Bulldog ONLY Trade News

[comrade]

I'm genuinely not convinced that we WANT to trade Caleb. If he is offered four years by North, and we only have him contracted for two more, that does become a tricky discussion for a great leader on decent money who didn't play that much (16 games with 8 as sub). We love him, but does that make a four year deal the right choice?

Agreed. Are we all happy to extend Caleb another 2 years on top of his current deal? I wouldn?t be and I love the guy and think he?s pound for pound just about the most talented Bulldog ever.

[Sedat]

Agreed. Are we all happy to extend Caleb another 2 years on top of his current deal? I wouldn?t be and I love the guy and think he?s pound for pound just about the most talented Bulldog ever.

If Caleb chooses us for 2 years over North for 4 years, we would love him even more than we already do. And similarly if he chose the 4 year North offer, nobody would begrudge him in the slightest.

Eternal credit to him for finding a way in the last couple of months this season when he looked almost gone mid season. His size and lack of burst pace were being exposed pretty ruthlessly by the oppo players and coaches, but he overcame and endured to become a really good player late in the season. As MJP articulated, it is amazing for a 167cm player who doesn't have quick wheels to carve out such an outstanding long-term career. Where he plays moving forward I don't know for sure - he remains an elite ball user and decision-maker, and he reads the play as well as anyone. Could he run-with against the inside mid types like a Lachie Neale and hurt them the other way?

[GVGjr]

But why does hitting the draft 'HARD' need to mean moving on players who can/are contributing?

I don't know Caleb personally but he has fought for EVERYTHING he has gotten in footy. He was a top 10 (probably top 5) player based on output in his draft year and fell down the order because he's small. He's worn a helmet all his life - in an era when he would have been the ONLY one - because his mum said he had too (and if you think that wouldn't have led to a heap of ridicule AND targeting on field then, well...)...he was (supposedly) overheard telling Bevo he's up to do ANYTHING for the team during the late season game against the Giants...

To me, blokes like this DON'T grow on trees. He's in the leadership group - and he has genuinely led the way in terms of the effort and team first attitude he has displayed.

Was 2024 his best ever season? No. But rule this bloke out at your peril - he is going to find a way...if we trade him, we're gonna regret it.

We've tend to fall back to drafting mainly in rounds 1 and 2 and trading in experienced players and over time that has pushed our age profile up a bit which and this stands out a bit more when you lose players like Dunkley who in his prime and Smith who's best football might still be in front of him. I'm not wanting to move Daniel on but I can see why he might be tempted to accept a 4 year deal from North and why we might not be prepared to match it.
We have been a bit too patient with holding some of the more marginal talented players on the list a year or two more than we probably should have and to me it's a good to take a risk or two more in the drafts in the right years and this seems to be one of those.

[Uninformed]

Our list is good to great. We have plenty of role players, so the only trade should be for elite talent. The only version of that is Houston and we are unlikely there. Can't see it with the others mentioned for us. A few, or even one, elite talent/s from the draft is what we need. Could be forward, mid or back - small to medium.

[chef]

Was mentioned on the news that if we pay some of Macraes wages pick 27 is on the market for him from the Saints

[GVGjr]

Was mentioned on the news that if we pay some of Macraes wages pick 27 is on the market.

Now that might be tempting. It depends on how much though

[GVGjr]

Caleb Daniel is not expected to actively seek a move to North Melbourne unless the Dogs open the door for him to depart. [@CalTwomey]

[Virgin-Dog]

Now that might be tempting. It depends on how much though

Salary cap is a resource just like picks. If we have no other immediate plans for that money, then forking out 200-300k for a couple seasons to get a better pick seems like a no-brainer imo

Sounds like O’Halloran is the only likely pickup (if at all) so outside of front loading large contracts for existing players, it doesn’t seem like we plan on doing much else with the cash. I’d be happy to see us do it

[bulldogtragic]

Caleb Daniel is not expected to actively seek a move to North Melbourne unless the Dogs open the door for him to depart. [@CalTwomey]

Well, that’s up to North to convince us to open it. Sounds like CD will take up the offer if we get a good trade.

17 from BS
25 from CD
& 27 from Jack (with some salary, maybe even 47 to offset some salary)
35 from our hand

That’s a solid draft, plus the something else from BS (ie F1)

[EasternWest]

Was mentioned on the news that if we pay some of Macraes wages pick 27 is on the market for him from the Saints

Finally a use for the Crameri/Hurley warchest.

[jazzadogs]

Finally a use for the Crameri/Hurley warchest.

I think we should blow it all on Owies.

[hujsh]

'Take the punt': Calls for shock rival swoop as draft threat hangs over Dog's delayed deal

Geelong's negotiations with the Western Bulldogs over Bailey Smith have reportedly hit a hurdle, in a stalling that if left unresolved, could see the star enter the AFL draft in an ultra-rare scenario.

Out of contract and having nominated Kardinia Park as his preferred home in 2025, Smith?s value has being hotly debated by the two clubs - with the Cats allegedly adamant his current value sits at no more than a first-round pick.

Speaking to Fox Footy?s Trading Day on Tuesday night, Jay Clark provided an update on the official stance of each club at the close of day two of the trade period, and why there is such a variation in their starting points for a negotiation.

'The Dogs want more than the Cats? first-round pick for Bailey Smith,' Clark begun by saying.

'That's based on his 2021 form, he's an elite athlete and highly marketable. His football in 2021 was scintillating, but the Cats are on the other side of the trade table.

'They're saying:'We want to give pick 17, and pick 17 only.''

Taken at pick 7 himself in the 2018 AFL draft, Smith is a player with tremendous upside that at his best, is one of the competition's best players.

However, an ACL injury that saw him miss the entire 2024 season has added a layer of uncertainty around his trade value - among other things, says Clark.

'If he went through to the national draft, the natural draft order will dictate that?s where he would go - pick 17, because which of the clubs are going to take the punt on Bailey Smith',' Clark asked.

'There's an elephant in the room here, it hasn't been a perfect start to his AFL career. Yes, there's been the ACL (injury), but also there?s been the mental health issues, which he's been quite open about.'

Given his status as an out-of-contract player, a non-deal between Geelong and Western Bulldogs would almost certainly see Smith re-enter the draft pool at next month's event - risking the possibility of another rival club acquiring his services before the Cats are able to make use of a selection.

And while that seems extremely unlikely given comments today from Geelong GM Andrew Mackie, it has happened before; albeit only a handful of times in the last 15 years.

'We have had a couple of chats with Sam Power (Western Bulldogs list manager); they have been held with good intent from both parties,' Mackie said on Tuesday afternoon.

Clark highly doubts Smith would be poached by a rival club before Geelong's first-round pick this upcoming draft, in what would be an extraordinary risk for any team who dares.

'If he was to fall to the draft, the Cats would get him for nothing at pick 17, because who there on that list is going to take the punt on a bloke they wouldn't even be able to interview''Clark questioned.

'Paul Connors manages him - you wouldn't even be able to get a seat at the table with Bailey Smith (to discuss a shock recruiting).

'The Cats have been working on this for 18 months, so he would go to the Cats in the draft ' it is clear to me that Geelong hold the upper hand.'

Trading Day host Ben Dixon played devil?s advocate however, suggesting that a club like St Kilda could (and should) take the punt in the highly unlikely scenario Smith does enter the draft.

'If I was St Kilda, I?d be taking the punt - and if you?re going into this draft period and you don't want to upset a manger because you?re going to have future dealings with players and it?s going to affect your relationship, you?re in it for the wrong reasons,'Dixon stated.

'They've lost Seb Ross (delisted), they?ve got (Brad) Crouch who hasn't played a lot of games (injured), they?re after (Jack) Macrae - Bailey Smith is sitting on a platter, and you can take him.

In the proposed instance where a trade for Smith cannot be agreed upon, the midfielder would need to essentially delist himself from the Bulldogs in order to be eligible as a player in this year?s draft.

In recent memory, Jackson Hately (2020), Jack Martin (2019), Jed Lamb (2013), Kurt Tippett (2012) and Nick Stevens (2002) stand out as moves via the pre-season draft of a similar nature to that hypothesised of Smith.

[Grantysghost]

Was mentioned on the news that if we pay some of Macraes wages pick 27 is on the market for him from the Saints

Wow we could have a decent draft hand to get some young talent in.
As hard as it is to see Macrae leave that could be a big win win.

[bulldogtragic]

“ the Cats would get him for nothing at pick 17”

Great intellect. A genius…

[angelopetraglia]

Why do all these journos worship at the altar of Geelong? Are they on Nigel Austin?s payroll too?