Geelong is continuing to play hardball with Port Adelaide, rejecting one offer and plotting a potential player swap.
Plus the theory behind Melbourne’s bold and expensive move up the draft order.
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CATS PLOT RAID FOR GREAT’S GRANDSON AFTER REJECTION
Port Adelaide has reportedly offered Pick 24, acquired from Fremantle on Monday, in exchange for Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea – but the Cats aren’t interested.
Instead they’re reportedly keen on including the grandson of a club great in the deal.
AFL Media reports the Cats are expected to reject the initial offer of an early second-round pick for the 25-year-old swingman.
The 2022 premiers have been positioning themselves both publicly and privately to drive a hard bargain for Ratugolea, who impressed but still looked raw as an intercept defender this past season.
The Power already made the move for Pick 24 earlier this week, having come into the trade period with 38 as their earliest selection, holding minimal 2023 draft assets thanks to last year’s deal for Jason Horne-Francis.
Nine Adelaide’s Josh Money reports the Cats would prefer to make a deal involving Ollie Lord, the grandson of Geelong premiership player and Brownlow medallist Alistair Lord, and son of Darren Lord, a Cats father-son pick-up in 1991 who failed to play an AFL game.
Lord made his AFL debut in Round 6 this year and held his spot for much of the campaign, playing 13 games including both finals, kicking 15 goals – most notably four in the qualifying final loss to Brisbane.
The Geelong Grammar product is contracted until the end of 2024.
THEORIES BEHIND DEMONS’ MASSIVE PRICE TO MOVE UP
Cue the Brian Windhorst memes: what’s going on in Melbourne?
The Demons stunned experts on Wednesday with their role in a four-way pick swap deal with Gold Coast, Adelaide and North Melbourne.
They paid an absolutely mammoth price to move up just three spots in the order, giving the Suns picks 14, 27 and 35 in exchange for pick 11.
On the AFL’s official Draft Value Index, even just 14 and 35 for 11 would’ve been a favourable deal to the Suns. Instead the Suns picked up the equivalent of a free pick 17 in bonus draft points by doing the deal.
So why exactly did the Demons give up so much?
Part of the problem is how little value the AFL is placing on late picks this season. It’s believed there are a top eight or so prospects, and then not a lot of depth in the draft pool, which isn’t helped by the huge number of compromised prospects (either Academy or father-son products).
But, as AFL Media’s Cal Twomey explained, the Demons are also only looking to use two picks at the draft (though they must go into the night with a minimum of three).
The 2021 premiers currently hold picks 6, 11, 41 and 46, the latter received in the Brodie Grundy deal on Wednesday.
It’s believed the Demons are keen to move up the order, potentially all the way up to West Coast’s Pick 1, using 6, 11 and their future first-rounder.
North Melbourne remains the favourite to land Pick 1, currently holding a staggering five first-round picks – 2, 3, 15, 17 and 18.
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