The AFL introduced live pick trading to their 2018 AFL draft in the hope of creating a spectacle from an otherwise dour event in which AFL teams read out names of largely unknown 18-year-olds.
The dream was that they’d get a ‘draft day’ experience, a Hollywood film starring Kevin Costner, who takes an unexpected choice with the No.1 pick of the NFL draft and, having sent the league into a spin, fleeces his opposition with a number of canny trades to net him a wealth of talent.
Or they were hoping for the real-life situation from the NBA draft in June, where European phenom Luka Doncic slipped to pick three before Atlanta elected a future pick swap with Dallas to take undersized long-range shooter and early season college star Trae Young.
In the end the AFL got Sydney and West Coast making a mockery of the points system by swapping picks to manipulate their points position and an unexpected pick swap whereby Carlton traded next year’s first-rounder for Adelaide’s 19th pick and their 2019 first-rounder.
Two weeks after the draft Carlton released footage from their ‘war room’ where Stephen Silvangi, as commander-in-chief, flanked by list manager Michael Agresta and national recruiting manager Paul Brodie, waxed lyrical about young Sandringham talent Liam Stocker.
“His left foot kicks at Ballarat don’t show what the wind was like that day, it was horrific,” remarked Brodie.
The trio seemed desperate to convince those there in the room they weren’t crazy.
As the tension in the music built, one had to wonder: If the club was so desperate to push for Stocker, why was Pick 19 the best they could manage, including from the future swaps? Or why was Adelaide the only team they could manage to broker a deal with?
If you were betting against a team next year, would you pick the Crows or Port? What about Freo at Pick 17?
After the dust settled, Silvangi gave a fist pump. In his mind he delivered a coup.
When he fronted up to media he announced a new era for the Blues – they weren’t playing for draft picks in 2019.
Silvangi carries himself with confidence as a list builder.
He came with the success of building a powerhouse in Western Sydney, where he elected to reject chasing veterans and instead turned a bevy of picks into even more picks, giving himself a can’t-miss approach to the draft.
In the end the Giants were playing in preliminary finals and then going to the draft with top picks. But is SOS starting to believe his own myth? Does he think he can turn dirt into diamonds?
While the jury will be out until Stocker can prove himself to be what it was that SOS, Agresta and Brodie saw on that windy day in Ballarat, the pick swap became that more tedious when star Blue Sam Docherty reinjured his ACL this week.
While the universal response was one of disappointment for a star that was losing a second year of his prime to a knee injury, Crows fans secretly rejoiced – certainly their pick just went up a few spots? For SOS, even the best-laid plan can be destroyed by some rotten luck in the summer.
That’s the beauty of the draft and off-season – the questions never have immediate answers.
History would say the Blues are playing with fire. They’ve selected at first pick five of the last 14 drafts.
When four of those drafts go to Gold Coast and GWS you get the picture that Carlton are more likely to be picking first than last.
SOS is also betting against Adelaide, who disappointed in 2018, yet are only a year removed from a grand final.
I hope they enjoyed using the 19th pick on Stocker; there is every chance they might be picking there again in 2019.
A few other questions remain. How many calls will talkback radio get if Stocker doesn’t make an impact on the Thursday night opener against Richmond?
What happens to the pick swap if Patrick Cripps or Charlie Curnow were to miss an extended period?
And perhaps the most bizarre question doing the rounds: Should the Blues chase Brendan Goddard to fill Docherty’s absence?
Adam
Guest
I hope not otherwise we will be looking for a new coach. We should finish somewhere in the top 6.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
My tip is for Carlton to beat Adelaide during the regular season. Don't count your fur coats before you catch your racoons!
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
Don’t be sorry because I see Adelaide finishing 15th.????
Adam
Guest
Sorry but I think Carlton will finish about 16. But we stuffed up big time picking Angwin.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
Adam, I agree with your comment that hopefully the deal works out for both sides. Carlton already think they have done well in getting a player they rated in their top 6. Obviously time will tell whether Stocker turns into a good player. By saying the Crows will get their lowest pick ever is counting your chickens too early though as you cannot for sure know where any side will finish next year. Obviously after coming off their worst season ever the Blues will need to improve more than other teams to get out of the bottom six but given last year they had a horror run with injuries and a very young group of potentially good players in Curnow, McKay, Fisher, Dow, O’Brien, SPS, Weitering and Williamson who will benefit from anther pre season there is that chance of the improvement needed, especially if added players McGovern, Setterfield, Newman, Fasolo and Walsh can produce their best football. Interestingly your lowest pick Laurence Angwin only lasted a year at the Crows before they delisted him. Funnily enough he ended up at Carlton but he failed there too.
Adam
Guest
Hopefully the deal works out for both Carlton and Adelaide. The Blues have got a kid who they rate and Crows get their highest ever draft pick next year. Not sure Goddard would have been a good fit for Carlton.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Bolts said "we got you because you are a competitor" from memory. On Oliver it is interesting he was thought to be a bit of a bolster to be taken so high and hadn't the same question marks over his endurance as are being made against Stocker. On the Morrish medal, Higgins, McCluggage and and Oliver are the last 3 winners hopefully Stocker is more like them and less like Graham.
Zed16
Guest
Good on the blues for taking a player they believe is worth investing in now. They see potential in him and he must have ability given he was voted best player in the TAC cup. The 2015 winner was one Clayton Oliver and if he is within the same band of talent then they will have done very well. Watching some of the draft night footage i am pretty sure it was Bolts who said something like"we got you for your combative style" which gives a good insight as to part of why they wanted him. In tight stuff to help Cripps, Curnow etc and at 83kg he is 8-13 kg heavier than the likes of SPS, Zac Fisher, Lachie O etc so in time will help add some starch to the middle of the blues game. Something they need and something worth investing in now...
Lroy
Guest
I saw the footage from the AFL site regarding the trade and you'd have to think if they rate the kid that highly they (Blues) did well. You know what they say about a stick in the hand being worth two in the bush. They saw a guy they rated, saw an opportunity to snare him and got him... well done I would say.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Fortune favours the brave and Carlton have been criticised in the past for being too conservative. Twenty twenty hindsight may prove that Carlton's strategy to get Stocker was less than ideal and this is already starting to happen with Docherty's injury but a decision was made at the time in terms of risk versus reward and in those terms I am sure Carlton did very well with their deal. It is an interesting contrast to look at the St Kilda and Gold Coast war rooms with their strategies. I am sure Brendon Goddard would acquit himself very well if he was chosen to replace Docherty for 2019 but I understand Carlton have already ruled that out.
Macca
Roar Rookie
You could ask if the blues first round pick next year is so valuable why weren't the other clubs interested in the trade? What is interesting is that if the blues could have got their hand on an earlier pick, even a top 10 pick, they still would have taken Stocker as they rate him so highly, if say the blues had dealt with Port for pick 5 and a swap of 2019 first round picks there would not be the criticism of the deal - yet the player taken would remain the same.
Macca
Roar Rookie
"If the club was so desperate to push for Stocker, why was Pick 19 the best they could manage, including from the future swaps?" The blues tried to deals with other clubs including Geelong and Port (as is clearly shown in the video) but those clubs had players they wanted to take with their picks and so didn't trade.