Roos in previous years considering it, given the steady list build.
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