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In 2007 the West Coast Eagles traded captain and Brownlow medalist Chris Judd and pick 46 to the struggling Carlton football club, for Josh Kennedy and Pick 3 and Pick 20.
Carlton would eventually pick up Dennis Armfield who would be a solid player for the Blues and become one of there most underrated players to retire in 2017, while West Coast used Pick 3 and 20 on Chris Masten and Tony Notte.
Chris is still at the club but struggles to adapt to AFL football, while Tony Notte was delisted at the end of 2008 season after only playing two AFL games.
Now the Eagles must look at sending the club’s six-time goal kicking leader and two time Coleman medalist – who is likely to win the medal again in 2017 – to a third football club.
Josh will be turning 30 next season and may only have a season or two in him until he retires. He won’t be part of the next group of a West Coast premiership team.
At the end of this season the Eagles will lose over 700 games of experience with the retirements of two Brownlow medalist Matthew Priddis and Sam Mitchell, along with Sam Butler who is the last premiership player left at the club. Ex-Kangaroo Drew Petrie could also be calling it a day at season’s end.
The Eagles look likely to not being part of September action in 2017 and with the loss of these players they may struggle to be in September action for a few seasons.
The Eagles will be looking at fast young players who can go hard for the ball, something they will lose with the departures of Mitchell and Priddis.
A team who has much of the type of players the Eagles need to strengthen up their side are the Gold Coast Suns. West Coast should be looking at turning Jack Darling into a star like Josh if they get the right players, players who can supply him with excellent delivery of the football.
The Gold Coast Suns have Claremont and East Fremantle products in Jack Martin and David Swallow who were both Pick 1 in their drafts in 2010 and 2013. Both could fit into the Eagles side and be part of the next generation at West Coast.
While Gold Coast look set to lose Brownlow Medalist superstar Gary Ablett, Josh Kennedy could be the man who bring crowds to the Gold Coast games.
A situation where West Coast get Martin and Swallow to replace Mitchell and Priddis would be a win for the club for the future at least. It could be their next premiership.
It would be a win-win as the AFL would gain a Gold Coast team with a superstar and new coach ready to set standards in a club where no standards have ever been met.
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