Opinion
The trading season is in full force, but the overriding impression so far is that previous trades of established players either for increased income or the opportunity to increase their tenure as a league player or purely the chance of becoming a premiership player has not borne fruit for the multitude of players who have adopted that path.
A look at the retirees or de-listed players shows a large number of players whose moves have not resulted in a Top 100 position at their new club but has resulted in a lower Top 100 position at their original club and thus the likelihood that their time as a Top 100 player will be shortened.
Amongst these are players such as Carlton’s Liam Jones whose return to his original club Western Bulldogs has given him the opportunity to improve his status as a Top 100 goal kicker at the Bulldogs.
Whilst his age would appear to rule out any possibility of him becoming a Top 100 game player at the club, even one goal would see him improve on his current equal 90th position with Les Dayman, Brett Montgomery and Leon Cameron.
Jack Newnes also failed to become an elite player at Carlton but maintains his status as the 55th greatest game player at the Saints. Similarly, Jordan Roughead is still the 74th greatest game player at the Bulldogs and would have been much higher up the list except for his trade to Collingwood.
As would be expected the impact is much greater for players who leave the newest clubs of the AFL (Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney) and go to the most established clubs.
Devon Smith, for example, is a highly ranked player at Greater Western Sydney where he still remains the 19th greatest game player and the seventh greatest goal scorer whereas at Essendon he has no entitlement to sit at the tables with the club’s elite, an honour that now belongs to only two current game players (with the retirement of Michael Hurley) and one current goal scorer (with the retirement of Anthony McDonald-Tipungwati).
One major exception to this rule of a player setting out to improve his reputation and possibly his standing (but not succeeding) is Geelong’s Isaac Smith.
If the 48 games he has played at Geelong were added to his total at Hawthorn, he would already be a Top 15 game player at the Hawks with more to come, but he would not be a Norm Smith Medalist for the Best on Ground in a grand final or have won his fourth premiership medal.
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However, two of his retiring Geelong teammates may not be as pleased with their moves to Geelong: Luke Dahlhaus and Shaun Higgins won neither of these accolades and will remain more famous as Top 100 game players and goal scorers at the Western Bulldogs.
(Higgins is also a Top 100 goal scorer at North Melbourne).
Other moves in previous seasons that have had the desired result include the two forwards: Tom Lynch (Richmond) and Jeremy Cameron (Geelong).
Both are still entitled to sit at the top table at their former clubs as the leading club goal kicker at Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney respectively whilst climbing the Top 100 goal kicking ladder at both their current clubs and the AFL all-time Top 100 list.
The impending move of goal kicker Jack Gunston from Hawthorn to Brisbane will see him finish his career at Hawthorn as the 10th greatest goal kicker at the club, but hopefully continue his move up the AFL goal kickers list.
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