October 2014 was a tumultuous time for the Western Bulldogs. They lost Shaun Higgins to free agency, they traded away a Brownlow Medallist in Adam Cooney, and their captain, Ryan Griffen, asked to leave the club.
That set in motion a series of events that will certainly become famous in AFL history. Having clearly failed to keep the players on his side Brendan McCartney ‘resigned’ from his position as the Bulldogs’ senior coach.
The Bulldogs dumped Griffen as captain but insisted he would be held to his contract. However even without a senior coach of any kind they began making moves behind closed doors and these moves saw another massive twist in the tale to come.
With a seven-year, $6 million dollar contract they convinced Tom Boyd, the reigning No.1 draft pick who had been with his club Greater Western Sydney for just one season, to request a trade of his own to Melbourne’s west.
At the time Boyd had played nine games and kicked just eight goals – but he was widely regarded as the most talented young prospect in the game and, as a 200cm key forward, was the type of the player the Dogs had been longing to acquire for many years.
Despite both clubs digging in their heels and saying they would not trade their respective players, a deal was eventually struck. The Bulldogs sent Griffen and pick 6 in the draft to GWS, and Boyd arrived at the kennel.
I thought it was a brilliant move at the time. Not only was Boyd the perfect player for the Dogs to pick up, but the decision not to meekly give up their captain when asked but instead strike back with a blow just as hard spoke of a club rediscovering its self-respect.
In my post-trade-period report card I gave the Bulldogs an A and said:
The Dogs lost three of their most experienced players, including their captain, in Griffen, Cooney and Higgins. They sacked their coach and traded away their first round pick. But you know what?
They got Tom Boyd. Top marks.
A year and a half has passed since then and Boyd and the Bulldogs are pretty much the opposite of where I expected them to be. Boyd, rather than developing his talent at AFL level, is stuck in the state league and getting into late-night drunken ‘incidents’ with his teammates. The Bulldogs, rather than steadily rebuilding, are one of the best-performed teams in the league.
That fire, that self respect that the Bulldogs showed when they recruited Boyd has become symbolic of the club, and while Boyd himself hasn’t contributed much to the effort, it – along with the recruitment of a talented senior coach in Luke Beverdige – has seen them rise up the ladder quicker than we thought possible.
Boyd however has been held back for a number of reasons. The biggest – figuratively and literally – has been the impressive development of Jack Redpath.
While Boyd was hailed for almost a year ahead of his AFL debut as the next big thing, Redpath quietly entered the AFL with no fuss whatsoever, joining the Bulldogs at pick 62 in the 2011 rookie draft. He didn’t make a debut until 2014 and didn’t become a regular until last year.
It’s pretty rare for a quality key forward to come from anywhere but the first round of the draft – for one to come from deep in the rookie draft is virtually unheard of. But 25-year-old Redpath is exactly that. He has kicked 15 goals from six games this year, after kicking 19 from 11 in 2015.
He is, essentially, playing the role that Tom Boyd was recruited to play – providing a focal point in the forward line that allows Jake Stringer to be a more mobile, versatile option. In two years on the same list, he and Boyd have played just three games together, all of them last year, with Boyd kicking only a single goal across the lot.
The simple fact is that, right now, Redpath is better than Boyd – he works harder both offensively and defensively and he contributes. Boyd seems to struggle at AFL level. He lacks aggression, lacks presence. That’s not abnormal in a 20-year-old key forward, but it is still a concern.
Redpath is only 25 and recently signed a new contract with the club – albeit only until the end of 2017. He’s going to be around for some time yet, unless he is given reason to leave.
So it seems that in an area where they struggled for so long, the Bulldogs suddenly have an excess of talent. That begs the question – why not make a trade?
There plenty of clubs in the league who would kill to have a young talent like Boyd, even considering his lack of impact at AFL level so far, and many that would be willing to guarantee him a best 22 spot, no questions asked.
Fremantle and Brisbane would both be heavily interested and will have high draft picks and players to deal. From Victoria, Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon, Melbourne, Richmond and maybe even Hawthorn could all find a place for Boyd in their 2017 side.
A trade could be the Bulldogs’ smartest move here – move on a highly valuable commodity that they don’t really need for a highly valuable commodity that would improve their team. Try to lure away Michael Hurley from Essendon, Brodie Grundy from Collingwood or Max Gawn from Melbourne (in order of most to least likely).
And while I hesitate to read too much into the Boyd-Cordy affair, if there is some sort of trouble among the play group regarding Boyd at the club, sending him away would end that drama and get everyone back on the same page.
It would cost them a bit of pride. They might even need to foot the bill for a portion of Boyd’s salary over the next couple of years as his new club might not be willing to pay in the millions. But, sometimes the smartest move is to swallow your pride and do what’s best for yourself, even if you come off looking a bit foolish.
Well, it’s something to think on, come the end of the 2016 season. Until then, the Dogs should do what they can to see if they can fit Boyd and Redpath into the same side at AFL level. If they can – bully, no need to make a change, and the future is exciting indeed.
If they can’t – well, they might have their answer.
mattyb
Guest
Yeah I think he will be an important piece. Joshs article is excellent though and he raises the point very well. I think most of the articles on this website are very fair and any objections tend to occur due to people being far to defensive regarding their own club often when articles raise some very good points and the authors often come back to give some clarification. There is still some risk involving Boyd but the Dogs have taken the gamble and we now need to see it through. I certainly want to keep him and am still excited,I think most supporters feel the same.
Pumping Dougie
Guest
Totally agree Matty. Josh's proposition is fair to raise, but I wouldn't entertain it for a second. I'm confident Boyd will turn into a star - he's the missing piece in the puzzle for us; we want him at the Doggies.
Aransan
Guest
It just depends on whether another club values Boyd more than the Bulldogs do at the present, not what they valued him at the time.
Luke
Guest
And it makes sense for the Dogs to do that right?
Aransan
Guest
Boyd could still get his $7m at another club, the point is that the Bulldogs would have to pay at least half of it.
Luke
Guest
Like Boyd would leave come on. For starters if teams want to trade a contracted player they would need that players consent. Why would Boyd consent to trade after already being at his second club and given that he is on a $7m contract.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
That's what I thought. Should the Dogs trade him with the prospect of paying a significant portion of his salary every year? Absolutely not. Does anybody have the breakdown of his deal? The discussions on triple m today sounded like it was front loaded. If it was surely they're setting themselves up well for the cap in the coming seasons.
Tom from Perth
Guest
Well said Don.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Redpath has only improved in the last few years, I'm not totally clear how you can be so sure he won't get better still.
berrlins
Roar Pro
Is this article in response to the Boyd/Cordy incident? The thing about Redpath is he probably isn't going to get better. Right now he is a good forward without being great, Boyd has the potential to be really really great so he's worth the risk. Trading him would put the dogs in a sticky situation regarding the his salary, they would probably have to pay a portion of it and it's just not worth it. Better to hold on to him and push him to get better and better. next year with Crammers back in the side they can push Stringer up the ground a little more often and keep Boyd and Redpath in the 50, the offence will become a lot more dominant.
AR
Guest
The comparison between a 20 yo player and a 25 yo player is a tad unfair, even with Boyd's frame and hype. Tom Boyd will still prove to be a very good 10 year FF for the Doggies.
Swift foetus
Guest
Likes this comment
Paul W
Guest
Toyd hasn't had a sustained run at the game yet, given lack of a full pre-season, injuries and just generally growing into his body. This incident surprised me as whenever I've heard him speak he seems quite intelligent and mature. The first time I heard him I thought captaincy material. We were told he was a once in a generation player when drafted, I want to see this ride through. He's shown flashes of something special, so no I wouldn't be trading him. However it's incumbent on the list managers to consider every player on the list before just dismissing any possible deals.
Chris
Guest
Was thinking exactly this. Tim only get to express an opinion by riding in on Josh's coattails. He should be thanking him for the opportunity.
Aransan
Guest
I doubt if any team would do a trade for Boyd for the money he is being paid, even if they had to give the Bulldogs nothing in return. I suspect that the footy world has passed the power forward by. The belief is that Patton will be up for trade, surely he would be offered less than $500k and GWS a mid to late first round draft pick and I believe he is a comparable player to Boyd. I don't believe Essendon would be interested in Boyd or Patton as they already have a 201cm forward in Daniher, a fast mobile mid-tall forward would fit their requirements better and although Essendon have had trouble scoring in the recent past I believe the problem is more in the mid-field.
Aransan
Guest
I agree Jamie, but not just in terms of the big money. The Bulldogs would have got the GWS first draft pick for Griffen, but they lost that as well as their own draft pick 6 and they paid part of Griffen's first year salary at GWS. Surely they could have got Boyd a year later when out of contract for the same money and with no loss of draft picks.
Jamie Radford
Roar Pro
Unlike you Josh, I thought signing Boyd to such a long term big money contract was huge mistake. Very high risk reward for an untried player, and so much more could go wrong than right. While Boyd may very well end up being a superstar of the game, I doubt it will be within the six years he has signed on for, as power forwards take time to mature and 'usually' do not hit their prime until mid 20s. He could conceivably leave for more money when that time comes. Of course he could be the rare exception, but his domination at junior level could also have been because of his size. That advantage lessens at AFL level. Another concern was one I think you alluded to, in that his signing would cause some resentment in the playing group. Again an untried player getting more than a Murphy, Stringer, Bontempelli doesn't sit right with me, and I'd dare say there would at least be some within the Bulldogs' playing group that would feel the same. As I said, Boyd may end up being anything, but I'd suggest the club is at least considering whether they have done the right thing at the moment, and the idea of trading him is one worth at least discussing. Although that discussion should not include Collingwood or Grundy - unless maybe straight swap for Witts, and the Doggies pay two thirds of his salary.
Steve Mcglashan
Guest
No they shouldn't trade him as they've invested heavily in him. He could still be a very good player and a trade would be hard to orchestrate with his inflated salary
Don Freo
Guest
My apologies, Tim, but every time I read Josh's articles, I am impressed by his football savvy. He just wrote about a pure footballer who, by hard work, is keeping Boyd out. This was not a Boyd put-down. He wrote about team and club and culture. Your reading of Josh's article is critcally blinkered.
Adrian Polykandrites
Expert
"A player they don't really need". Have to call you on this Josh. He's a player they desperately need, both short and long term – as a North man you should know the value of having a presence in the forward line. Moving him on would only create another hole in the list, one they (and other clubs) have had so much trouble filling over the years - key forwards of his promise are incredibly hard to come by. Redpath is a better player than I thought he'd be, but he's not the answer alone. Boyd was also never dropped this season. He was playing well until he got injured.