‘They’ll get nothing’: AFL Trade details overlooked

The two most contentious negotiations that fell apart during the AFL Trade Period’s deadline scramble leaves two teams with sore heads.

Bobby Hill of the Giants. Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Hawthorn and GWS were the big players at the high rollers table during Wednesday night’s AFL Trade Period deadline — and they are both being left with major headaches.

Overlooked details in the club’s late trade negotiations show the Giants may soon be having second thoughts about its decision to refuse Bobby Hill’s trade request, while the Hawks may have already put new coach Sam Mitchell on shaky ground.

While there was a flurry of activity before Wednesday night’s deadline, the Hawks were unable to pull off its shock attempt to punt club hero Luke Breust, while Hill was left in “tears” when learning he was being held to the final year of his contract at the Giants.

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Giants football boss Jason McCartney said after the deadline Toby Greene’s suspension was one of the reasons the club wanted Hill to stay.

He also said the club wanted Hill even if they had successfully pulled off the potential trade for Breust.

The real problem for the Giants, however, is that Hill will reportedly leave at the end of 2022 as an uncontracted player — leaving the Giants with nothing.

Channel 7’s Tom Browne reported on Wednesday night there is a view “GWS will get nothing when he leaves at the end of next season”.

McCartney also confirmed Collingwood made a formal offer for Hill, but it was rejected.

Jeremy Finlayson and Bobby Hill. Photo by Jason McCawley/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Reports claimed the Magpies made an attractive offer, which included the No. 27 draft pick and a third round pick — but the Giants clearly showed no interest in letting Hill go.

The Bombers’ offer was reported to have been a future second round pick.

McCartney said Hill will be welcomed back at the Giants — but the player’s agent doesn’t agree.

Hill’s manager Colin Young said Hill had told the Giants he’s refusing to return.

“He (Young) is adamant that Bobby Hill is not wanting to go back to GWS even if a deal can’t be struck,” Callum Twomey told Trade Radio.

“He’s adamant that he does not want to go back there. He’s got family in the room with him in West Australia at the moment, they’re willing to call GWS to make sure this deal does happen for him to get to the Bombers.”

The Herald Sun reported Hill was “in tears” on the phone while speaking with club officials about his situation.

Hawks coach Mitchell already under fire

There is speculation Hawks coach Sam Mitchell has already caused potential damage in his relationships with the club’s senior players over the decision to put them on the trade table.

Tom Mitchell, Luke Breust, Jack Gunston, Jaeger O’Meara and Chad Wingard were all reportedly offered up, but no deal could be reached.

Breust’s future came right down to the wire, according to reports, with the Hawks offering the veteran and its second round pick in exchange for the Giants’ No. 13 pick.

However, the deal fell through when Breust knocked it back, Giants football boss Jason McCartney confirmed.

Luke Breust was still in demand. Pic: Michael Klein

The chain of events which saw the Hawks pursue a trade without Breust’s apparent consent left some commentators staggered.

“It was interesting that he said they had agreed to a trade with Hawthorn, I thought going to Luke Breust and checking that off would have been the first thing to do,” footy pundit Kane Cornes said on AFL Trade Radio.

Channel 7’s Tom Browne posted on Twitter Hawthorn had issues during the trade period.

“Hawthorn’s trade period exposes the loss of (Graham) Wright and (Alastair) Clarkson,” he wrote.

“Mitchell shouldn’t have to be recruiting and phoning coaches.”

Bombers great Matthew Lloyd said early in the trade period Mitchell had to be careful culling his senior players if it left the club unbalanced with too many young players.

Wingard’s potential move to GWS was rejected by the player, Mitchell reportedly failed to receive any interest and O’Meara’s potential move to Port Adelaide never got off the ground.

After setting out to move up in the 2021 draft order, the Hawks finish the trade period with picks five, 21 and 24.

North Melbourne premiership player David King was also critical of the Hawks’ football department.

“There’s no way ‘Clarko’ would have been ringing other coaches and selling his players,” King said on Fox Footy.

“These conversations would’ve been had, but they would’ve been had in private, and you may get the same result (as the conversations that were had with Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell), it may be ugly, it may involve some level of pain, but it’s done with a level of honesty that, in the end, the player respects – not at the time, but down the path.

“All these players have been shopped and they know that there hasn’t been a taker for them. Hawthorn have been prepared to pay money to have those guys leave.”

Every confirmed deal in the trade period

— Essendon signs unrestricted free agent Jake Kelly from Adelaide. Adelaide receives third-round compensation.

— Gold Coast signs unrestricted free agent Mabior Chol from Richmond. Richmond receives end-of-second-round compensation.

— Carlton lodges offer for restricted free agent George Hewett from Sydney. Sydney doesn’t match offer and receives end-of-second-round compensation.

— Collingwood gains picks 22, 46, 58, 79 and a future fourth-round pick in a trade. Gold Coast gains the Magpies’ future second, third and fourth-round picks.

— Collingwood gains Nathan Kreuger and pick 55 in a trade. Geelong gains pick 41.

— Port Adelaide gains Jeremy Finlayson in a trade. GWS gains the Power’s future third-round pick.

— Melbourne signs Luke Dunstan as an unrestricted free agent from St Kilda. St Kilda receives no compensation.

— In a four-team trade, Melbourne gains picks 17, 37 and 49, Adelaide gains the Demons’ future first-round pick plus 33 and 75, St Kilda gains 62, 66 and the Crows’ future fourth-round pick, the Western Bulldogs gain 23, 44 and 45.

— Collingwood gains Pick 27 and a future third-round pick. Fremantle gains Pick 22.

— Fremantle gains Will Brodie, Picks 19, 61 and 69 in a trade. Gold Coast gains a future second-round pick and future fourth-round pick.

— Carlton gains Adam Cerra in a trade. Fremantle gains Pick 6 and a future third-round pick.

— Western Bulldogs sign Tim O’Brien as an unrestricted free agent from Hawthorn.

— In a three-team trade, West Coast Eagles gain Sam Petrevski-Seton, Carlton gains Lewis Young, Western Bulldogs gain Pick 52.

— North Melbourne gains Callum Coleman-Jones, Picks 42 and 47 and a future fourth-round pick in a trade. Richmond gains Robbie Tarrant, Pick 40 and a future second-round pick.

— Collingwood gains Patrick Lipinski. Western Bulldogs gain No. 43 draft pick.

— Adelaide gains Jordan Dawson. Sydney gain a future first round pick tied to the Demons’ ladder position in 2022.

— Brisbane gains Darcy Fort and pick 41. Geelong gains pick 50 and Brisbane’s future third-rounder.

— Geelong gains Jonathan Ceglar and a future fourth rounder. Hawthorn gains the future third rounder it just traded for in the Darcy Fort trade from Brisbane.

— Fremantle gains Jordan Clark and a future fourth round pick. Geelong gains pick 22 and a future third round pick.

— Hawthorn gains Max Lynch and a future round three pick tied to Fremantle and a future round four pick tied to the Suns. Collingwood get a future round three pick tied to Brisbane and the Pies’ future round three.

— Sydney gains Peter Ladhams and pick 16. Port Adelaide gains pick 12 and a future third-round pick.

Originally published as ‘They’ll get nothing’: AFL Trade details overlooked