The 2020 trading period is finally here and if the activity of the independent agency has not yet been completed, we are facing an absolute challenge.
Rightly the focus is mostly on the players at the center of the trade talk and what they could bring to their suitors.
When it comes to closing the deals, however, few will be as important as the five parties below.
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THE FIVE NUMBERS TO SEE THIS TRADING TIME
Ned Guy (Collingwood List Manager)
It may take until after the trading period to understand exactly what sparked an apparent fire sale among contracted pies players, but we know at the moment that Ned Guy has significant responsibility for closing a number of deals, and maybe on Most difficult All in all, so that the remaining players are not sidelined. If the Adam Treloar scenario comes into play, the pies are not off to a great start. Fortunately for those watching in confusion, Guy will break his silence on Wednesday in a radio interview that he will hopefully use to clarify what is going on at the Holden Center and why. Once Treloar’s situation is resolved, Guy will have to come up with offers for contracted winger Tom Phillips and possibly Jaidyn Stephenson, manage a trade offer for Tom McDonald if they are to make a game for him as suggested, and deal with the scuttlebutt for Mason Cox’s future . Oh, and although they will stay, Jordan De Goey and Brody Mihocek will not stay signed for 2021. You would guess that Guy would earn more than just his wage package during this trading period.
Jason McCartney (GWS Footy Boss)
They let Aidan Corr and Zac Williams make a couple of equalizing decisions, but the real challenge lies with Jeremy Cameron. The Giants want at least a first round together with a young gun like Brandan Parfitt or Esava Ratugolea. Geelong would poke fun at these requests, but there is something they have to do to get Cameron to the cattery. While the Cats could easily step back from the deal, with a team gearing up for another flag tilt with its upcoming acquisitions, will they really let last year’s Coleman medalist slip through their fingers? Stephen Wells could be on that list, but at the end of the day the worst thing the cats can do is if their suite of high-end draft picks is left intact, leaving the stakes higher for the Giants, even though they’re high . In contrast to Treloar’s situation, it is clear that this is a two-horse race that starts almost immediately. Similar to Treloar, however, there seems to be a lot before a deal is closed. In addition to Cameron’s future, McCartney Jackson has to manage Hately and Jye Caldwell who want to get out, and Fremantle striker Jesse Hogan and Dee’s big man Braydon Preuss take over. The last two shouldn’t prove too difficult, however. How McCartney and the Giants emerge from the Cameron deal will no doubt be one of the stories of the trading period.
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Adam Treloar / Tim Hazell (Managing Directors)
Conveniently the most fascinating aspect of the trading period (which we know about in this phase anyway). As it stands, Collingwood wants him to play elsewhere in 2021. His manager Tim Hazell put it as bluntly as possible when he was first asked about the potential of a train: “It’s not going anywhere”. The relationship between the player and the club already seems chaotic, but the momentum seems poised to explode once the chaos of the trading period arrives. This is arguably the center of the trading period right now, but as more and more deals are being made, this deal will continue to grow until someone just has to move. If the pies are so keen to get Treloar off their books as has been reported, they can keep the price down until it is just stupid for other clubs not to take the risk. Anyone with Treloar watching would guess in sheer anger. It’s practically a game of chicken between the Treloar / Hazell and the pies. Who flashes first?
Adrian Dodoro (Essendon List Manager)
His negotiating style has been the crack of many jokes, but this year’s trading period is no laughing matter for the seasoned recruiter. While it appears Dodoro took the wrong step last year to tie Joe Daniher to his contract in an attempt to convince him to stay long-term, the first step this year was on Brisbane’s offer for the forward did not match, the right one – choose no. 7 for a player with Joe’s history is a great result. With the attention now paid to Adam Saad and Carlton, there is a scenario where the bombers hold three top 10 picks … which certainly makes an offer for Josh Dunkley that the dogs must at least consider. On one minor issue, Dodoro has to negotiate with Jason McCartney at the Giants (another member on that list) to get Jye Caldwell to Bomberland. When the trading period ends, Dodoro’s performance could be the difference between a premonition or a promising air lingering in Tullamarine in 2021. A really defining trading period is ahead of Essendon.
Alex McDonald / Hemisphere Management (Player Management)
Some of the most intriguing names of the upcoming trading period come from the Hemisphere Management stall. There was a scuttlebutt around Devon Smith who was unhappy in Bomberland as he entered the final year of his contract. Seb Ross of St Kilda has reportedly been seen touring the Essendon facilities in the past few weeks. Tom McDonald and brother Oscar are both unsure of being with the Dees in 2021. The future of the former is fascinating as several clubs are associated with it. Also on the books is Collingwood winger Tom Phillips, one of several contract players the Pies seem keen to keep going. Jackson Hately wants to go to Adelaide and then there is the big one in his teammate Jeremy Cameron. According to all reports, McDonald and its customer Cameron have no intention of returning to the Giants regardless of the outcome at the trading table with Geelong. Even so, GWS agreed to the offer for the restricted free agent (the first club to officially do so) and is facing a line in the sand negotiation of one of their most prominent stars. Whatever the outcome at the end of the trading period, McDonald’s input will have been a big reason for it.
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