WITH the Trade Period in full swing, Sliding Doors is getting down to business.
>> See more Sliding Doors here
So what's Damo saying about your club? What's he saying about the AFL? Check it out.
IF ...
you're not familiar with the phrase 'talk is cheap' ...
THEN ...
compare the words with the actions of Brad Crouch himself and Adelaide Crows officials in the past 13 months. It's Exhibit A in the 'talk is cheap' case. Crouch couldn’t escape the joint quickly enough, which was obvious as far back as mid-2019, and the club wasn't prepared to even match a free agency offer. So much bluster, so many lies. And in the end, pick 23 as free agency compo might even have been overs.
IF ...
I'm running the Lions ...
THEN ...
I'm not letting Stef Martin leave. Even at 34, would be an important part of a 2021 flag push.
IF ...
I'm to make an early crow on the 2021 season ...
THEN ...
Tom De Koning will have a massive impact.
IF ...
some clubs sometimes say too much publicly in Trade Periods ...
THEN ...
the Pies' 2020 vow of silence is a policy actually causing more problems than the alternative. Relationships are being damaged ... forever.
IF ...
getting Dunkley to take the lure was a massive task in itself ...
THEN ...
actually landing him will be even more difficult. Dodoro now requiring a big gaff and net.
IF ...
national draft picks six and 23 went out of the Dockers for Jesse Hogan in 2018 and only pick 54 comes back in upon his exit to GWS this year ...
THEN ...
that's a massive loss. But he was never staying at a team coached by Justin Longmuir.
IF ...
it wasn't the ultra-calm, ultra-measured, ultra get-deals-done Stephen Wells in charge of the Cats' dealings with the ultra-aggrieved Giants over Jez Cameron's signature ...
THEN ...
it would just about be Mission Impossible. But Wells has a way of getting his man, every single time.
IF ...
some pride can be swallowed over Adam Treloar's initial lack of interest about becoming a Sun ...
THEN ...
a reconsideration of that option would be recommended. A dynamic, seasoned, gun midfielder is precisely what this team needs. I'd be picking up the phone for another crack.
IF ...
it was good enough to match the Cats' Cameron offer ...
THEN ...
Jez must be wondering why that deal wasn't offered in the first place.
IF ...
Clarko isn't pondering ways to get Adam Treloar to the Hawks ...
THEN ...
I'd be very, very surprised. It's what he does – goes for big names from other clubs, no matter what is being said about supposed Hawthorn rebuilds and re-sets. O'Meara, Frawley, Mitchell, Wingard, Scully, Patton. Treloar fits.
IF ...
the Demons missed on Isaac Smith ...
THEN ...
surely they turn their focus to Tom Phillips.
IF ...
you've shipped off 11 players by choice, and will lose two more (Brown and Higgins, who have had enough of false promises) ...
THEN ...
it is staggering that at this stage of the 2020 Trade Period an acceptable deal has not yet been put in front of Jed Anderson.
IF ...
the Power's pick 29 isn't enough to appease Essendon for Orazio Fantasia ...
THEN ...
I wouldn't be offering anything greater. As gifted as he with talent, he's just not worth it.
IF ...
I was running the Tigers ...
THEN ...
I wouldn't be letting someone with the ability of Jack Higgins just walk out the door, especially when under contract.
IF ...
the Jack Higgins project falls over ...
THEN ...
I expect an Adam Treloar one to be launched.
IF ...
the Swans have been quiet in the trade space since landing Bud in 2013 ...
THEN ...
I have a hunch they're up to something this year. Mason Cox? Perhaps someone even bigger?
IF ...
West Coast was a big player in the 2019 Trade Period ...
THEN ...
it won't be this year. Securing Tim Kelly back then left it with no currency.
IF ...
the public narrative being generated by Josh Dunkley focuses purely on a desire for midfield time at Essendon ...
THEN ...
the behind-scenes one has some percentage points of emphasis on culture. Very interesting to see who blinks first here, player or club.
AND THIS ONE'S FOR THE AFL
IF ...
Next Generation Academies were a good idea when implemented ...
THEN ...
as usual with football clubs, they become a rortable facet of the player acquisition system. Good move by the AFL to, from next season, ban guaranteed access of clubs to players considered top 20 national draft talent.