Collingwood are threatening to hang on to Brodie Grundy after Melbourne refused a proposal to swap first round picks as part of the deal for the ruckman, which came on a busy day of trades which saw the Demons finally complete a three-club deal to get Luke Jackson to Fremantle.
Melbourne have refused to offer more than pick 27 for the two-time All-Australian ruckman, who is contracted to Collingwood for five more years on big money. Collingwood have offered to pay some of Grundy’s contract at Melbourne.
Collingwood had said at the outset of trade talks they wanted a draft pick inside 25 for Grundy. In early trades Melbourne secured pick 27, a selection Collingwood said is insufficient on its own to do the Grundy deal.
Luke Jackson is now a Docker after a three-team deal, leaving the Demons to now work on securing Brodie Grundy.Credit:The Age
On Monday Melbourne received pick 13 as part of the exchange that saw Jackson finally land at Fremantle. Collingwood have proposed trading Grundy and pick 16 to Melbourne for the Demons’ picks 13 and 27. Melbourne has rejected this.
Collingwood could alternatively seek to revise down slightly the amount of money they contribute to Grundy’s salary in exchange for accepting the slightly later pick. The club has also said they are prepared to keep the ruckman and abandon the trade.
Collingwood are also in a standoff with Geelong over out-of-contract second-year forward Ollie Henry, who has requested a trade to the Cats. Geelong have offered pick 25, while Collingwood have said they won’t entertain anything less than a first-round selection.
On a busy Monday, with the spectre of Wednesday evening’s trade deadline looming, Jackson had his wish to leave the Demons and head home to Perth (in particular to the Dockers) granted, while a trade was also finalised to shift exciting forward Izak Rankine from the Gold Coast to the Crows.
Meanwhile, childhood Essendon fan Will Setterfield, the big-bodied midfielder who struggled for a regular senior game at Carlton, is now a Bomber, where he is likely to have former Demon Sam Weideman as a teammate.
Jackson’s move required involvement from the Giants, who acquired small forward Toby Bedford from the Demons in exchange for pick 44. This selection then formed part of the overall Jackson deal which led to the Demons securing pick 13, the Dockers’ future first-round pick and future second-round pick, in exchange for the emerging ruckman-forward, picks 44 and 67.
Will Setterfield struggled for a regular senior game at Carlton; now he is a Bomber.Credit:Getty Images
“There is such a young core, driven for success. Hopefully, I can fit right in,” Jackson said.
Fremantle’s head of player personnel David Walls said Jackson, 21, had been “our number one priority all year”.
“He’s got so much versatility and so much scope to improve as a player. We’re really only scratching the surface with what he can do,” he said.
“He’s only just turned 21, when you look at what he’s doing with his relative age rating for a player in his position, he’s off the charts.”
Jackson’s potential has been obvious, the former Rising Star award winner having played 52 games for the Demons, including last year’s premiership when his work in the ruck was pivotal in the Demons’ humbling of the Western Bulldogs. He will give Dockers’ frontline ruckman Sean Darcy the help he has craved.
“There is no doubt that we wanted Luke to remain at the Demons, but we respect his decision to return home to Western Australia to be closer to his family and friends,” Melbourne list manager Tim Lamb said.
This deal left the Demons, already in the premiership mix, with an enviable draft hand, given they have three first-round picks combined over this year and next, and two second-round selections next year.
Giants football boss Jason McCartney said Bedford had much potential.
“We identified Toby as a player who could come in and add to our small-forward stocks, so we were thrilled he saw an opportunity at our club and pleased we could come to an agreement with Melbourne,” McCartney said.
The Blues had told Setterfield, 24, he was free to assess his options, but were prepared to have him back, should he not have found a new home. That won’t be happening now, for the Blues agreed to trade Setterfield and their round-four selection (68) to Essendon for the Bombers’ future fourth-round selection.
Setterfield was drafted by the Giants with pick five in 2016, before being traded to Blues ahead of the 2019 season. He has played 57 games, averaging 15.7 disposals.
“I’m absolutely pumped to be joining the Bombers and I can’t wait to get started,” Setterfield said.
“It’s an exciting time for the football club with Brad Scott taking over as coach and I’m looking forward to getting to work with him as well as meeting my new teammates and building a strong connection with them.
“I feel that I play my best football as an inside midfielder and after speaking with Brad recently, I’m extremely excited and looking forward to the opportunity to pull on the red and black each week.”
Bombers list chief Adrian Dodoro said the club had fulfilled its aim of securing a “big-bodied inside midfielder”.
Rankine will provide the Crows with an injection of dash and flare, the Suns agreeing to a deal which gives them pick five, and future third-and fourth-round selections. The Crows, along with Rankine, also receive pick 46 and a future fourth-round selection.
Rankine booted 29 goals in 18 games this year, averaging 13.5 disposals, 1.6 goals and 2.2 tackles a game. He also ranked sixth in goal assists per game.
Izak Rankine will have the fresh start he wants with the Adelaide Crows.Credit:AFL Photos
“Izak was a key focus for us and that was the road we went down,” Crows list boss Justin Reid said.
Gold Coast list chief Craig Cameron, having needed to clear salary-cap space, said the Suns were happy with the deal.
“To receive a top-five draft selection was important to us, and Adelaide’s future picks will help us execute our strategy and strengthen our draft collateral for next year,” he said.
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