Trade week dilemas: The Beams solution

Dayne Beams wants to go home to Queensland and Collingwood want compensation, with Gary Pert issuing an ultimatum to Brisbane CEO Greg Swann to get a deal done by 5pm next Friday.

Collingwood want pick four and a ready-made player from Brisbane.

Brisbane don’t want to give up one of their young players – especially after the ‘go home five’, one of whom is now running around in the Magpies reserves.

It’s easy to see both sides of the argument. Neither side wants to be out of pocket or give up too much, but it doesn’t appear as though a deal will be done without the help of a third, or fourth, party.

Enter the Saints and Greater Western Sydney.

Consider this for a mega deal. Collingwood release Beams to Brisbane. With their injury-plagued key talls, perhaps another tall would be useful, so what if Collingwood received Jack Steven and Sam Frost for losing Dayne Beams?

In Steven they get a 24-year-old with 90 games under his belt and a club best and fairest, and they get Frost from GWS and re-unite him with his brother, adding some immediate depth to their list. Both players provide immediate gain and avoid any delay in developing a draftee.

For the Saints’ part in the trade they lose Steven – who in all probability is a chance to go next year as a restricted free agent. They take pick four from Brisbane (herein referred to as pick five in anticipation that Melbourne push others down a rung with a compensation pick for losing James Frawley). This would give the Saints their three picks inside twenty-one to go with one and twenty-one.

GWS would lose Frost, who has already flagged his intention to leave. They need a replacement, so Joel Patful – who is going to relocate to Sydney anyway – goes their way. They gain a versatile defender capable of providing leadership and structure to their back six.

To make the deal a bit sweeter for St Kilda and GWS – after all, they are helping out the other two clubs – an exchange of picks and want away players.

St Kilda could trade the coveted number one pick to GWS in return for Jono O’Rourke and pick three (herein to be referred to as pick four under the Frawley clause mentioned earlier). The Saints retain two top-five draft picks and three inside twenty-one, and gain Jono O’Rourke, who they have been trying to get.

GWS meanwhile have snagged pick one again and have the option of adding Christian Petrecca to a growing list of high-quality mids, one which exceeds even the Gold Coast Suns’ feared midfield.

In summary, Collingwood get two ready-made players for losing Beams – fair compensation. Brisbane get Beams and lose pick five and Joel Patful – a player who is already exploring trade options to get to Sydney.

The Saints give up Steven to get pick five and then use pick one to snare Jono O’Rourke, and pick four with the ability to sign Kristian Jacksch (who GWS rebuke any trade offers from other suitors to help the Saints out) in the pre-season draft.

They then have pick four, five and twenty-one to stock up their list of talented youngsters.

GWS get a ready-made player in Patful to sure up their defence, and also trade up to pick one and another gun midfielder. All for the loss of Sam Frost and Jono O’Rourke, who were going anyway.

Seems like a fair result for all parties!