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Higgins, Hunt head the 2014 AFL free agent class

1st September, 2015
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1st September, 2015
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With one round to go, and our final eight now in place – even if the match-ups aren’t quite set in stone – AFL minds are swiftly switching into introspection mode.

Let’s start our season review with a look at the free agent class of 2014, which featured some big hits and some busts.

Free agency is still a new concept in the AFL, with the player movement rule introduced in 2012. At the end of the 2014 season, just five free agents moved clubs of their own free will during the window, with a further seven doing so after being cut by their previous team, and being picked up ahead of the national draft.

Rather than list them all here, let’s do a completely subjective power ranking of the best and the worst. Why? Because we can. Because we must.

Before we get into the everyday players, a quick round up of the also rans that weren’t expected to come in and make a material difference to their sides, and essentially lived up to that expectation for better or worse.

Sam Blease | (from) Melbourne | (to) Geelong
Blease joined the Cats as a restricted free agent, with the hierarchy high on his prospects as a speedy mid-sized defender coming into the season. He copped a significant knock to the head playing in the VFL earlier this year, and announced his retirement this week.

Matthew Dick | Sydney | Carlton
If you’re not getting a game for this lot, well, maybe AFL isn’t for you. Dick was drafted by the Swans after their premiership run in 2012, probably rubbing his hands with glee. He never made it to the team, delisted following his rookie deal’s expiry last season.

After joining Carlton, Dick has played five games, although to his credit has strung together three straight in the past three weeks.

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Ben Newton | Port Adelaide | Melbourne
Newton joined the Demons after a four-game career at Port, and, well, I’ll admit to having to Google ‘Ben Newton Melbourne’ to write this paragraph. Newton has had a reasonable season for a young midfielder in an average team, hitting double digits on the possession count in all but one of his 10 outings. Melbourne need all the bodies they can get in Newton’s 21-25 age bracket, so he should still be around come 2016.

Joel Hamling | Geelong | Western Bulldogs
I bet Hamling held a bit of resentment towards his first club, Geelong, following his delisting at the end of 2014. Now he’s probably stoked. Imagine losing your job as a janitor, only to be picked up by a tech start-up. That’s what has happened to Hamling. He’s played nine games for the Dogs after failing to start for the Cats, holding up the key defensive post and keeping the second and third talls of his opponent quiet.

He is one of 40 players that the Western Bulldogs have tapped into so far in 2015, which I’m reliably informed will be the most players a finalist has used during the regular season in close to a decade. And it hasn’t been by way of injury – the Dogs have had one of the healthiest lists in 2015 – it’s all about building depth and flexibility. Are there any more memes that these Dogs will smash before the first Saturday in October?

James Gwilt | St Kilda | Essendon
At least he hasn’t had the worst season of any James at Essendon, right? Gwilt would have joined the Dons thinking a flag, or at least a finals campaign, was in prospect. Instead, he joined what emerged as a rapidly sinking ship. Talked up as a potential forward at the start of the season, Gwilt has spent essentially the whole year as a half back flanker or full back – indeed, he’s essentially the only tall player Essendon haven’t thrown into the forward 50.

I’m guessing a little, but I think he’s signed on for at least the 2016 season, and given the prospective turnover at Windy Hill he will be a lock to stick around. If he wants to.

With those five free agents out of the way, let’s take a deeper look at the seven moves that have surprised us, met our expectations, or come so far out of left field as to make you think maybe this free agency thing isn’t the devil after all.

7. Nick Malceski | Sydney | Gold Coast
Malceski was arguably the most valuable free agent on the board at the conclusion of the 2014 season, having carved out a well-earned reputation as an elite rebounding defender in his decade at the Sydney Swans. His move to the Suns was seen as a transaction to boost Gold Coast’s prospect of making the eight this season.

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It has not worked out that way.

The Suns have been wrecked by injury, to the point where they have almost regressed to their second season in terms of wins and losses. Absent their best player, and according to some reports around half of their salary cap worth of other players, Gold Coast didn’t stand a chance of breaking through a crowded mid table.

Malceski was one of those who missed a chunk of the season, stunting his impact. He has averaged 16 disposals a game, down from a career high 23 in his final year at the Swans, despite the Suns conceding an average of 57 inside 50s per game compared to 47 for his former team.

His efficiency nose dived, too, although this is probably more a product of who and what he has to kick to rather than a drop in his personal skills.

Malceski will be looking forward to having an AFL team to kick out of defence to in 2016.

6. Tim Membrey | Sydney | St Kilda
Hands up if you thought Tim Membrey would make a totally subjective ranking of free agents this time last year?

Membrey crossed the southern border, from Sydney to St Kilda, in the off-season as a delisted free agent, and he’s been a handy pick up for the Saints. Membrey played predominately as a low half forward flanker in St Kilda’s forward line, a role that his sub-190-centimetre, 90-kilogram frame is well suited to.

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He managed just one game for the Swans after being taken in 2012, but has played in more than half of St Kilda’s games in 2015, as they experiment with some alternative forward line set ups. He should find himself playing much more in the 2016 season.

5. Mitch Robinson | Carlton | Brisbane
Mitch Robinson’s departure from the Mick Malthouse-led Carlton was somewhat acrimonious, and given that it was a little surprising to see him pop up at the Lions after the free agency period wound up. However, it’s proven to be a very prudent call by Brisbane’s off-field leaders, with Robinson playing every game in a season where many others have struggled to stay on the park.

His reputation as a loose cannon on the field appears to have been channelled effectively by Justin Leppitsch, and in recent weeks (since the departure of Dayne Beams for the year), Robinson has been a solid foil for Brisbane’s other prime movers. Since Round 14, Robinson has laid more than 10 effective tackles in all but two outings, and has managed to lift above 20 possessions in all but two other games. While the Lions won only one of those games, there’s only so much a single player can do.

Brisbane would have recruited him as a handy depth player, capable of filling in if the first choice midfield – which I still maintain is a very good midfield – were to stumble through injury. Robinson has given the Lions much more than that.

If he was on a one-year deal – and let’s be honest, he was probably on a one-year deal with a short leash – I’d be amazed if he doesn’t land another two or three from the Lions.

4. James Frawley | Melbourne | Hawthorn
James Frawley’s move to the Hawks (Victoria’s best team) from Melbourne (arguably the worse) was the one that the doomsayers pointed to when decrying what free agency would do to the competition.

But it’s worked out pretty well for both parties, right? Frawley was an idle asset at Melbourne, not likely to make a material impact to their prospects as they built depth on their list. Once he left, the AFL granted Melbourne what was essentially the best compensation that they were entitled to: the third pick in the 2014 draft. Melbourne then used that pick to try and lure Patrick Dangerfield from the Crows.

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It didn’t work, obviously, but the Dees managed to secure Angus Brayshaw, a youngster that is quite good at football, who was taken immediately after Melbourne selected Christian Petrecca (remember him?). Melbourne was then able to trade down from pick 23 to picks 40 (Alex Neal-Bullen) and 53 (Oscar McDonald), and receive Sam Frost from the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the same deal. Yeah, Melbourne did alright out of losing James Frawley.

Hawthorn received an emerging key defender about to enter his prime, to bolster their back six against the loss of Brian Lake and Josh Gibson in the next few years. A pectoral tear threatened to derail Frawley’s season, but he somehow came back in just weeks and has been slowly working his way into more of the action.

The Hawthorn back six is full of very good players, in case you weren’t aware, so he hasn’t had to shoulder the number one defender load quite yet.

He’s quick and agile for someone of his size, making him a flexible option for Alastair Clarkson and co. Frawley spent a big chunk of the weekend’s match against Brisbane in the forward line, reprising a role he played for much of 2014 with the Dees. But it’s likely he’ll settle in as a permanent key position defender once Brian Lake moves on, which could be sooner rather than later.

3. Jarrad Waite | Carlton | North Melbourne
He may not be leading the Coleman medal race, but Jarrad Waite’s impact on North Melbourne’s potency forward of the ball has been second to one (see what I did there).

Waite’s shift from the Blues to the blue and whites was long telegraphed, and he joined the long list of Carlton forwards to find a happier place at, well, a happier place. At 32 coming into the season, Waite is clearly at North Melbourne for a good time as opposed to a long time, but in a lot of ways that’s why free agency exists. He filled a very specific niche at North, and allowed Carlton to, errrr… anyway.

In 2014, North Melbourne were playing a forward line that consisted of Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas and Aaron Black. Brent Harvey was third on their goal kicking table, and, well, he played as a midfielder. Ben Brown came in towards the end of the season, but really, that was about it.

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Then Waite came in, and with more Brown, less Black, and the addition of another free agent, the Roos built a forward line some have described as the most silky in the league. It took a while to come to fruition, but North Melbourne are now the fourth-most potent scoring side in 2015, behind Hawthorn, West Coast and the rampaging bull known as Adelaide.

Waite has bagged 35 goals, putting him third on the list at Arden Street. But he’s one of four Roos to have kicked more than 30 goals in 2015, and if Ben Brown gets amongst it on Friday night North could end up with five players reaching that mark. The other teams that have four are Hawthorn and West Coast, while Adelaide has three and two players on 27.

Forward lines are like a well-crafted sandwich: at their best, they’re better than the sum of their parts. And that’s certainly true of North Melbourne, perhaps more so than any other team in the league. The aged cheddar in North Melbourne’s sandwich is Jarrad Waite.

2. Taylor Hunt | Geelong | Richmond
A delisted free agent makes number two? You betcha!

Taylor Hunt was let go by Geelong at the end of last season, in what now looks like another curious list management decision at the Cattery. Richmond, a team on the up and in need of some more midfield depth, wasted no time grabbing him off the waiver wire.

He has since played in every game for the Tigers, proving a superb running wingman on attacking thrusts, as well as an efficient tagger and small defender. Hunt is averaging a career high 18 disposals per game, and is kicking more often than at his time at Geelong, a marker of Richmond’s playing style.

Hunt makes it to number two on the list mostly because he was a speculative pick by Richmond, in the same way that Mitch Robinson was largely a speculative pick for Brisbane. No one wanted Hunt other than the Tigers, and they seem to have picked up a very handy player that’s getting better. He’s only just about to enter his prime years, too, suggesting there is further upside, so much so that the Tigers have already awarded him a two-year contract.

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Wouldn’t the Cats love a running machine on the wing right about now?

1. Shaun Higgins | Western Bulldogs | North Melbourne
Was it ever going to be anyone else?

Higgins was an injury-prone, one-way small half forward at the Dogs, never really showing anything more than glimpses of becoming a damaging player in his 129-game, nine-year stint with the tri-colours.

His best season came in 2009, where he and his team fell in their second-straight preliminary final. Higgins managed to stay on the park for 20 games including finals, kicking 32 goals on more than 20 possessions per game. He cracked double digits in the Brownlow count, too.

After that, he missed 32 games in a four-year stretch, and never got close to beating that goal or possession marker. Like Waite, his impending free agency move was long broadcast, although it wasn’t clear that he would also make his way to North until the official movement period began.

Higgins has been immense for North Melbourne in 2015, booting 36 goals across his 21 games and proving himself a classy yin to North’s many yangs. Crucially, he’s played every game for the first time in his career.

In a lot of ways, he’s the heir to Brent Harvey’s throne – if the little man ever gives it up. Higgins has provided a consistent spark for North Melbourne forward of the ball, catalysing the play of his three-prong forward 50 engine. Higgins is second at North for inside 50s (Jack Ziebell is first), but only captures 58 per cent of his possessions in the forward half, suggesting he has become critical in their half back transition offence. Higgins is kicking the ball better than at any point in his career.

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Dogs fans would be scratching their heads, pondering the what ifs. Maybe for five seconds, until they realise they have a very good team without him. In fact, Higgins’ departure may have accelerated the need for Jake Stringer to play a bigger role in the Dogs’ offence. That’s working out sort of okay, don’t you think? A 40-goal season from a 27-year-old Higgins would have been nice, but I daresay a 55-plus goal season from a 21-year-old Stringer is nicer.

The Western Bulldogs also received a second-round pick, pick 23 which turned into pick 27 after other free agency wranglings, which they used on Lukas Webb. Webb has already played nine games for the Dogs, and looms as a handy long-term option at half back flank.

Higgins, Hunt and Waite may not have the stature of some of the league’s past and prospective free agents, but in a lot of ways they are more typical of the type of free agency we will grow accustomed to in the AFL in the years to come.

Who’s on the board in 2016? Watch this space, I feel another totally subjective power rankings may be just around the corner.

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