At the end of each season there is usually one or more players traded by AFL clubs for reasons other than their lack of ability.
It could be for breaches of team rules off the field, or because they do not fit in with the club’s future plans.
There are also those who have just not lived up to the potential they showed as juniors, and others who have not been able to gain a regular senior spot because of consistent injuries.
Whatever the reason for their respective clubs wanting to offload them, or for that matter them wanting to leave, these players all have one thing in common – they come with risk.
Sometimes that risk comes with great reward, while at other times it ends badly for both club and player.
Last year Mitch Robinson was delisted by Carlton after 100 games and a number of off-field indiscretions. Brisbane selected him as a delisted free agent and he repaid them by being a joint winner of their 2015 best and fairest award.
Conversely the Brendon Fevola trade deal between the same two clubs in 2009 was a disaster for the Lions. They gave up Lachie Henderson and pick 12 in the national draft for Fevola and pick 27. Many of the Lions’ woes in recent times can be traced back to the decision to draft the controversial forward.
This season there are a number of players in this category who have either been reported to be on the outer with their present clubs or have been confirmed as going if a suitable trade can be arranged.
Here are five gifted players who on talent alone would normally attract the interest of any number of clubs. Each of these players could offer interested parties great reward, however because of either behavioural or injury issues they also come with a great deal of risk.
Harley Bennell
Arguably the most talented player on this list. Bennell has played 81 games with the Gold Coast Suns and averaged 22 disposals and just over a goal per game since his debut in the Suns’ inaugural year of 2011.
In 2012 he was second in Gold Coasts’ best and fairest award behind Gary Ablett Jr, and was also selected in the Indigenous All Stars team against Richmond, winning the Polly Farmer Medal for best on ground.
This season has been one to forget for the talented Western Australian, however. Between games scattered with brilliance, including a 31-possession and two-goal game against the Lions in Round 5, and a run of three games where he averaged over 30 disposals and five tackles mid-season, there have been club imposed suspensions and headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Most of Bennell’s issues have been alcohol related, including the front page photo of him allegedly taking illicit drugs which the Herald Sun and Courier Mail unfortunately chose to publish – despite it having occurred over two years previously.
After another incident when allegedly affected by alcohol involving a bouncer at a Gold Coast nightclub earlier this month, the Suns announced they would be trading the 22-year–old.
Reported interest from Hawthorn and Richmond, and to a lesser extent West Coast.
Chris Yarren
Another West Australian, Yarren was considered one of the most talented players of the 2008 national draft.
Originally selected as a small forward, Yarren earned a Rising Star nomination in 2010, before being moved to a half back flank in 2011. His run out of defence became a potent weapon for Carlton and is perhaps best illustrated by his Goal of the Year in Round 1 of 2012 against Richmond.
Unfortunately for both the Blues and Yarren, there is a stark contrast between his best and worst, and his lack of discipline as well as his apparent attitude on occasion has been a constant frustration for Carlton and its supporters over his 119-game career.
Earlier this season he was dropped for not meeting team standards on the field, and there has been speculation throughout the season that the Blues would trade him at the end of the season. However Yarren jumped first, informing the club he wished to be traded.
Reported to be heading to Richmond, although the Tigers will be unwilling to give up the first round selection the Blues are after.
Jake Carlisle
Carlisle is perhaps the most sought after player on this list. At 23 and standing at 198 centimetres he can play in a key position at either end of the ground. Although he has certainly made it clear he prefers to play in defence.
Since being drafted by the Bombers in 2009 at pick 24, Carlisle has played 85 games and kicked 55 goals. He was nominated for a Rising Start award in 2012, and has shown that when he is on song he can dominate games.
However, like Yarren he is inconsistent and also like Yarren his attitude has been questioned. Particularly this season when he was reported to have told opposition players he wanted out, and was overheard saying the club was (you know what) in Round 19 against Greater Western Sydney.
Carlisle also comes with the extra burden of the WADA appeal hanging over his head. So along with any personal baggage he may bring to a new club there is also the chance he may be suspended.
Reported interest from St Kilda, Fremantle, Carlton and the Western Bulldogs.
Steve Johnson
Perhaps the least risky of the five. Johnson has been around so long and done it so often that we all know what he is capable of. He is no risk off the field, and while on it would be an asset for any club.
However, being on the park is the issue. His tribunal record is poor, and at this late stage of his career it is hard to see that changing. There is also always the concern of injury and how long it would take to recover given his age.
Fellow Geelong triple premiership player Paul Chapman’s move to Essendon is a case in point.
However, to a club in the so called premiership window lacking a medium-sized forward, Johnson could be the difference between being part of the chasing pack and premiership glory.
Although quiet in a number of games this season, he finished the year off in very good touch. In the last five games he averaged 23 disposals, eight marks and kicked 12 goals. A handy contribution towards the business end of the season.
Reported interest from two Victorian clubs (possibly Richmond and Carlton), and two interstate clubs of which Fremantle would probably be one.
Matthew Leuenberger/Matthew Kreuzer
Although this is supposed to be only five players, Kreuzer and Leuenberger get in together because their cases are so similar.
Both are ruckman of around the same age. Kreuzer is 26 and Leuenberger 27. Both are free agents off contract, and both were high draft picks. Kreuzer number one in 2007, and Leuenberger pick four the previous year.
They have also both been injury prone over their careers. Kreuzer has played 119 games over eight seasons, while Leuenberger has only made 108 appearances in the top grade since making his debut in 2007.
However, the two are also very good when they can put games together. In Leuenberger’s last full season in 2010 he averaged over 15 disposals and 32 hit-outs per game, while Kreuzer averaged 13 disposals, 21 hit-outs and four tackles per game in 2015, after sitting out the first nine rounds, and all but one game last season.
The main difference between the pair is Kreuzer is no certainty to leave, where as it would be very surprising to see Leuenberger at the Lions next season.
Reported interest from Richmond for Kreuzer and Sydney for Leuenberger.
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