Why this version of the commercial circus has Buckley’s chance to change the fate of clubs 

Why this version of the commercial circus has Buckley’s chance to change the fate of clubs

If the keen interest in the AFL’s annual business circus is due to the hope it gives fans, you should know that this year’s edition has Buckley’s chance to change the fortunes of clubs.

It doesn’t seem to be a game changer to change the club in the revealed form. Brodie Grundy, a two-time All-Australian, is the most decorated player to move (to Sydney) and Lachie Schultz may be the most prolific player in recent memory to move to a challenger (Collingwood) but no deal has been done. the same postcode in Geelong landing Patrick Dangerfield and Jeremy Cameron, the Tigers poaching Tom Lynch and the Demons snapping up Steven May from the vulnerable Gold Coast.

Taylor Adams and Brodie Grundy are great additions for Sydney. Taylor Adams and Brodie Grundy are great additions for Sydney.

Neither player received a top 10 draft pick in the deal. Schultz, who cost Collingwood a future first-round pick, was the only player to be traded directly for a first-round pick (Carlton received a late first-round pick, now 22, as part of Zac Fisher’s northern multi-round pick).

Hawthorn and Essendon were probably the biggest players in terms of deals. The Hawks will field a very different forward line next year, with Jack Ginnivan at the feet of Mabior Chol and Jack Gunston, the latter returning to his old club 12 months after leaving.

Essendon acquired three free agents, two in their prime (Ben McKay and Jade Gresham), to fill pressing needs. Fittingly, the Bombers were one of the last clubs involved in the final removal of Adrian Dodoro (Dodoro, however, suggested that he stay).

And they “won” the meeting with Port Adelaide, if you judge the deal solely by who got what they demanded, because Port didn’t get a future number two in the Xavier Duursma swap for Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

Duursma hasn’t delivered this year, but he has more upside than BZT according to this column. Port rightly asked for a decent choice.

This year, the player movement industrial complex was hit by a recession. Small details, like seagulls landing on pieces of bread, were much more sought after by blogs and magazines than significant transactions.

Trades have been a hit show for years because, as Craig Hutchison—a deluge of NBA-style media content—discovered a few years ago, they’re the game’s answer to The Shawshank Redemption, representing hope for all. .

Jade Gresham has moved to the Bombers. Jade Gresham has moved to the Bombers.

But the show collapsed that year, partly because clubs didn’t know what the salary cap would be for that year (later a 10 percent increase) until after the season when the AFL negotiated with the players’ union. They couldn’t have made room if they didn’t know what was available and signed better players.

Natural was also widely considered weak, so no one wanted to switch to it.

However, no one would have thought that Bobby Hill would become a Norm Smith Medalist when the Giants traded him last year when Tom Mitchell (and Jaeger O’Meara) also left the Hawks, who – rightly so – cleaned up. midfield minutes Will Day and Conor Nash.

While the trades aren’t huge, it’s worth asking if Bobby Hill — a relatively cheap acquisition who will turn into a gem — is among the younger or middle-aged players who have moved on. loading

Carlton got Elijah Hollands on the cheap and as a former No.7 pick who has been plagued by injuries and subsequently found himself behind other Gold Coast midfielders, he is the type of player who can bring more than his modest draft suggests.

Liam Henry, who went to St Kilda after fighting for his merits, is another​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​a in the future, going forward the Saints can unlock his obvious talent in the draft. Based on his words – and giving him a four-year deal – the Falcons believe Ginnivan has room to grow.

But maybe they all are. There are more question marks than players to prove the answer.