The first day of the free agency period has been quiet in terms of signings, with not a single player officially switching clubs.
The two restricted free agents, Patrick Dangerfield and Scott Selwood, have been the headline of day one with Geelong looking to acquire both of them. It appears that Adelaide and Geelong have nearly come to terms on a trade for Dangerfield as Adelaide threatened to match any free agency offer for Dangerfield to ensure they get more than a first round compensation pick. It has been reported that Geelong are looking to offer their first round pick in this years draft and their second in next years draft to acquire Dangerfield.
The more interesting name in this saga is Scott Selwood who recently informed West Coast of his intention to join his brother Joel at Geelong. A contract has been offered to Selwood by Geelong leaving West Coast 72 hours to decide whether they will match the offer to force a trade. It is likely that the contract will net West Coast either a second round pick or end of second round pick to West Coast which is almost the same as West Coast are 17th in the draft order. The big question is whether West Coast will match Geelong's offer to force them to trade something more valuable for Selwood. If they do Geelong may be in an awkward position given the picks they have on the table to offer Dangerfield.
The implications of the Dangerfield and Selwood moves (if they happen) could be huge for Geelong who also have their eyes on Lachie Henderson and Zac Smith. Now they are unable to obtain Dangerfield through FA and possibly Selwood, they are unlikely to have the compensation required to trade for Henderson and Smith, and possibly won't be able to obtain either without a first round pick or pair of seconds. This could open up trades for other clubs as Henderson has quit Carlton and Zac Smith is looking to move back to Melbourne.
Back in free agency world there hasn't even been a whimper from the unrestricted batch currently available. Western Bulldogs reportedly offered Hawthorn's left foot sharp shooter Matt Suckling a three year contract, however, it is understood this deal is stalling for more reasons than just Suckling's loyalty to Hawthorn. Suckling has a good relationship with Richmond head coach Damian Hardwick and is very interested in becoming a Tiger should Hawthorn be unable to meet his wage requirements. It is believed that Richmond will also table a three year offer to lure Suckling away from Hawthorn.
No comments:
Post a Comment