Rating the 2024 Trade Period (after 7.30 Wednesday)

[bulldogtragic]

Ins:

Nil Known/TBA - for -


Outs:

Smith - for -
Macrae? - for -
Daniel? - for -


Re-Signs:

Garcia - 3 years
Khamis - 2 years
McNeil - 2 years
JJ - 1 year
Clarke?
Keath?


Cuts:

AOD (Retired)
Bedendo
Rypstra (Rookie)

[bulldogtragic]

Out:

Caleb for 25
Smith for 17 & pick upgrade
Macrae for 45


In:

Kennedy for 38
No XOH



Draft Hand: 17, 25, 35 & 48

[Go_Dogs]

Do we know what the pick upgrade with Geelong is?

[Testekill]

I am glad that Smith is out of our hair, unlike Dunkley I don't think he's the type of player where losing him will bite us in the arse. He's quick and flashy but he's a fundamentally bad kick of the ball and you can't really carry many of them.

[Testekill]

Do we know what the pick upgrade with Geelong is?

From the sound of it we upgraded 45 to 38.

[MrMahatma]

Is there a poll to rate it?

[hujsh]

Do we know what the pick upgrade with Geelong is?

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/attachments/screenshot_20241016_193710_x-jpg.2144700/They got 45 (macrae) we got 38
38 for kennedy

They basically just paid the difference between macrae and kennedy

[bulldogtragic]

Is there a poll to rate it?

Use your words… :D

Or grade it.

[hujsh]

Pretty down on this one. Maybe the draft will change things up

[MrMahatma]

Use your words… :D

Or grade it.

Shit house.

[bulldogtragic]

As a group:

Smith, CD & Jack > 17, 25 & Kennedy (saving about $1.5M)

[GVGjr]

I'd give this a rating of B-.

We appeared to play a weak hand quite strongly so well played Sam Power.

[Jeanette54]

IMHO pretty much our worst trade period ever.

Good luck converting the picks gained by the Macrae and Daniels trades for anyone even close to the players they are. Quite apart from the sadness of losing two heart and soul Bulldogs.

I guess we didn't have much choice with BS, however only time will tell if it's a plus for Geelong. He is your problem now.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Rubbish hand.

C.

Let's see what the draft brings.

[chef]

Went backwards. Need to draft well.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

It's hard to judge.

It feels horrible.

But the system is so screwed and the player at the centre of it all dicked us. I don't how we avoid this in the future.

I'd prefer to target players like Bolton instead of Kennedy but if noone wants to come to us unless they're on the scrap heap what can we do?

Just prey Butters wants to come?

We certainly haven't gone forwards.

[G-Mo77]

IMHO pretty much our worst trade period ever.

Good luck converting the picks gained by the Macrae and Daniels trades for anyone even close to the players they are. Quite apart from the sadness of losing two heart and soul Bulldogs.

I guess we didn't have much choice with BS, however only time will tell if it's a plus for Geelong. He is your problem now.

That money saved that so many are hanging their hat on also cuts some soul out of the club. We want to be very careful going down this path. We're a small club, not attractive to anyone out of contract except those close to the death if their career. What are we actually saving for? Cutting deep like this might be more costly than a lot think.

[bulldogtragic]

I’m not huge on it. But if we can turn 35 & 48 into 27/28 (picks likely for sale) and maybe trade our F1 for a first, would give us four picks inside 27/28. While freeing up $1.5M extra on the $1M Barrass didn’t want. Plus Kennedy replacing three mids going. That’s a lot better than it feels right now. Let’s look for pick trades!

[Virgin-Dog]

I give it a B-

The actual list changes were a positive. Macrae and Daniel were wasted salary cap, and Smith is a net negative from a cultural perspective and his kicking was a huge issue so won’t be as big a loss as it seems. I don’t like Kennedy though. Poor character though I’m hoping he’s learned from the homophobia thing a few years back and changed as a person… as a low cost utility I’m sure he’ll be useful, but I am not sure how the fit will be given our lack of pace. Guess time will tell

We lost the Smith and Macrae trades, and I feel we overpaid for Kennedy, though overall that mega trade wasn’t terrible, just not good at all.

The Caleb Daniel trade was great. Outstanding result there, and I’m happy for him and Macrae knowing they’ll both play 23 games next year in their new sides.

[Go_Dogs]

I’m not happy with it, we’ve talked tough and seemingly taken close to the initial offers we were given, maybe only improving the position in a tangible way with North.

Geelong got what they wanted and didn’t try to improve their hand to meet our asking price. I get it we’re reluctant to upset the apple cart, but we constantly gift our rivals at the pointy end a missing piece and have done multiple times over the past 10 years. I get the system is flawed and bigger clubs hold advantage, but we’ve got to do more and be prepared to make tough calls where we aren’t getting fair value.

Saints ultimately got what they wanted and for us, I suppose we cleared some salary for a player who’s been a great clubman for a long time but is no longer in our future plans. It’s sad, but I can understand this one. The price for a contracted player wasn’t great and the Saints called our bluff about it ultimately being a salary dump. Hard for us to posture otherwise.

North came to the party for Daniel. We held more leverage here and did well.

Kennedy seems like we paid a bit overs for, but we got it done and I think he improves our side. Given he was squeezed out by them and not in their plans it feels like we got desperate and didn’t do the dance other clubs have done with us.

C-

Let’s see what the draft brings.

[Eastdog]

I'll go B-

- We did good with the Caleb Daniel trade getting pick 25.

- Macrae and Daniel were clearly not in our future plans going forward and have been excellent servants for our clubs both premiership players and we get the cap space.

- The Bailey Smith trade disappointing but we were stuck in a corner with him wanting to go to Geelong and what they were offering and not trying hard to upgrade that offer. I'm glad he isn't our problem anymore. We gave him an opportunity all those years ago and treated us poorly at the end.

- Matthew Kennedy a good acquisition in the midfield and can play half forward so will help there. Won't address the pace through our midfield.

See what the draft can bring now.

[JanLorMill]

D grade

[Rocket Science]

https://i.ibb.co/1LmGfWN/Screen-Shot-2024-10-16-at-11-47-12-am.png (https://ibb.co/yXQFnjC)

[DOG GOD]

D grade
Same. Absolutely terrible as expected

[The bulldog tragician]

That money saved that so many are hanging their hat on also cuts some soul out of the club. We want to be very careful going down this path. We're a small club, not attractive to anyone out of contract except those close to the death if their career. What are we actually saving for? Cutting deep like this might be more costly than a lot think.
I agree. I keep hearing CD and Jack “not in our plans” but why? Bevo came to our club, put Matty Boyd in the backline, rejigged around the talent on the list. Even this year Lobb’s career was saved by a move to the backline. Why didn’t we look at two champions and BullGods and think how their talent was best employed. If we’d been playing Sanders and Garcia every week with a firm focus on youth, I could have bought it, but Harmes, VDM etc and even now picking up Kennedy sends a mixed message on that front.

Maybe time heals all wounds but Jack and Caleb in other colours feels flat out wrong and actually nauseating to me.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

That money saved that so many are hanging their hat on also cuts some soul out of the club. We want to be very careful going down this path. We're a small club, not attractive to anyone out of contract except those close to the death if their career. What are we actually saving for? Cutting deep like this might be more costly than a lot think.

Yeah this is what concerns me. It's not just about output. Jack seemed to want out but Caleb didn't so I'd have preferred to keep him. But it was probably our best trade.

Time will tell. Honestly, I hate to think what our club will look like once Bont is done.

The optimism from 2016 is so far gone its like it never happened. We all thought it would change our fortunes. It didn't.

[josie]

I love Caleb but his height and lack of speed and a real big one for me is his inability to stick a tackle (not his fault, centre of gravity & all that) was starting to be exploited and it would have only worsened playing for us (will be fascinated where he plays for Roos & whether he can turn the clock back on his form). I reckon our coaches would have considered Macrae in backline and for whatever reason(s) decided against it. For now I still trust their judgement.

Sanders & Garcia were sent back to VFL to work on deficiencies. I think they’ll be better for it.

Harmes to my eyes looked like he had a bit to offer after his horrible start with us, but injuries didn’t help him or us. Hoping he pays us back next year.

If Kennedy can finish in our top 10 next year & become a tackling machine for us he’ll be worth it.

VDM still puzzles me as to how he is selected week after week with his sub par disposal.

Let’s wait & see in a year or twos time whether the club made the right decisions (I’m including picking Sanders at pick 6 last year in this too).

Hawks have not been afraid to trade club legends & it seems to have worked for them. Do I like the idea of our club being as ruthless? No, but I’ll reserve judgment until next year or possibly year after.

One of the focus areas for me will be whether Marra commits to being a bulldog (& if he can improve his goal kicking & become more consistent) before his last year on current contract, and whether we’ve learnt our lesson from Dunks & Smith poor trade returns.

[bulldogtragic]

AFEL.com says we put another late trade offer to GWS for XOH but they refused it.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

AFEL.com says we put another late trade offer to GWS for XOH but they refused it.

Thanks.
Well I am glad that is over, terrible cattleyard full of insincerity and disloyalty but also great opportunities.
We had to cut but seems we deserved more gain.
Happy enough with Kennedy, we need hard arsed players, can't be only beautiful, Libba old now.

[Scorlibo]

Going to have to split my report card here into two 'classes' of thought.

Firstly on the trade period itself, from the starting point of knowing that Smith, Jacko and Caleb all wanted out. Here I'd give us a B - no real leverage on the Smith trade, but we were able to get some steak knives to assist in securing Kennedy, who I rate as a player. Fair compensation for CD given his year, and Macrae's deal was always going to be more about the salary than the pick. Presuming here that the Saints take on his whole salary.

However... between these two Bullgods we have 2 vice captains, 4 All-Australian blazers and 11 finishes in the top 5 of the Sutton Medal. Excellent players, durable players, still with years of football ahead of them. The only blight on their records? This year, when the selection committee made a conscious decision to prioritise speed. Now I can understand the direction, but to go in that direction while they're still on our list delivers two results: they lose value on the open market PLUS they want to be out on the open market, for the opportunity to play senior football. Add to this the slow motion car crash of Bailey Smith requesting a trade, not so long after we'd recovered from our last bout of slow motion whiplash with Judas Dunkley (and apparently learnt nothing), and frankly it looks pretty grim. For future planning as a cohesive football department, I give us an F.

[FrediKanoute]

If we have learnt anything from the trade period it is you cannot allow marquee players to get to the final year of a contract especially if there is a hint that they may be unsettled.

[whythelongface]

We didn?t fare well but no real fault of our own.

Smith obviously wanted out. Out of contract- zero bargaining power (not sure why there is no compensation pick like other situations receive - seems like we get screwed). Happy to see him go.

Macrae still had a couple of years left to run on his contract wanted more game time. Probably a poor call signing him to 5 years a few years ago but came off a great season. Game is passing him by quickly. Think this is a good move for club and player.

Daniel - this one kills me. I get it but it sucks. A great guy and a leader. Will be missed by the playing group. Sure on the periphery but still had loads to offer both on and off the field. A big loss. Sure we are compensated well but it still hurts.

Kennedy wanting to come to us is a bonus. Always thought he was a good player. Reckon he will impact the team with he footy smarts and big body. Not sure on his personality but seems like a professional with a good attitude. This is a bonus.

Regardless I reckon I would rate this a C- purely on ins/ outs and draft picks but given that our hand was forced improves this to a B-.

I feel we are like a middle of the road English premier league team where we are a feeder club to the big 4 or 5 teams. A bit like an Aston Villa/ Everton where we punch above our weight on occasions but are forced to deal with crap from the overlords of the competition who force our hand and bend over to the power clubs. It is an uneven playing field and occasions we have good fortune eg. NGA and father-son and even then it is highlighted by the elite media just how lucky we are.

Given all that we punch above our weight and hopefully kick some ass next year and stick it up ?em.

[Sedat]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am really surprised by the level of negativity on here in relation to our trade period and the general post-season vibes. We aren't talking about 2021 Smith, Macrae and Daniel - Smith is no guarantee to get to those heights ever again (hello Stringer), and Macrae and Daniel are bit part players for us now. We got literally zero output from Smith this year, and combined with the fringe output from Macrae and Daniel, we had our best season since 2021 with a much stronger game profile that is much better suited to the modern game. That's not even factoring in Kennedy to Aldi-fill the giant hole left by Dunkley's departure and the fact that he outperformed all 3 outgoing players in 2024, and will likely do so again in 2025 (he's only 27yo) with a much lower contract.

So we have saved enormous salary cap relief with not a huge impost on actual 2024 onfield performance - big tick (especially next year when we retain our core stars and also hit the FA market hard). We have addressed the defensive big-bodied midfielder hole in our structure since Dunkley left - another tick. And we have strengthened our draft hand this year with 2 picks inside the top 25 that we didn't have yesterday - tick.

Macrae and Daniel are fabric players and quality men, so their loss will hurt from an intangible perspective. I won't venture into some of the stuff written about Kennedy in other threads but the word on him is that he is the consummate team man and was universally loved and admired by teammates and fans of his last club. And he is durable and tough as nails with defensive-minded instincts that our midfield is in desperately short supply of and has been since late in the 3rd qtr of the 2021 GF - I would much rather someone like Kennedy and his team-first ethic in our club than someone of the Smith ilk, who is single-point focused on building an off-field empire, and who uses his actual playing career (you know, the important bit) as just another tool to build his personal brand and exposure.

Power has turned pig shit into strawberry jam this off-season.

[Grantysghost]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am really surprised by the level of negativity on here in relation to our trade period and the general post-season vibes. We aren't talking about 2021 Smith, Macrae and Daniel - Smith is no guarantee to get to those heights ever again (hello Stringer), and Macrae and Daniel are bit part players for us now. We got literally zero output from Smith this year, and combined with the fringe output from Macrae and Daniel, we had our best season since 2021 with a much stronger game profile that is much better suited to the modern game. That's not even factoring in Kennedy to Aldi-fill the giant hole left by Dunkley's departure and the fact that he outperformed all 3 outgoing players in 2024, and will likely do so again in 2025 (he's only 27yo with a much lower contract.

So we have saved enormous salary cap relief with not a huge impost on actual 2024 onfield performance - big tick (especially next year when we retain our core stars and also hit the FA market hard). We have addressed the defensive big-bodied midfielder hole in our structure since Dunkley left - another tick. And we have strengthened our draft hand this year with 2 picks inside the top 25 that we didn't have yesterday - tick.

Power has turned pig shit into strawberry jam this off-season.
+1

Exactly my thoughts

[BornInDroopSt'54]

The trade period can only improve us.
Players lost no longer have currency for us, Smith already left the premises and we get a good draftee plus hard armed Kennedy and freed up funds galore.
Zen trade period, even stoic and epic.

[GVGjr]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am really surprised by the level of negativity on here in relation to our trade period and the general post-season vibes. We aren't talking about 2021 Smith, Macrae and Daniel - Smith is no guarantee to get to those heights ever again (hello Stringer), and Macrae and Daniel are bit part players for us now. We got literally zero output from Smith this year, and combined with the fringe output from Macrae and Daniel, we had our best season since 2021 with a much stronger game profile that is much better suited to the modern game. That's not even factoring in Kennedy to Aldi-fill the giant hole left by Dunkley's departure and the fact that he outperformed all 3 outgoing players in 2024, and will likely do so again in 2025 (he's only 27yo) with a much lower contract.

So we have saved enormous salary cap relief with not a huge impost on actual 2024 onfield performance - big tick (especially next year when we retain our core stars and also hit the FA market hard). We have addressed the defensive big-bodied midfielder hole in our structure since Dunkley left - another tick. And we have strengthened our draft hand this year with 2 picks inside the top 25 that we didn't have yesterday - tick.

Macrae and Daniel are fabric players and quality men, so their loss will hurt from an intangible perspective. I won't venture into some of the stuff written about Kennedy in other threads but the word on him is that he is the consummate team man and was universally loved and admired by teammates and fans of his last club. And he is durable and tough as nails with defensive-minded instincts that our midfield is in desperately short supply of and has been since late in the 3rd qtr of the 2021 GF - I would much rather someone like Kennedy and his team-first ethic in our club than someone of the Smith ilk, who is single-point focused on building an off-field empire, and who uses his actual playing career (you know, the important bit) as just another tool to build his personal brand and exposure.

Power has turned pig shit into strawberry jam this off-season.

I think a lot of the reactions have to do with moving on favorite sons leaving home so I get why it hits some nerves.
In reality though Daniel and Macrae would struggle to get back to 20 games a season type players for us so we should wish them all the best. Smith however, is an ungrateful so and so and I don't think many will really miss him but perhaps if he comes good we will reconsider.

[G-Mo77]

Overall it's not good but it's no fault of our own for the trade period.

Could we have gotten ore for Smith? Possibly? We were completely over a barrel here dealing with 1 club who finished high on the ladder (again) realistically we couldn't get much better, maybe a little more at the back end but it's minute.

Macrae was about right. It's amazing the chest beating I saw through socials and forums about how he is worth so much more but we inadvertently devalued him by subbing him and siting him in the VFL numerous times. How could we expect more?

Daniel was a good deal, currently pick 25 is about right.

Kennedy for 38 is overs. A player not wanted by his club we go and give them a 2nd Rounder for him, I'll say it again, he was not wanted and told to look elsewhere why are we so generous?

Not sure how I feel. We did get what we could out of it so I don't think it's an L. However I am absolutely gutted about losing Daniel and Macrae, they're heart and soul players and losing both in one hit is and will be damaging. I've said it many times, so many are saying how great it is too shed so much money in the cap, great but for what exactly? Butters? Not a chance. Norf have had spending money for years and years and cannot spend it. I have a horrible feeling we are currently at the crossroads and are about to tip toe down a very long and dark path. We are feeding clubs, strong ones, while each year weakening. Kennedy and a couple of 2nd rounders are not going to make us any stronger.

[JanLorMill]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am really surprised by the level of negativity on here in relation to our trade period and the general post-season vibes. We aren't talking about 2021 Smith, Macrae and Daniel - Smith is no guarantee to get to those heights ever again (hello Stringer), and Macrae and Daniel are bit part players for us now. We got literally zero output from Smith this year, and combined with the fringe output from Macrae and Daniel, we had our best season since 2021 with a much stronger game profile that is much better suited to the modern game. That's not even factoring in Kennedy to Aldi-fill the giant hole left by Dunkley's departure and the fact that he outperformed all 3 outgoing players in 2024, and will likely do so again in 2025 (he's only 27yo) with a much lower contract.

So we have saved enormous salary cap relief with not a huge impost on actual 2024 onfield performance - big tick (especially next year when we retain our core stars and also hit the FA market hard). We have addressed the defensive big-bodied midfielder hole in our structure since Dunkley left - another tick. And we have strengthened our draft hand this year with 2 picks inside the top 25 that we didn't have yesterday - tick.

Macrae and Daniel are fabric players and quality men, so their loss will hurt from an intangible perspective. I won't venture into some of the stuff written about Kennedy in other threads but the word on him is that he is the consummate team man and was universally loved and admired by teammates and fans of his last club. And he is durable and tough as nails with defensive-minded instincts that our midfield is in desperately short supply of and has been since late in the 3rd qtr of the 2021 GF - I would much rather someone like Kennedy and his team-first ethic in our club than someone of the Smith ilk, who is single-point focused on building an off-field empire, and who uses his actual playing career (you know, the important bit) as just another tool to build his personal brand and exposure.

Power has turned pig shit into strawberry jam this off-season.
Whilst it was only trade week it means little the season proper, I can’t say we improved our team. Losing 3 players and gaining 1 immediately says that. Talk was we wanted a top 10 pick for BS, we got what Geelong originally offered and a little pick upgrade so we strengthened a direct opponent for not much. The general consensus from the footy pundits is we didn’t do well. Again it was only trade week.

[Mantis]

Whilst it was only trade week it means little the season proper, I can’t say we improved our team. Losing 3 players and gaining 1 immediately says that. Talk was we wanted a top 10 pick for BS, we got what Geelong originally offered and a little pick upgrade so we strengthened a direct opponent for not much. The general consensus from the footy pundits is we didn’t do well. Again it was only trade week.

Do we actually give a **** what the general footy pundits think?

Every year they ram down our throats how Essendon have won trade week and they've been a basket case for 20+ years. The likes of Jon Ralph can GAGF!

As Sedat said we've turned an awful hand into the best we could do and have the footy landscape to thank for giving us no leverage at all.

[Sedat]

Do we actually give a **** what the general footy pundits think?

Every year they ram down our throats how Essendon have won trade week and they've been a basket case for 20+ years. The likes of Jon Ralph can GAGF!

As Sedat said we've turned an awful hand into the best we could do and have the footy landscape to thank for giving us no leverage at all.
Honestly, whoever the pundits say won and lost trade week you basically need to assume the opposite.

One thing I forgot to mention is we had a specific value placed on XOH and didn't bat an eyelid when GWS demanded more - we simply walked away (unlike most other clubs who fold). Sam Power just does not overpay what he believes a player is worth - not sure how many more examples we need that Power is a fantastic negotiator (selling or buying) and is one of the most important assets at our club.

Connors even mentioned in his interview this morning that he was desperately pushing Geelong to pony up the upgrade in order to get the Smith deal done - so you have the most powerful player manager stable in the game actually doing the bidding on behalf Power with the destination club. People are trashing the upgrade of picks as nothing but it secured Kennedy and off-loaded the entire Macrae salary off the books for no extra collateral - I bet Mackie hated giving this upgrade back.

Power has a formidable reputation with the people that actually matter. His reputation is shit with the gutter scribes because he refuses to give them any #CoNtEnT, but they ultimately don't matter. If we win a flag they will just rewrite history and praise us from pillar to post. These scribes have more positions than the Kama Sutra and are best ignored.

[bornadog]

Talk was we wanted a top 10 pick for BS, we got what Geelong originally offered and a little pick upgrade .

Realistically, we had no way to improve what we got. The alternative was send him to the draft and we get zero. I know the system stinks, but what else could we have done?

[mighty_west]

Do we actually give a **** what the general footy pundits think?

Every year they ram down our throats how Essendon have won trade week and they've been a basket case for 20+ years. The likes of Jon Ralph can GAGF!

As Sedat said we've turned an awful hand into the best we could do and have the footy landscape to thank for giving us no leverage at all.

That's what i don't get with people, who gives a rats tossbag what others think, the media have an agenda most of the time anyway and then see things with a narrow view, they don't take in to account the salary dump from two much loved Bullgods who are really now only depth players at our club which will help keep Darcy and co at the club because other clubs will come hard with stupid overblown contracts to prize them out.

[mighty_west]

Whilst it was only trade week it means little the season proper, I can’t say we improved our team. Losing 3 players and gaining 1 immediately says that. Talk was we wanted a top 10 pick for BS, we got what Geelong originally offered and a little pick upgrade so we strengthened a direct opponent for not much. The general consensus from the footy pundits is we didn’t do well. Again it was only trade week.

We help/improve the team by moving on stacks of cap space to give to the likes of Darcy and Bont, Richards etc, Marra again the year after, talk we wanted a top 10 pick, off course we do, we're not going to say we want a 3rd rounder? We know Geelong play hardball as much as we do, in the end we got paid unders but we also got paid overs for Daniel imo, it was only trade well, well that's what we're discussing!

[mighty_west]

Realistically, we had no way to improve what we got. The alternative was send him to the draft and we get zero. I know the system stinks, but what else could we have done?

Yeah all this chatter about kicking up a stink and sending him into the draft was just diabolical, simply dumb, you don't that if you want to improve your position as a club just to "make a point", you have to use your leadership skills on making smart decisions, not running on emotion, in the end we now have a good draft hand in a very strong draft.

[bulldogtragic]

I was looking at the clubs picks. If we swap 35 & 48 for 27-28. And say trade a F1 to get into the first round. We’ll have the most picks inside the top 30 after Richmond. And our rebuild is miles in front obviously. Let’s see what Sam can trade in picks.

[azabob]

I was looking at the clubs picks. If we swap 35 & 48 for 27-28. And say trade a F1 to get into the first round. We’ll have the most picks inside the top 30 after Richmond. And our rebuild is miles in front obviously. Let’s see what Sam can trade in picks.

Richmond is the obvious target, but not sure they'd want anything from this years draft and would prefer future picks.

[bornadog]

Yeah all this chatter about kicking up a stink and sending him into the draft was just diabolical, simply dumb, you don't that if you want to improve your position as a club just to "make a point", you have to use your leadership skills on making smart decisions, not running on emotion, in the end we now have a good draft hand in a very strong draft.

It was just angry fans, not Sam

[Uninformed]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am really surprised by the level of negativity on here in relation to our trade period and the general post-season vibes. We aren't talking about 2021 Smith, Macrae and Daniel - Smith is no guarantee to get to those heights ever again (hello Stringer), and Macrae and Daniel are bit part players for us now. We got literally zero output from Smith this year, and combined with the fringe output from Macrae and Daniel, we had our best season since 2021 with a much stronger game profile that is much better suited to the modern game. That's not even factoring in Kennedy to Aldi-fill the giant hole left by Dunkley's departure and the fact that he outperformed all 3 outgoing players in 2024, and will likely do so again in 2025 (he's only 27yo) with a much lower contract.

So we have saved enormous salary cap relief with not a huge impost on actual 2024 onfield performance - big tick (especially next year when we retain our core stars and also hit the FA market hard). We have addressed the defensive big-bodied midfielder hole in our structure since Dunkley left - another tick. And we have strengthened our draft hand this year with 2 picks inside the top 25 that we didn't have yesterday - tick.

Macrae and Daniel are fabric players and quality men, so their loss will hurt from an intangible perspective. I won't venture into some of the stuff written about Kennedy in other threads but the word on him is that he is the consummate team man and was universally loved and admired by teammates and fans of his last club. And he is durable and tough as nails with defensive-minded instincts that our midfield is in desperately short supply of and has been since late in the 3rd qtr of the 2021 GF - I would much rather someone like Kennedy and his team-first ethic in our club than someone of the Smith ilk, who is single-point focused on building an off-field empire, and who uses his actual playing career (you know, the important bit) as just another tool to build his personal brand and exposure.

Power has turned pig shit into strawberry jam this off-season.

You have summed it up nicely from my perspective.

Would have liked more for Smith, but coming off an ACL and patchy form gave Geelong some bargaining chips. Happy to be in the first round next year.

Kennedy seems an upgrade and a young man of good character as the plaudits from Carlton attest. His hardness will help us.

It would be unprofessional to let emotional attachment influence decisions on Jack and Caleb. They have been great servants and this sort of clear headed decision will be best for all concerned.

[GVGjr]

One component to factor in to this years assessment was the way we positioned ourselves to move up the order last year to grab Sanders.
With some signs that Smith wasn't going to commit to us it was important to bring in a quality midfielder likes Sanders and get 12 months of development into him before Smiths likely departure.

[Grantysghost]

One component to factor in to this years assessment was the way we positioned ourselves to move up the order last year to grab Sanders.
With some signs that Smith wasn't going to commit to us it was important to bring in a quality midfielder likes Sanders and get 12 months of development into him before Smiths likely departure.
Yes I think that was a big factor in that decision.
Well played by us.

[comrade]

One component to factor in to this years assessment was the way we positioned ourselves to move up the order last year to grab Sanders.
With some signs that Smith wasn't going to commit to us it was important to bring in a quality midfielder likes Sanders and get 12 months of development into him before Smiths likely departure.

We should have traded him if that was our thought process.

[Sedat]

It would be remiss not to mention Robot Building Supplies, Ace Gutters and Continental Tyres as by far the biggest winners of the trade period. Not even Dodoro in his prime could compete with these 3.

[Axe Man]

I don't think we moved up the order to specifically target Sanders because we thought Smith would leave at all.

We moved up the order because the opportunity presented itself to get ahead of the Croft bid and bring in a young talent 12 months earlier than otherwise. There was no guarantee Sanders would even be available, we could well have drafted Watson if the hawks selected differently.

[Go_Dogs]

It still feels to me like we are about 8 or so draft spots too late or a F1 away from having had a good trade period in the circumstances.

The salary saved may make this cumulative outcome of 2023/4/5 really pleasing though - getting Sanders and Croft last year (along with JF) and then if we can nail a couple of picks this year and then load up a top line FA or pre-agent next year, that’s a great result.

My main concern is we haven’t moved the needle for 2025 while at least two of our competitors have in Geelong and Hawthorn, while Collingwood should also be better, and Richmond have accelerated their list turnover which may or may not work out but at least they’ve had a clear intent and executed it brilliantly.

[Mitcha]

It still feels to me like we are about 8 or so draft spots too late or a F1 away from having had a good trade period in the circumstances.

The salary saved may make this cumulative outcome of 2023/4/5 really pleasing though - getting Sanders and Croft last year (along with JF) and then if we can nail a couple of picks this year and then load up a top line FA or pre-agent next year, that’s a great result.

My main concern is we haven’t moved the needle for 2025 while at least two of our competitors have in Geelong and Hawthorn, while Collingwood should also be better, and Richmond have accelerated their list turnover which may or may not work out but at least they’ve had a clear intent and executed it brilliantly.
The Tigs ended with great draft picks but that was not really because they executed trade week brilliantly. They just happened to lose four very good players who luckily chose to go to teams that had the draft capital to pay the price for them. Unlike Junkley and Baglenka Smith who did the exact opposite.

[jazzadogs]

Honestly, whoever the pundits say won and lost trade week you basically need to assume the opposite.

One thing I forgot to mention is we had a specific value placed on XOH and didn't bat an eyelid when GWS demanded more - we simply walked away (unlike most other clubs who fold). Sam Power just does not overpay what he believes a player is worth - not sure how many more examples we need that Power is a fantastic negotiator (selling or buying) and is one of the most important assets at our club.

Connors even mentioned in his interview this morning that he was desperately pushing Geelong to pony up the upgrade in order to get the Smith deal done - so you have the most powerful player manager stable in the game actually doing the bidding on behalf Power with the destination club. People are trashing the upgrade of picks as nothing but it secured Kennedy and off-loaded the entire Macrae salary off the books for no extra collateral - I bet Mackie hated giving this upgrade back.

Power has a formidable reputation with the people that actually matter. His reputation is shit with the gutter scribes because he refuses to give them any #CoNtEnT, but they ultimately don't matter. If we win a flag they will just rewrite history and praise us from pillar to post. These scribes have more positions than the Kama Sutra and are best ignored.

Had to laugh a little at this bit - there was lots of criticism of Cats/Saints/North for not paying up and meeting our demands for the players that they targeted. But when we don't pay up it's good negotiating haha.