After being traded to Melbourne for pick 27 with five years remaining on a seven-year deal he signed with Collingwood in 2020, ruckman Brodie Grundy declared he had hoped to be a “Pie for life” when he put pen to paper on that contract.
He said that desire to remain with Collingwood did not change throughout 2022, but it became clear to him when he sat down with the club in recent times “the dream could no longer become a reality”.
Grundy signed the seven-year deal worth just over $6 million with Collingwood at the end of 2019, before he entered his free agency year in 2020, which tied him to the Magpies until the end of 2027.
Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy has joined the DemonsCredit:Getty Images
However, the Magpies began to examine ways to take that commitment out of their salary cap midway through this season when Darcy Cameron and Mason Cox began to share the ruck role and Grundy was sidelined through injury.
Melbourne expressed their interest in recruiting Grundy, with the Magpies to pay part of his contract that is on average worth about $900,000 per season. The Demons wanted to find a replacement for Luke Jackson, who was leaving for Fremantle, and support for All-Australian ruckman and premiership skipper Max Gawn.
The deal pairs together the two dominant ruckman of this era, with Gawn and Grundy both earning All-Australian guernseys in 2018 and 2019. Gawn has collected another three All-Australian guernseys since, while Grundy’s form has plateaued in recent seasons.
Grundy played just six games in 2022, his season finishing on Anzac Day when he suffered a PCL injury that required surgery.
He attempted to return late in the season in the VFL, but an ankle injury stopped him from regaining his spot. Grundy played 177 games with Collingwood and was equal best and fairest in 2018 before winning the Copeland Trophy outright in 2019.
Grundy’s departure was the biggest deal completed on Tuesday, however Richmond ran a close second when they landed contracted Giants midfielder Jacob Hopper and picks 53 and 63 in exchange for picks 31 and a future first-round pick.
Jacob Hopper has joined Richmond’s supercharged midfield
Hopper joins the Tigers on a seven-year deal alongside former Giants teammate Tim Taranto, who crossed to the Tigers for picks 12 and 19, meaning Richmond landed the pair and picks 53 and 63 for 12, 19, 31 and a future first-round pick as they look to make a tilt at the flag again in 2023.
The Giants had discussed recruiting ruckman Ivan Soldo, however they decided to pass on him with Richmond preferring to retain the premiership Tiger.
Triple-premiership Hawk Jack Gunston lobbed at his third club when he joined the Brisbane Lions for pick 48 and a future fourth rounder. Gunston played 14 games with Adelaide before joining the Hawks in 2012 where he played 211 matches. The 30-year-old is the third premiership Hawk, after Luke Hodge and Grant Birchall, to join the Lions in the twilight of their careers.
Geelong completed their deal with the Gold Coast, which included the reigning premiers securing Jack Bowes and pick seven in exchange for a future third-round selection. The controversial trade occurred under new AFL rules that allowed salary dumping, with the Suns offloading Bowes’ back-ended deal worth $1.6 million over the next two seasons. The Cats will flatten out his deal to fit the money into their salary cap and use their first pick inside the top 10 since premiership captain Joel Selwood was drafted in 2006.
The deal decelerated the move of Brayden Fiorini from the Suns to Collingwood in what would have amounted to a salary dump, with that trade not likely to happen now and Fiorini to serve out the final year of his deal on the Gold Coast. The Magpies, however, did trade in Adelaide’s Billy Frampton, who adds depth to both their defence and ruck department, with youngster Sam Hayes now to remain at Port Adelaide.
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