It’s been a long week at the end of a long footy season but at least now, trades are starting to come through. But it was touch and go there for a few days where it felt like more column inches were dedicated to zero trades than ever before.
This week Glenn McFarlane joins the show to talk through what has been achieved, what’s fallen through and what might still be to come over the next 24 hours.
It's been a long week at the end of a long footy season, but at least now trades are starting to come through. It was touch and go there for a few days when it felt like more column inches were dedicated to zero trades than ever before. Hello and welcome to the final Herald Sun Footy podcast of twenty twenty four. I'm Andy BelAZ and Glenn McFarlane will join me to talk through what's been achieved so far, what's fallen through, and what might still be to come. Over the next twenty four hours plus we go through some of the highs and lows of season twenty twenty four. He's Macca and here on the final episode of the Herald Sun Footy podcast for twenty twenty four. I'm joined by Glenn McFarlane because Macca trades. It's all we can talk about right now.
Make it end, Make it end. And I don't mean the podcast, I mean trade theory. So I feel a bit to de Oh my goodness me, it has been a grind, hasn't it. So I did say to someone the other day that I reckon the fastest week of the year is Christmas New Year. The longest week of the year is the nine days we have to go through trade?
Well, it is.
It's a nine day week, isn't it. And it feels like a twenty nine day week because I know our colleagues in Herald Sun dot com dot au.
I think they spent.
Twenty seven hours blogging live blogging trades. We're not one single trade, correct. But we've had action today. We've had something. Yeah, And we thought we were going to have action last night and there was it's all about battery works. Where do you want to start. Let's start with Dani Yeah, because but at seven o'clock last night he was going to Collingwood. Everyone was happy. The clubs had been aligned. You know, the deal was a signature away. It was effectively done.
The deal that was going to be three clubs, five players, two first round picks, multiple selections. It was a really complex trade. It was obviously then sent to Port Adelaide. Now Port Adelaide had been across this, They've been a part of all these discussions as well. Very complex. Then they pulled the pin at the last minute. Now there's been some suggestions that may have even been got to board level in a sense to try and pull the pin on this so it's a stunning turnaround and leaves Dan Houston in limbo and the clubs that have been dealing in good faith to get this thing done. So it's shocked everyone involved, including Dan Houston, who's now thinking what do I do? Do I hope that Collingwood and Gold Coast can stum up enough a bit more to try and convince Port Adelaide to resuscitate this deal. Or do I have to go and play at North Melbourne. He doesn't want to play at North Melbourne. They've got the best trade options to give to Port Adelaide, but they want to give up a future next year, whereas Port Adelaide want this year's draft, so it's quite complicated.
Or does he simply go back and play with Port Adelaide, So.
That would be tough, although we've seen plenty of players. I mean it was reported last just days ago that Clayton Oliver had cleaned out he's locker at Melbourne and then you know his name hasn't been mentioned.
It's got quite the Clayton novel one.
It's not just Dan Houston, it's Jack Lakoch direct from guy who wants whose nominated port from the Gold coach's Joe Richards.
Yes, you look at that, and we threw in Rory Atkins, which I think we all forgot about Rory Actins playing.
That's a bit harsh on Rory.
I don't mean it that way, but he certainly hasn't played a lot in recent times. And he's in the same management company as Dan S Houston as well. So it's a it's really you know, it's really put a spanner in the works. So the clubs are renegotiating, talking norse, trying to see whether they can jump in. But gee, it's a mess, and it just this is the embodiment of trade period, isn't it.
Well here's one without notice for Youmacan and I know he he turned his back on Melbourne. But Melbourne's now got Pick nine.
There you go, they have they got Pick.
Do you think there could be you know, maybe a few whispers going on over the next twenty four to twenty eight hours.
I was Melbourne, I'd be asking the question. I think they're really comfortable taking a couple of high end talents. I think Melbourne's actually done all right everywhere else. You look, you say, are they a mess everywhere else? But they've actually done pretty well here. Would he change his mind and go back on his decision? I don't think it, but it's worth asking the question. You've got to ask the question. There's a lot of questions being asked at the moment, unfortunately not a lot of answers.
But this will roll into tomorrow.
You would think there's you know, they're obviously talking again today.
Can they fix it?
It's going to be hard, but you know, I would still think if you're framing a market, you've got to keep colling good in the market. But who knows what's going to happen here. It's very confusing. At the moment we thought it was done, it ain't done.
No, it isn't. But there have been a couple of deals done today. Take us through those.
Ones big deals. We've finally had a couple of players change hands. We've gone eight days virtually without a player changing hands. So I think the important one is the one that now between the three clubs between Carlton, West Coast and Richmond, and it sees Liam Baker and Matt aw He's go to West Coast. It sees Carlton now holding that prize. The West Coast prize pick three. I'm a little stun that they've been able to give that up West Coast if you look at that, because Carlton want top end talent. They've been really very keen on getting a real foothold in this draft. They love this draft, and Richmond just gets endless, endless, endless supply of first round picks.
Let me just read you the picks that they actually do get.
Now, they could potentially have eight of the first twenty four, which is almost Gold Coast GWS.
Territory when they came in.
So look at this at the moment one fourteen, twenty, twenty four, fifty one, sixty one, seventy seventy six. You add in six and twenty three that will come for Rioli, which will happen, and you add in either ten or eleven with eighteen. It won't be both ten or eleven. It'll be ten or eleven and eighteen for Bolton as well. They aren't going to have an unbelievable draft hand. Now, there's a long way back from here, and they can't stuff it up. You hope they can't stuff this one up, but they are in. But again, big tick to Carlton. I'm all in on what Carlton's done this this trade period. I think they've done really well.
It's interesting you wonder, you wonder what the discussions inside West Coast because a lot of the external commentary and noise has been the West Coast of stuff this one up, So you wonder if they are they trading back. Is there a smoky, a Western Australian smoky that they've really got their eye on that they know isn't being looked at in the top ten. There has to be something backer.
Yeah, absolutely, and you think about that. They're also keeping their options open for Chad Warner next year. I think that's what they're doing. They're absolutely keeping those options open. We do suspect he could be coming back to WA and only this is the end of next year when his contract runs out at the Swans and we've only so far talked about Fremantle. But if West Coast can get into the market and get into the mix there, you never know. So they're a fascinating watch West Coast. They clearly think they know who they're going to get with that early pick, not with pick three obviously now, but they know what they're going to be able to do.
With the first rounder. It's going to be interesting, isn't it, to see what actually happens from here on in? But yeah, there's a lot of pressure.
I reckon we'll go back on this trade period more so than other trade periods in recent times, and go, gee, these pick swaps, these and imagine soon we'll be going to be able to do an extra year of future, some more futures coming in. Gee, I need whiteboards left right and sounder. Josh Barnes owns the whiteboard in here at the Herald Sun office, but if we get involved, I'm sure he won't be happy.
It's interesting, Meka, I'll take you to the Richmond because when you mention all of those picks, and particularly you know if they have one, six and ten the previous drafts, the last two or three draft, any pick between one and ten have played Round one. Correct, they could have three debutantes eight year old debutsy and that might.
Be a minimum too, That could be a minimum to the way things are going. They're losing a lot of senior players.
They could have five or six.
And what we've seen, particularly with this draft too, we know that it's a really strong draft. We know that and what we've seen in recent times, as you said, is players play almost straight away, particularly at a club where they haven't got a lot of senior talent there. So we're going to see a very different looking This is going to be Adam mouse team. There's going to be a lot of pressure there on him, no doubt over the next eighteen months on Adam Muse.
But GE's going to get a chance at it.
And the other draft pick that I forgot to say a minute ago that went through this might seem like nothing. So the Saints picked up thirty two and forty five from the Brisbane Lions for pick twenty seven. Interesting on both fronts here. That'll help the Lions in a sense get a few extra points. They've got to get Levi Ashcroft come in and Sam Marshall, but also pick thirty. That pick there that they're going to be able to do with the sin Kilda scenario might end up helping in a sense to get Jack McCrae to Sekilda from the Bulldogs. That's been held up a little bit in recent times. So we're sort of hoping that that we need some stuff getting done. That's absolutely need.
We need the players that want to leave, we do to go, and the Bulldogs are obviously a little put you there was sort of you know that they were too happy with what was being offered for Jack McCrae at no time, no normals, not all Australian. Yeah, yeah, but he's got a big salary, that's it. Saints will and I think he'd be well suited to the Saints. I think he would be good there, I reckon as well. We still don't know exactly where we're heading with Caleb Daniel. You know, if it got down.
To a pick twenty five or something like that, you think that would get the job done. I would think that'd be a pretty good return for the Dogs in that sense. Just so much going on, so there's plenty of trade drafts, hands moving at the moment. Of course, the focus now will actually turn to players. Like I'm just reading through some of the West Coast fans on the Herald, SIDN dot com dot au. Some of their response to they're not happy with this with this big selection swap, are they They're not happy at all?
No, they're not, And you don't blame them because you know, often if a team trades back from pick three or one of the first five picks. Yeah, they get two first round picks in advance in return, or at least a future first as well, but they have traded back essentially. Yeah, three to twelve, they get a couple of players, that's right. But in terms of this stacked draft.
Yeah, And it's funny when you look at it now and you look at these draft swaps and the positional swaps and you think they're not important, but they are because you know, they're bringing in players, or they're bringing in the right people, or they're getting the points. So it is fascinating. This all changed last Friday, didn't it. When Carton and Hawthorne did that deal. That really blew everything apart, which good. I love the fact that, oh and we're still going to get barrass to Hawthorne. I think that'll happen in the end. But it's just different now, isn't it so different? And that might include futures which might in the end help West Coast try and poise, you know, try and prize Chad Warner out of Sydney at the end of next year.
Well maybe they are looking that twelve months in advance. I know, as a Melbourn supporter, I'm pretty happy.
Yeah, I think that's done really well. It's a big dig for mine.
Five and nine. And then someone said, with Koloney White looking like good next year, maybe they won't need that first round pick. But only time will tell, Maka. And it's all fun and games to talk about it.
Till someone gets hurt.
Well, and we've still got a whole day with an afternoon of trade, So this afternoon and then Wednesday afternoon.
There's a whole lot of it's still got to Is Bailey Smith going to get done? It all go to the y You would think, you know, what's going to happen with Jake Stringer, you know, in that sense as well. So there's so many different things to look at Luke Parker. Is Luke Parker going to get to North Melbourne? Generally they get to their location, don't they. So particularly it.
Makes a lot of time when it's round three, round four type draft picks and the experienced sort of veteran players.
Absolutely get where they want to go.
Absolutely, Mega, We're going to take a break on that because you know, we could talk about trades all day and it will change in one hour's time. It will all be changed. So we'll take a break now and let's wrap up the season. After this, we're back here on the Herald Sun Footy podcast for the last time in twenty twenty four. I'm and I'm joined by Glen mcfallan, who is sad because it's been a long year and it's amazing to think Maca that it all really kicked off in feb with that shock announcement that Angus Brashaw was forced to retire, and followed very closely by Nathan Murphy being forced to retire.
It was one of the stories of the year, wasn't it like in the sense that concussion has become such a huge part of it and players now being forcibly retired from the game. And I think anyone who saw his Brownlow Metal speech, Gus was quite an amazing speech. Some people didn't really like it because they thought it brought down the evening. I actually thought it was from the heart. It was beautiful. You could see what the game means to him.
Well, the Melbourne Best and Fair speech was just as good. Yeah, it was pretty an eloquent young man and you can see absolutely I reckon here's a long future in wherever he wants does to be. But I think if he goes into footy administration and we saw what.
Yeah, absolutely, I've absolutely no doubt about that, and we saw what his absence meant to Melbourne. We also saw what Nathan Murphy's absence meant to Collin. Whod it meant their back line was not in disarray, but it had some real holes in it in the sense will.
You train all, you do all and with him and the plans and then it disappears in an instant and you've got a completely change to struck and you know and say, you know, it's old ground. But if Melbourne, Melbourne knew that Angers Brayshaw was not going to play again, they wouldn't have traded James Jordan who became who became?
Really this one's absolutely.
So those sort of things really put both Melbourne and Collin on the back foot.
They never really recovered from it.
They didn't know and you would have said both of them would have played final. So that was the downside to the year, I think, and it's going to be an area that we need to keep looking at and need to get better at for sure, into trying to protect players. For me, the highlight of the year was Brisbane's year of living dangerously. It was extraordinary. This was a footy club that was on its knees. There was talk of that camp that had gone sorry, the trip in America that had gone wrong. There was not three they were They failed a bit, you know, in the middle of the year when they just started to get things back on track. They lost five guys to Nice in that time. And we're very lucky to get a blood called will Ashcroft back at the right time of the year. So they had all these things go wrong and then they blew the opportunity to get a top four. Yep, so season over, you think, no, not at all. Then they're forty four points down against GWS and then in the preliminary final there're four goals down against Geelong. This was a remarkable performance from a group that had almost tasted that success the year before.
So to me it was the year of living dangerously.
And then to know they all knew that Joe Denna who was going to retire, and he did and he did yet he played a starring role in the finals and in the Grand Final. The last goal that he kicked in the last quarter you could see that that's full stop that he had exclamation mark that he had put definitely on his football career.
That was InCred I would have said they're going to get back to back and then Joe coming out and not playing, you think, but I think they are a great story Brisbane because and Chris Fagan like one of the great footy stories of all time. He's been under enormous pressure. We know that, but you think about this guy who didn't play a game of AFL football, who's now gone to the Northern markets and has sold this footing club and has trans helped to transform this footy club. They've got a good future of the Brisbane lines, who've got some really good young players, so they're going to be very hard to beat.
My Highlightmacker is one of the well he was. He's the most talked about eighteen year old almost in the history of the AFL, I mean in recent history, at least Harley Reid. He was the unbackable number one favorite. It was it was daylight second for number one draft pick and people thinking, have you know, can he live up to the hype? Well, he absolutely lived up to the hype. He was fantastic.
Absolutely, he was fantastic.
Some of the guys he wins Goal of the year probably Nickdkoss a little stiffy he had two there. But you can't take anything away from Harley, can you.
That the fend off of on Petrarca is unbelievable.
It was just unbelievable.
That is as much of it. But that will be a highlight that they play when he retired.
For everything, because Petrarca is running at full stretch too. He's and again talking of stories through the year, the Patrarca story through the year, the Melbourne Football club story through the year was extraordinary, wasn't it His injury on King's Birthday'll get that right, King's birthday, not Queen's birthday. Yes, sometimes get that wrong. And I think one of the stories of the year will be Melbourne again going into next year and you know, if Clayton Oliver is still there and we don't know. We've got thirty hours to go, and if Christopher Traca can get back to the level that we know he can, and it's going to be a fascinating watch, isn't it.
It is a mecca. It's been great fun. We will just nice to just remember our good friend Sam Lamsberg.
Absolutely, and that's been the Yeah, we look at that we lose one of our closest mates and who was not just a good mate, but was just an extraordinary journo. So we're thinking of Sam's family and also the family in here at the Herald Sun at Fox who've you know, done it really tough?
So and Sammy, we love ja, mate.
We do. And he wrote some wonderful things this year and in years pass. So absolutely, if you've got some time over the off season, go back through the Herald Sun guys and read some of Sam's wonderful work. Macca, it's been a delight all season, mate.
Good on you. Andy, thanks mate.
That'll do us on today's Herald Sun Footy podcast and for twenty twenty four. I'm Andy Belaiz and my thanks to Glenn McFarlan for joining me today and all year. And with the end of the Harold Sun Footy podcast season comes a new season of Sacked with Glenn and John Ralph, launching on Thursday with an in depth chat with former North coach David Noble. Keep an ear out for that at the Sacked podcast feed. Thanks for coming along on the ride this year. I'll catch you in twenty twenty five.