Carlton star Bryce Gibbs could still play for Adelaide one day, his father says, after a proposed trade for the homesick midfielder fell through.
The Crows finished the AFL trade period as arguably the biggest loser after failing to strike a deal for Gibbs, having gone public with their desire to bring home the contracted 27-year-old.
Gibbs was keen to return to Adelaide so he and his partner could reconnect with family and receive help with their young son but the Blues played hardball, demanding two first-round draft picks or a first-round selection combined with a quality player.
His father Ross on Saturday said he was disappointed but hadn’t given up hope of a future trade for his son, who is contracted until the end of 2019.
“The Crows have had a couple of cracks at Bryce before and haven’t quite got it right and they went harder this time so there was genuine hope that he would be able to come home,” he told the Adelaide Advertiser.
“But we’re a footballing family and know the rules. Obviously we’re disappointed that something couldn’t be done but Bryce is a contracted player and he’ll have to honour that contract.
“Carlton stuck to their guns and the Crows’ window of opportunity didn’t work out so we all move on. One day it might be a different story.”
Gibbs would have no problems returning to Carlton, who had been “fantastic” to him, his father added.
Adelaide powerbroker Mark Ricciuto on Friday admitted the Crows thought Carlton were bluffing when they refused to accept an offer for Gibbs.
Ricciuto, who is chairman of the Crows’ list management committee, says it would have been irresponsible to give up what the Blues were demanding.
“We thought that they might have been playing the game and then come back late and said ‘okay, he wants to go home. He is probably not going to be in our next premiership side so we’ll take somewhere in between’,” he told Triple M radio.
“If that happened, the deal would have been done yesterday. But it didn’t happen. We were surprised about that, we respect that (but) we are very, very disappointed.”
But Carlton football boss Andrew McKay said the Crows had simply underestimated the midfielder’s worth.
“We obviously value Bryce more highly than they do,” McKay told SEN radio.
“They weren’t close. We were very clear with them. It wasn’t a matter of us mucking them around at all.”
Asd
Guest
Leave him there now
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Or maybe they thought pick 13 wasn't going to offer them more for the remainder of the Gibbs contract that Gibbs was. There's that too.
dave
Guest
I have no idea what Gibbs is earning a year but I would guess Its 500k minimum. Dont understand the family jeopardising a sons job security when he he is earning this type of money.
Seano
Guest
So did both the Cornes brothers. Either he is a professional who wants to go home for his family which means either club will do. Or he is chasing a flag and living at home is a bonus. Maybe if he was honest he would be home by now.
mattyb
Guest
I think the privileged syndrome could stretch beyond SOS and onto all the supporters. With the born to rule attitude they completely overlook the fact they are glued to the bottom portion of the ladder and fly into blind outrage if anyone dare question where they are headed. How can a distraction like this be of any benefit to a young group and what sort of feelings will the young players have seeing someone who was offered a fair trade being stuck at a club he clearly no longer wants to be apart of. As we have seen so often,the clubs that continue to remain at the bottom of the ladder seem to make mistake after mistake after mistake.
Basil M
Roar Rookie
Nice come back. Maybe SOS is just another blue blood privileged Victorian with no understanding of what it would be like to have a young family and want to go home?
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
100% correct Cat.
Woof
Guest
I heard that Gibbs was going to the Crows as their first (and would have been only, so far) father-son pick until Port very kindly pointed out to the AFL that technically he didn't qualify - it was a matter of a few games played in the wrong year I seem to remember. No love lost there.
Woof
Guest
Is this a sign of the arrogant Carlton of old re-emerging? It seems to me that by asking for two first round draft picks Carlton were saying that Gibbs was not only the best player on the table during this trade period - but one of the best ever traded. They were dreamin! Carlton obviously had no intention of trading him unless they could get massively over his true worth. Which they are entitled to do, but I wonder if they have considered the effect of their hard-ball attitude on other players. Many other clubs have made deals below their true worth to let players go elsewhere for personal reasons (e.g. Adelaide and Dangerfield, more recently Hawthorn with Mitchell and Lewis). Cartlon might just find it harder to do deals with other clubs and players if they maintain this rather arrogant and insensitive attitude. As an aside - I'd love to see an article listing all the players who were refused a move they requested for personal/family reasons and their subsequent careers. I actually can't think of many examples.
Cat
Roar Guru
No matter what Carlton did or didn't do you would have said it was wrong. You are just that type of ... whatever you want to call yourself.
mattyb
Guest
I'm tending to agree with Basil that Carlton actually never intended to trade Gibbs which they have the right to do,even if they are in the wrong. In modern football goodwill also seems important and Carlton have certainly let the player down in this regard. Carlton will need to hope their rise is as rapid as Silvagni seems to be envisioning as a player who doesn't want to be there could have it's dangers next year. Carlton seem to want to sell hope to wipe out their debt but any further sliding down the ladder caused by club instability caused by poor decisions may diminish this desire.
Aransan
Guest
Was this Adelaide's offer -- pick 13 plus their 2017 second round draft pick in exchange for Carlton's third round pick? With Gibbs going to Adelaide they might finish 4th in 2017, so their second round pick would be pick 33 (563 points). Losing Gibbs Carlton might finish 17th and their third round draft pick would be pick 38 (465 points). Pick 13 (1212 points) plus 563 minus 485 points can be considered to be either: 1290 points, or closer to pick 12 (1268) than pick 11 (1329) Or, pick 13 plus 78 points (563 - 485), or pick 13 plus pick 66 (80 points). It is very hard to negotiate with people who can't do arithmetic and Silvagni knew what he was doing in rejecting a ridiculous offer.
Basil M
Roar Rookie
Let's face it, Carlton weren't going to let him go hence the unrealistic demands. What strikes me is that Silvagni would have no idea about a player going home. He played his entire career at the same club as his dad in his home city with family support around him and his son seems destined to do the same. Gibbs wasn't afforded the same father-son rules as SOS as its a tougher criteria for South Australians. He has in fact denied someone else a small window of what he's had his whole career.
Aransan
Guest
I believe pick 13 and a 2017 second round draft pick would have got the deal done. Adelaide just thought it was going to happen and perhaps a precedent has been set here -- players don't always get to the club they want to go to unless they are unrestricted or delisted free agents.
Aransan
Guest
Well, he made it very difficult for Carlton to do a trade without competition. It didn't stop the Cornes brothers from playing for Port!
Sammy
Guest
For the record aransan the deal the crows put to carlton was very fair for gibbs' worth and that has been verified by many scribes and supporters alike. But carlton were within their rights not to accept it as he was a contracted player
Sammy
Guest
He has no interest in playing for port. His dad played over 200 games for a club that hates port
Aransan
Guest
Matty, Carlton were not offered a reasonable deal by Adelaide and they were correct not to take it. Adelaide well and truely stuffed up! Fault lies with Gibbs for putting Carlton in a weak negotiating position and fault lies with Carlton for not being proactive in order to get a good deal.
mattyb
Guest
This is now going to be a story that is going to hang over Carlton and dog them down for the entire season. They were offered a more than reasonable deal and didn't take it. Carlton should have traded Gibbs last year and chose not to and now we have this situation. With every year that passes Gibbs value will more than likely go down and another year will pass where they could have gotten some development into the player they would have drafted for Gibbs. Carlton are a long way from challenging so why they think Gibbs will be apart of their future is poor forward thinking,they have missed the boat here,again.
Aransan
Guest
If Carlton knew in advance that Gibbs wanted to return home they should have been more proactive. Gibbs should have given Carlton more options, surely Port Adelaide would have been just as good as Adelaide as far as returning home was concerned and as the salary cap isn't as important to Carlton as it is for Port then a deal could have been done. A first and third round draft pick was never going to get Gibbs to Adelaide as a player contracted to Carlton.