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Opinion
Does Melbourne have a moral obligation to trade Brodie Grundy?
This is the question the club’s list management team will be asking itself over the next month.
The ice cold answer is: no, they don’t. Grundy has four years remaining on his contract and if the Demons wish to hold him to it, they can.
That’s the business perspective. There are clubs that would begin and end the discussion right there.
But there is more to football than just raw numbers. Grundy’s predicament is more nuanced than a typical trade negotiation.
>> Check out the latest AFL trade rumours
Melbourne’s persuasion tactics last October centred around the club’s belief two top-level rucks could operate in the same team.
In Gawn and Grundy, they saw an opportunity to gain a unique advantage over rivals.
By their own belated admission, it has not worked. Gawn has somewhat blamed himself, while it’s clear the Demons now concede their captain’s ruck dominance diminished when Grundy was alongside him.
As brutal as it was, dropping Grundy was the right call after Round 17. They persisted with him as a forward in the VFL, but his former teammate Jeremy Howe and ex-coach Nathan Buckley have both been categoric in their belief Grundy was never – and will never be – a forward.
So now Melbourne has a decision to make. Do they go against the wishes of a well-paid player and hold Grundy, who is two and a half years Gawn’s junior, as insurance for when their skipper gets injured or retires; or do they trade him to a home of his choice? That’s likely to be Port Adelaide, but Sydney are also lurking and in need of a ruck to replace the retiring Tom Hickey.
The correct answer is somewhere in the middle.
The Demons should allow Grundy to walk to a new club, provided they receive roughly a mid- to late-second round draft pick in return. They gave up Pick 27 for him last year.
But it would be far too generous and strategically foolish to trade Grundy to a fellow premiership contender.
If there are only a handful of quality rucks who can challenge Gawn in the AFL – and one of them is Grundy – why on earth would the Demons strengthen a fellow top team?
Surely if Grundy wants to be the number one ruck elsewhere, which is entirely reasonable, Melbourne draws up a list of clubs for the two-time All-Australian to choose from.
North Melbourne won’t contend anytime soon, and may lose Todd Goldstein. West Coast have lost Nic Naitanui. Even Essendon could use another big man following the retirement of Andrew Phillips. Gold Coast and Hawthorn are well stocked and likely not interested, but the latter has cash to spend and could afford Grundy’s hefty salary.
To trade Grundy to Sydney, Port Adelaide or even Geelong is a risk not worth taking when you’re in the premiership window. Morally, it’s all well and good – even commendable – but strategically, it would make minimal sense.
Strong morals don’t win trophies: just ask the English cricket team.
Brodie Grundy of the Demons handballs. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
If the status quo remains, Grundy will request a trade. As part of this process, he has every right to nominate his preferred destination; just as Melbourne has every right to reject the application and, if needed, divert Grundy towards a club of its choice.
Yes, Grundy was sold the one-two punch dream alongside Gawn. But it’s not entirely the club’s fault it has failed. Both parties signed the contract, and in an industry where premierships are the currency, increasing the chances of a rival contender to win one appears, frankly, quite silly.
Ultimately, Grundy is getting well paid to play wherever he goes. VFL football is not ideal – a loan system would be perfect, though that’s another story – but his situation is hardly the end of the world.
Melbourne must be resolute at the completion of the season. If plan A to keep Grundy fails, then plan B should be to trade him to a lesser club unlikely to challenge for silverware in the short term.
Plan C, which will obviously be Grundy’s Plan A, should only eventuate if the trade deal is too good to refuse.
All parties would surely concede this is an imperfect situation which will likely reach an imperfect ending. As brutal as it is, the club has the power.
Using it wisely may be the difference between winning a flag or finishing a close second in future seasons.
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