During 2018 and 2019, Brodie Grundy had the AFL world at his fingertips.
An athletic, dynamic ruckman that was more than just a tap artist, he could assist at ground level and was in essence a second ruck-rover for Collingwood. Only former West Coast champion Dean Cox was comparable during Grundy’s two dominant, back-to-back All-Australian and Copeland Trophy-winning seasons.
So why was he traded to Melbourne if he is a once in a generation ruck talent?
The answer is quite simple. Money.
Like many before, Grundy wanted the biggest and the best deal at the end of 2019. Multiple clubs were approaching him for his signature, and many media outlets and journalists suspected that he was going to move home to South Australia, where Adelaide were hopeful of landing him.
In hindsight, it would appear that Grundy had little interest in returning home, as he had become accustomed to the rich, colourful culture the city of Melbourne has to offer – he was a student at the University of Melbourne and a resident in Fitzroy, quintessential parts of the city’s identity.
His contract negotiations, therefore, seemed merely a clever and cunning strategy by his management to never disclose the fact that returning to Adelaide was not his priority. To be fair, the majority of big-time players play the same tactical game to increase their leverage while negotiating.
Offers were made initially that trumped Collingwood’s reasonable packet for Grundy – in the one-million-dollar vicinity. Making things even more difficult for them was that at the time, the Magpies were also needing to re-sign Jordan De Goey, Darcy Moore, Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams and others.
Most of Collingwood’s players were playing to a high level and demonstrating career-best form; Grundy was no exception. He would go on the record when approached by the media that Collingwood knew of his financial contract requests, and that it was their prerogative to “come to the table” to sign him. He was implying that the consequence of failing to do so would result in him leaving.
Grundy would eventually sign a massive seven-year contract rumoured to be woth approximately a million dollars per season. Unfortunately, we don’t know the true value of his contract, as the public are not privy to that information despite clubs being member-funded.
Nevertheless, what is apparent is that Grundy, his management, and Collingwood’s list management bit off more than they could chew.
Post-signature, Grundy’s on-field performance was that of an average ruckman. Difficult circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic could have contributed to a reduced level of performance; however, all players were under the exact same circumstances.
Brodie Grundy of the Demons in action. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
No injuries were ever disclosed to attribute to his diminished performance. No other elite player in the competition has declined quite like Grundy has since 2019.
When I hear Grundy playing the victim card with his own trade, expressing the belief that he would be a Collingwood player for life, to be quite frank, it makes me angry. Grundy backed Collingwood into a corner when negotiating his contract, and the Pies made a foolish decision to trust him.
Grundy’s re-signing, below-par performance and eventual trade was an even more infuriating outcome considering that these circumstances are quite similar to the Travis Cloke contract saga of years before, which involved him signing a multi-million-dollar contract, only to be traded to the Western Bulldogs a few years later due to mediocre performances after his father demanded a larger salary.
Of course, Grundy was deserving of a lucrative contract at the time – but only one that allowed him to continue to play along with the other talented players that drove the club collectively to that elusive premiership.
He ultimately created an extreme level of expectation to perform, game in and game out. Anything short of consistent All-Australian selection, in my opinion, was unacceptable on the terms of the contract he demanded.
What’s even more insulting is that Grundy hasn’t really lost anything from his trade to th Demons. In fact, he’s likely gained benefits.
He remains in the city of Melbourne, he’s a part of one of the most talented lists in Melbourne, a serious premiership contender; and he also gets to work alongside Max Gawn, the best ruckman of the last 10 years. This makes Grundy’s load and expectations significantly less stressful. This is all coming with the same paycheck, too.
Meanwhile, Collingwood is still paying a portion of his salary to be a glorified back-up ruckman.
So, when Grundy makes bold statements venting his frustration that he will “see you on King’s Birthday!”; I hope the Collingwood players get their money’s worth at last.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Fox Footy's David King suggested the medical staff let Christian Petracca down by allowing him to try and play through injuries sustained in the…
Melbourne star Christian Petracca has undergone surgery, after being sent to hospital following a brutal knock in the Demons' King's Birthday loss to Collingwood.…
The Demons and Pies clashed for the first time since the 2023 qualifying final when Brayden Maynard collided with Angus Brayshaw - a hit…
Wonder if he followed up with an 'I know you are, but what am I'?
Melbourne's loss to Fremantle last week stands alone as the Demons' worst loss since their time as premiership contenders began in 2021. By comparison,…
Brayden Maynard and Steven May were Public Enemies No.1 and 2 at the MCG on King's Birthday.
