The 2020 trade period began with Zac Langdon returning home to Western Australia for Pick 54, which is in the neighbourhood of his original draft pick, but the very same pick returned to the same state the same day.
Fremantle’s decision to cut bait with the Jesse Hogan experiment a year early was the first shock of the trade period, having just two years earlier traded the pick that ended up landing Ben King sixth in the 2018 draft to bring the local prodigy home.
Hogan’s departure seems indicative of the 2020 offseason where clubs have traded players far below their value in order to get bloated salaries off the books and free up list space in response to the new restrictions.
The Dockers took their medicine straight up and seemingly disappeared from the trade period altogether for three weeks, gradually announcing nine delistings and three players they would re-rookie before quietly trading their future fourth to get a couple of late picks to add to just three picks they had in hand with an eye to being able to move up the draft order and also match bids for their bright pair of NGA prospects.
Draft night inched along and Freo pounced on WA’s third prospect in the first round, Heath Chapman from West Perth, who adds to their already deep key defensive stocks. In addition to being homegrown, he was the best player available at the selection, having been in all the underage representative teams and talent pathways.
Then Fremantle became players in the live pick trading frenzy, the second most active behind Collingwood, moving up to Pick 27 at the top of the second round to collect the next Western Australia product, Nathan O’Driscoll. The versatile utility can play midfield or in defence, having been part of WA’s national championship-winning side in 2019 and made his senior for Perth in the WAFL this year.
Late in the third round, Essendon bid on the Dockers’ NGA-tied Ghanaian-Australian Brandon Walker from East Fremantle. He is a rebounding defender who’s come through the AFL Academy pathway that the club was never going to let slip.
Four picks later, the Western Bulldogs bid on Freo’s other NGA prospect, Joel Western from Claremont, who slid down the order from predictions and they duly matched. He is one of the smallest players in this year’s crop, with the versatility to play through the middle and get forward to find the goals as he displayed when named best on ground in the first All-Stars game.
The next day’s rookie draft allowed Fremantle to fill one more spot on their roster when they selected Josh Treacy from the Bendigo Pioneers, who may turn out to become a protege for David Mundy. He’s a solid tall forward who plays up the ground who is handy at stoppages and applies tackling pressure.
The Dockers recovered from their mea culpa with Jesse Hogan to land four Western Australian kids who will be part of their long term future and a project player from country Victoria. They still have list space to fill, so there could be a lifeline for Alec Waterman or Cedric Cox or one of a number of local talents vying to get onto an AFL list in the preseason.
Freo have yet again had a disastrous trade to add to many that have had fans pulling their hair out going all the way back to Andrew McLeod. However, this group of players holds no such risk or potential for doom, which will give long-suffering supporters some solace as they cut bait with their latest fishing expedition.
AdamDilligafThompson
Roar Rookie
That award goes to Port Adelaide, we got the worse concessions.of any team to enter the the vfl/Afl, this is why we copped a 50k fine for paying 5 players not to sign up for the draft the year before and paid them 10k each, theres a interview with John Cahill during half time against West Coast where the question was put to him that there was a perception in vic that we put these players in a cupboard locked turned the key and didn't let em out until we drafted them, he looked straight back at the guy and said exactly that we put them in cupboard etc etc. Off hand i think it was lade, Wilbur, i think Peter Burgoyne and 2 others. Pretty sure it was 5 not 3.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
I call him Luke Davies-Unicorn to mock Suns fans who said that the trade was the worst in history and that LDU would win a Brownlow in a few seasons. He was their unicorn ???? Good luck to the kid. He’s showing something when he gets on the park, but injuries as well as form have limited him over the journey, while Weller and Ballard have played something like 90% of available games and contributed so much more than LDU could ever have done even if he was Matt Rowell. No single draftee is worth 2 best 22 players.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
You are the most one eyed Freo fan ever, aren’t you? Good for you. I’m one of the most optimistic Suns fans I know, so we’re in good company. This the time of year every fan enjoys because they feel like their list is getting better, their injured players are getting good reports In the local press and the fixture looks like a 15 win canter. Then, as the new season draws into June, I bet you’re like me and still holding out hope of running the table from 15th, maybe jagging a home final clash with the bigger team from your home state and somehow having a magical run home. Would you believe I worked out a scenario where the Suns made the 8 by winning the final 3 games this year? You likely held onto hope with Freo much longer given they came closer. The odds were longer and longer with every game, but why not believe until all hope is sniffed out? Who cares if the so-called experts were right with their safe predictions? You are being hyper critical of my article and I’ve addressed that. Take the good parts with the bits you don’t like, but maybe see that I couldn’t have written the article without acknowledging that the Hogan experiment was awful, yet I see that having him traded like that must have sucked. I would have made Peter Wright the Centre of my Suns article, because that was a bad bit of business, but I already wrote an article about it that got well over 3K views and so I’d done it to death. Now I’m struggling with GWS as they had a shocker that they pulled out of the fire with a banging trade. I only hope they have some passionate fans like you to keep me honest. Merry Christmas ???? Don Freo!
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I’ve been thru Adelaide Uni Have you just? In a VW Beetle Why? The cops were after me
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Independent rear suspension. That man had class.
Maxy
Roar Rookie
He would have liked that,I saw him driving the streets of Adelaide in a Datsun 180b
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Davies-Uniake has been injured. Nothing to do with ability. No need to mock his name as a put down.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
With those defensive pillars back from injury and the youth, including Sturt, Young and Henry (who may both be better than Serong), the 8 is a formality and missing the top 4 would be a surprise. Consider also the competition for spots once the stars are back. Hughes, Duman, Crowden, Frederick, Bewley, Schultz, Switkowski all scrambling for a game.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You just watch his interviews and footage. He talks about his game style and his positions. The footage confirms that. It's easy to access. As far away from Mundy's style as you can get. He is a Michael Apeness/ Brennan Cox type. Movement like Cox, brute force like Apeness. The research has been done. All you need do is watch.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
These reviews are recruitment based critiques, not list appraisals. There's enough information to access and discuss about trade and draft goings on, but I don't think any one person could truly appraise every list. I've seen people try to do it, particularly on podcasts. One such group, who I quite admire, did a list appraisal of the Suns and completely left out David Swallow, the captain and heart and soul of the club. Even former list manager, Matt Rendell, didn't really have a solid grasp on some lists that he appraised on trade radio. It can't be done well, so I'm not going to even try.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
99% of people said it was a disastrous trade for the Suns, but Weller and Ballard have outstripped expectations and so far been far more valuable than pick, which they'd have used on Luke Davies-Unicorn, a player that has only come on in his third year. That's my point. Trades can look disastrous from the outside, yet have a silver lining that can really change the outcome. The Judd trade looked bad for West Coast, but it is still paying off for them, while Carlton just went back to wooden spoons and a rebuild. The Bennell trade wasn't even a total loss for Freo because you still got Darcy Tucker out of it, while the Suns got Brayden Fiorini.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
Thank you, Captain Obvious.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
I enjoy watching Freo play. It's a refreshing change to the monotonous defensive-minded footy many teams offer up. Freo and the Suns have interesting clashes that demonstrate how close they both are in progress. Freo without their poor start to 2020 could have made the finals, while the Suns without Rowell fell away. There's obviously a believe within the Dockers that they don't need a huge amount of recruitment to get competitive again. The fixture looks potentially tough, with an easy start and tough finish. The transition from Ross Lyon to Justin Longmuir appears to have been made more difficult by covid. The list has a nice age profile. Outside chance of a flag, even chance of finals, but ten teams have to miss out.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
So you're an expert on a Vic country kid and his coaches throughout his junior career are clueless. OK then.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Brayshaw has just signed for 4 more years. All of the squad have extended their contracts
Footyguy
Guest
Well said Brendon
Footyguy
Guest
Win win scenario Andy Brayshaw is elite ball winner future doig medallist, future all Australian, compared to the others in his draft class he's been a good pick, I can't see him leaving Perth, Suns got Lachie Weller will be the next captain of gold Coast suns after swallow, get Ballard who's signed on to 2025, who's been a steal at pick 41
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Didn't cost much. I think the club went guarantor for a new Holden Commodore and that was it.
Maxy
Roar Rookie
Danyle Pearce :silly:
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
The new talent lived up to expectation and are ready. This year's additions are cream on the cake. If you want to assess Freo's chances this year, look at the long term injured that will return.