00:00:00
Speaker 1: The silly season is well and truly upon us. After a lot of posturing on day one of the AFL trade period, nothing actually went through, but we've had a few trades today. You're listening to the Code AFL Show. I'm Ed Burton, joined by Adrian Horton from the Debrief podcast and our draft and trade expert Chris Cavanagh on the end as well.

00:00:16
Speaker 2: Welcome boys, good good to be on with you. This is nice. Thank you. I wonder why I'm here.

00:00:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, you've broken the biggest story of the off season so far. It was the perfect AFL silly season scoop. Yep, tell us how you found how he came into the possession of the picture of Bali Humphrey meeting with Stephen King and Nathan Jones.

00:00:38
Speaker 3: It's a very boring story, but it was via WhatsApp group and said photo got sent through to a d's group. I hit up Anthony, I'll give him a shout out who sent it through to me, and I just asked him where was it taken? Tried to verify, said Sauce, and then he went back to the person who had sent it to him him and said, absolutely, go for it.

00:01:02
Speaker 2: If he wants to post it, It's fine.

00:01:04
Speaker 3: Posted it, put my phone down for about an hour, went to the Anglers Club in Lorn with my father in law, had a couple of pots, and then went back to my phone and it had blown up. I couldn't believe it, so I had no idea about the raging fire or the inferno that I had started through posting the photo. But I guess it just shows you the power of social media.

00:01:26
Speaker 1: Did it take a while to verify that it was Humphrey? Did you have to?

00:01:31
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:01:32
Speaker 2: I did.

00:01:32
Speaker 3: I knew looking at it because I'm nuffie that it was Bailey Humphrey. I also thought Bailey Humphrey is the type of guy that would wear a hoodie as well, so I did ask Anthony to make sure that it was actually him, to make sure that it was taken as recently as.

00:01:51
Speaker 2: That day or that morning.

00:01:53
Speaker 3: And then I think there was a list manager up north that was probably pretty upset with me, because of course or the man if Bailey Humphrey had come out and denied that he was speaking to Victorian clubs, so I can imagine he was pretty pissed off. But it was all a little bit of fun and to be honest with you, yeah, I didn't think too much of it, hence why I went and had a beer and didn't realize the circus that I had created.

00:02:19
Speaker 4: What's your feel about Bailey Humphrey, Adrian.

00:02:22
Speaker 2: He's gone. He's an absolute jet.

00:02:24
Speaker 3: He's definitely someone that Melbourne would love to get into the football club right now. I think it's a bit of a pipe dream. I mean, he'd have to push for the move right and I think Gold Coast certainly want Petraca. I think it's clear that Damien Hardwick rates him, he thinks he might be able to get him back to his absolute best. I think Petrarca has been fed up with the Melbourne Football Club. I think as a Melbourne Football Club supporter, we've been fed up with him, so I think I think the breakup has to happen. I think most people think that. But Bailey Humphrey will really have to push for this move. If I was him, I don't know if I would like I would probably stay at the Gold Coast for a couple of years, potentially try and win a flag with them, and there's nothing stopping him from walking to maybe a Collingwood or a Hawthorn who are more attractive in two years time or I even thought about this last night when speaking to a friend. He could look at maybe Tasmania, Like what if Tasmania come in with a big offer for him in a few years time as well?

00:03:25
Speaker 2: So I would bide my time if I was Bailey.

00:03:28
Speaker 3: But if Gold Coast really really want Petrarca and they think that he could be the key to winning a premiership, then they might have to might have to do a deal with this, But I can't see it happening.

00:03:39
Speaker 4: Yeah. Of course Bailey still got three years to go on that contract, doesn't he with the sons, and the sons are saying they're not trading him under any circumstances, so they're very determined to keep it.

00:03:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a tough one. Where do you stand on it?

00:03:49
Speaker 1: Well, it must be a good sign for d supporters that the Stephen King does have those relationships, Like clearly it looks like he sent Bailey text, hey, while you're in town, come hear us out and made that, So it must be a good sign that he has a really strong relationship with guys that he coached briefly up at the Gold Coast.

00:04:05
Speaker 3: Oh, definitely, and everything that I've heard about Stephen King speaks to that point that he's a really good relationship builder. We need that in our football club. I'm not saying that Simon Goodwin wasn't, but probably the thing that a lot of Melbourne supporters spoke about with Simon Goodwin was they felt like he'd lost a bit of trust with players because maybe he'd given them too much leeway. I think he's a hard task master and someone we've been crying out for. So yeah, leaning on relationships like that is amazing for us. And don't forget he actually did an incredibly good job when he was the caretaker coach for the Suns as well.

00:04:43
Speaker 2: So Bailey Humphrey.

00:04:45
Speaker 3: Although it feels like a bit of a pipe dream now what are we day too, there's a long way to go.

00:04:51
Speaker 1: So a couple of free agency deals went down on Monday. Charlie Spargo left Melbourne joined North Melbourne and then Jacob Weird got from GWS to Port. I'd laid no compo for the Giants in that one because of the small contract that we was on. A couple of trades have gone through on Tuesday, so Carlton have gained potentially the number one ruckman next season. Liam Reedy, twenty five year old from Fremantle comes home to Victoria. Carlton gave up picks fifty and sixty eight. They actually got back fifty three and seventy one, so they've almost nabbed the guy for free who will compete with Mark Pittnett to potentially play next season.

00:05:24
Speaker 4: Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, player gives them good back up with Tom Decanning leaving. Yeah, they've got Mark Pittney as the number one ruck and then Hudson know Cape obviously too, so yeah, leam ready's twenty five ready to go and fill in that spot if if Pittnet goes down or gets injured as he was at times this year.

00:05:43
Speaker 1: Yeah. He clearly impressed the Dockers last season to the extent that they started him alongside Luke Jackson in Round one against Geelong when they had Sean Darcy out. They're really keen to give that combination a go, not with Jackson as the number one, so they could be a bit there for the Blues to work with. And then Malcolm Roses Junior was the other Sydney so he left Gold Coast with pick sixty two. The Swans effectively only gave up a third round pick. They sent back picks fifty one and fifty nine to the Sun, So some clever recruiting from Sydney Jays a wrong Potentially on the way, he would be a natural successor to Dane Rampy, I reckon as that third TOL defender. They're keeping Rampy for another season, but I think he turns thirty six next year, so they're planning well there for the future in the back line and small forward role. It's something they couldn't quite not lock down had Tom Papley injured for a lot of the season, but they were trying to bed down Corey Warner. It didn't quite work. Caden Cleary came in out of the team a couple of times. That seems like a pretty smart acquisition.

00:06:36
Speaker 4: Yeah, absolutely, And as you said, they haven't really paid up much for him, have they. The Sons of handed him over pretty cheaply. But the Sons that get that pick fifty one back, which gives him a few extra draft points which could be handy next month.

00:06:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, and more draft points potentially on the way to them with the Sam Flanders trade. So as it stands, it hasn't gone through yet, but we think that it will just be picked seven from the Saints for Flanders. Seems like a heavy price to play, maybe for someone who got pushed out of Gold Coast Choice midfield this season, but I guess the Saints just happy to keep acquiring fresh talent.

00:07:05
Speaker 4: Yeah, it doesn't. And I mean that pick seven will get pushed back to maybe pick nine, ten to eleven after we get some early bids in the draft, so that's the only thing there. But yeah, it does seem like a high price to pay for Flanders, but the Saints wanting that's what they're going to have to pay to gain him.

00:07:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, So provisionally, the Sons will hold picks six and seven if Bali Humphrey is involved in a trade to Melbourne. If they hang on to Humphrey, they'll have to give up at least one of those picks secure Christian Petrarca. If they do that, well, they have the points cav to get both zekee Uland and Dylan Pattison. Because where do they currently sit in the draft picking order?

00:07:39
Speaker 4: Yeah, well they're right up there. They're by top fives in this year's draft, and I think they will have the points. Yes, I've got the calculator out today and crunch some numbers, and I think, yeah, Say you hand over that pick seven for Christian Petrarca and Melbourne, and then if you do trade out that pick six that the Sons have currently got, maybe you trade it to West. They've got picks sixteen and sixteen twenty two, so you get hold of them. Suddenly. The Sons have got fourteen, sixteen, seventeen, twenty two, thirty five fifty one. That's three nine hundred and eight draft points. If Zak Yuillan gets a bid from Richmond at pick three, say and Essendon places a bid on Dylan Patterson and say pick five, the Sons would need three thousand, five hundred and seventy six points to match those two bids, accounting for the ten percent discount that they receive for matching a first round bid this year. That was twenty percent last year, so they've got to pay a little bit more this year. But they've got more than enough points for that, so the Suns can get in Petrarca. Jamara Guglhagen is probably just going to be a late pick that gets swopped over there to get him in if they if they do go down that path, zek youll and Dylan Patterson through the door and they still get to keep Bailey Humphrey. So the Sons are stocked and they've got a pretty good They're in a pretty good spot with all those picks.

00:08:58
Speaker 1: It's a lot of number crunching going on at Gold Coast and we'll have the calculations flashing off on screen, hopefully as cav went through him. Just then some father son news. So we've got Harry Dean expected to nominate for Carlton, but Collingwood's thrown a bit of a curve ball in there, something maybe we didn't see coming.

00:09:14
Speaker 4: No, it was a bit of a surprise when it dropped on Sunday. Yeah, Tom had a meeting with Collingwood last week. They told him that they weren't going to match a bit on him in the National Draft, weren't going to nominate him for the National Draft. They left the door open for potentially a rookie spot down the track. But I think he'll it'll just open up doors for him to get picked up by another club in the draft. Basically, I think up until six or eight weeks ago, he hadn't had an interview with another club because all the other clubs just thought he was going to go to Collingwood, as you do with these father son and academy picks a lot of the time, so he wasn't nominated to attend the National Draft combine. He went to the State Draft combine, dominated that on Sunday, ran really strongly in the two k time trial and also the twenty metter sprint. He's a gun midfielder, Western Jets boy from Keylaw. Dad played for Collingwood Meek obviously and coaches him out there at Keyler. But I'm surprised that the Pies have done this. I just I think someone else will take him, as he's now had some other interviews with other clubs and now he's on the open market. That'll free that right up. But I think he's in the best seventy players in the country and Collingwood's got picked seventy five in this draft and they're saying they're not going to take him. So I think it's a bit strange.

00:10:30
Speaker 2: It's bizarre.

00:10:31
Speaker 1: We'll take him, yeah, So Adrian on your draft board, it's a bit of a moving feast at the moment for then, But what do you think they need to prioritize in the national draft.

00:10:40
Speaker 2: It's a great question.

00:10:41
Speaker 3: I think the big thing for us is Polish, so it's been pretty obvious to everyone that's watched Melbourne. There's been a lot of dirty ball going inside fifty, so I think just getting some good ball uses number one would be a good thing. I think we're probably lacking in some decent rebounding half back flankers.

00:11:03
Speaker 2: My hope was.

00:11:04
Speaker 3: Jud mcpee would be that particular player, and then of course he's going home to Fremantle, so that's really disappointing. Andy Moners Wakefield who's coming off a knee injury, we don't know what he's going to be like next year. So I think there's a definite void there with some half back flankers that we need to look at. We've got a young kid, Toby Cinema that's been playing for Casey. He's one of those players that might come through. But I think, yeah, looking for some Polish from an outside point of view, whether it be on a wing, maybe a high half forward, but particularly at half back, is I think what we're looking for the other thing as well is people talk about key forwards, but I think our time is now.

00:11:48
Speaker 2: I think Brody Mychek was smart. We get him in.

00:11:51
Speaker 3: He can teach Jacob van Royin and Maddie Jefferson the trade of how to lead as a forward, which has been a big problem for some of these kids. But I don't know if necessarily going to a weak draft to get a key position players is probably the play this one.

00:12:05
Speaker 4: Well, we're talking about father Soaneve of course got Kilaney White coming through too, so he nominated him last month. He's another tall but he'll be a late pick in the draft as well.

00:12:15
Speaker 2: Yeah. So yeah, as I said, I just keep position players.

00:12:19
Speaker 3: I'd probably my male anyway is probably to just stay away from them in this draft.

00:12:23
Speaker 2: It's not strong enough.

00:12:25
Speaker 1: Max Heath, the Moose from Sefilda potentially comes in as a delisted free agent. Do you think he could play in the same twenty three is gone? With the five on the bench, does that help?

00:12:33
Speaker 2: Well, it depends.

00:12:33
Speaker 3: I mean we've got a new coach and Simon Goodwin was very apprehensive about playing two ruckman, and when we did play two ruckman in twenty twenty two with Brody Grundy. It obviously didn't work out for us Brody getting dropped and then Max got back to his herculean best halfway through that season.

00:12:50
Speaker 2: So it just depends is Stephen King going to do it.

00:12:54
Speaker 3: I mean, he is a former ruckman, so maybe he'll be more inclined to actually play the two rucks and try to prolong the career of Max Gorn. But it's a tricky one because from what we've seen prior under yes it was an old coach, Max was just the one out really like the Brodie Grundy experiment didn't work, and then from that point onwards we haven't really seen anyone come through. Josh Shacki was a bust, Tom Fullerdon was a bust, and then Tommy Campbell is the greatest VFL player of all time and that's all he is.

00:13:24
Speaker 1: So it's a tricky one. So a few list holes at Melbourne there that we've discussed. There's a few other gaping ones around the competition. The Western Bulldogs fullback position, they threw a big off of Callum Wilkie's way probably turned his head. I think it certainly helped him pump up his price at Sint Kilda and get paid what he deserves. Callum Wilkie, who might captain the Saints next season. But they're still on the lookout because Jordan Butts isn't going to happen. He's staying at Adelaide. There's a bit of interest in him from North Melbourne as well. I believe there's not much else out there that the Bulldogs can target key defenders around the competition. There's not many on the market. Do they need to go to the draft or do they need to just hope that Jed Bustlinger is that one who can come in because it's probably what they're looking for is someone to play on the number one key forward, so James O'Donnell and Rory Lobb can sort of do their thing.

00:14:10
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, Buzzling was a high pick. He's had a couple of years now, so to find his fate, I think they obviously looked at Stephen May too. It was another one and that's that's a no. So yeah, it's interesting what the Doggies will do there. They have a clear.

00:14:25
Speaker 1: Holder to fill Adelaide, Jed ws and Collingwood probably all looking for inside midfielders. It seems as though Clayton Oliver has turned Collingwood and the Giants heads, maybe not so much Adelaide. There's competing stories there, the Crows saying they weren't particularly keen, but Oliver's can't saying maybe he wasn't interested in to move to Adelaide. So it'll be interesting there. If Oliver's willing to go to New South Wales. It does appear that he will have a suitor. So are you surprised by that, Adrian, that he could end up going Acrosstown to Collingwood?

00:14:57
Speaker 4: Yep?

00:14:58
Speaker 3: And if he did, I think that would break all Melbourne supporters hearts. I think we all desperately don't want that to happen. I don't think it is a great start for Stephen King in his reign. It's probably not his problem. He's identified that maybe Clayton doesn't fit the cultural profile that he's looking for, and maybe Steven doesn't think that he can get back to his absolute best. I know they want to or want to play him in a different role. We actually don't know what that role is, so we were hypothesizing this on our podcast the other night. Is it second rotation high half forward, pressure player? Is it potentially playing as a half back trying to use his field kicking. His field kicking is okay, it's just when he's kicking around the corner in congested situations, which has been a problem for Clayton Oliver ever since he's lost his explosiveness. So it's a really peculiar one for me. But if he goes to Collingwood, I just can't fathom seeing him in that jumper. I hope if he does go and we give him our blessing, even though I will think he has a role to play at Melbourne, that it's a GWS who we have obviously no hatred for, no affinity for, blah blah blah. So please just let it not be Collingwood because that'd be a really tough watch to see.

00:16:13
Speaker 2: Him in those colors.

00:16:13
Speaker 3: But not only that, imagine the fireworks on King's Birthday seeing Clayton Oliver run out there and a Collingwood jumper would be unbelievable.

00:16:21
Speaker 4: Yeah, the Collingwood link does surprise me as well. I mean, Craig McCrae said last year was players over picked rather than going to the draft. This year, he said it'll be a bit different to that. After their last game the other week, and now he's they're looking at more players and they've already got these aging this aging list with guys in their last year coming into their last year. I just I can't see. I can't see the logic in that one.

00:16:46
Speaker 1: In terms of quality inside midfielders. Jack Steele is another that is potentially out there, but there hasn't been any movement there so fast. He's another that might suit Adelaide. I think the Giants might have expressed the interest during the season to bring him back to his former club. He seems really tent on staying at Saint Kilda, even though he's probably not in that first choice midfield mix. But the Saints I think he's keen to fight and keep his spot back. So that's one to watch. Carlton just some outside run is what they're after. And Campbell Chess is on the way from West Coast. He's someone who could potentially come off half back straight away and in their best side. We saw him right at the end of the season for the Eagles maybe start to show a bit after a couple of years that have been damaged a bit by injury. That's one. Is there anyone else you can see them trying to make a play for over this trade period.

00:17:31
Speaker 4: Well, of course they get Jagos Smith back, who will help with some of that outside run as well. I think they've they've got a few there already Cowen and Bins and some of these guys that have shown a little bit last couple of years. So I think they're in a reasonable spot if they get a couple of those guys in chess run and then Jago Smith straight in.

00:17:49
Speaker 1: And Bouka Karmas also probably lands at Carlton and another that helps with their key position depth, probably raiding more as a third tour forward than down back. It will be interesting if he can get in ahead of Bradie Camp. When you look at their first choice forward line next year, there's probably room for both him and Camp if Charlie Kurno ends up getting on the move, But we have no idea where that sits. A lot of clubs are out there looking for a star player and not many posturings if they want to pay up at the moment, Richmond, there's another there's a hole there I reckon in the rock spot. Toby name Curvis, how long does he have left and do they need to have someone lined up. What if he goes down early next season? It looks like SAMs and Ryan isn't cut out to hold down that number one spot.

00:18:29
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:18:29
Speaker 1: Do they try and get a Ned Moyle or go for someone like that in this trade period?

00:18:33
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's my fear too. Yeah, I think, I mean, Samson is capable of going into it and filling that spot, but I think they need someone else. I mean, don't find the Tigers. I'd love to get Cooper duff Titler through the door in the in the draft. I think two hundred s anime to ruck forward, but West Coast will probably pick him up first, is my fear. So Yeah, I'm not sure if they the Tigers are look to do that. I don't think it's going to be a busy trade period for them. They're going to be pretty quiet. But yeah, who knows.

00:19:02
Speaker 1: And you've been through the top end of the draft cabinet, who do you think will be the most aggressive trying to trade into the top ten?

00:19:09
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I think West Cast as we touched on earlier, you know, maybe go for that, make a play for that Gold Coast pick. I think Estenon's now got five top thirty picks, so they could look to move up a couple of those as well. Potentially they've already got picks four and five at the moment that becomes five and six, which will get pushed back a little bit, but they're pretty bullish that they can get a couple of really good players there still. So yeah, I think they're probably the main two, but there's probably not going to be too many picks up the top order. That top ten group or so in the draft is quite strong and then it drops off a little bit, so clubs with those picks aren't going to want to trade them away too easily when.

00:19:46
Speaker 1: The excitement comes around to that first night of the draft, is it still going to be the case that clubs want to be involved. We'll end up putting a bit of a higher premium on those picks between say eleven and twenty so they can take a selection on the first night.

00:19:58
Speaker 4: Well, we have seen that happen, haven't we. So yeah. With the live trading that you can do on draft night now, it makes it makes it easier. So even if deals don't get done in this trade period now, it can still happen on November nineteenth, So yeah, it makes it a bit exciting.

00:20:12
Speaker 1: And just last week, have you're at the combine and did anything catch your eye that you think supporters should be excited about?

00:20:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, coop it enough. Titler was the one for me. He ran at the two k time trolley, finished ninth in six minutes twenty one seconds. For a two hundred centimeter guy running around Olympic Park there, it's pretty good effort. And then he backed it up with finishing eighth in the twenty meter sprint two point nine two two seconds, so blister and quick. Yeah, he was a standout looks up to Freeman's Luke Jackson. He's just he's ready to go. Pretty exciting prospect who I think will be heading to West Coast with one of those first two picks. And then Oscar Taylor was the other one, defended from the Eastern Rangers. Played in the Coats League Premiership a couple of weeks ago. He's really jumped into top twenty five contention the second half of the year and it was overlooked for VIC Metro, but smashed the twenty meta sprint on Sunday with two point eight two three seconds, which was number one at the combine and second in the agility test as well, behind Rangers team mate Lockie Doviston. So yeah, those were two of the standouts.

00:21:18
Speaker 1: And before we go, Adrian, where do you set there's lots to play out in this offseason alone. Where do you see the Demons sitting next season in their first year under Stephen King?

00:21:27
Speaker 3: Probably a similar position, to be honest, I think twelve to fourteen, maybe eight to ten wins. I've said, as long as they're playing good footy, as long as it's a brand that we think can get us on the right path again, I'm content.

00:21:42
Speaker 2: I don't want to put too much pressure on the club.

00:21:44
Speaker 3: I think Stephen King coming out and saying that finals is the aim and the ambition, I don't think that's a bad thing. Like Shoot for the Stars, That's absolutely fine. I don't expect us to be playing finals next year. I think there's a lot of growth in our younger players, those players that are in the two.

00:22:00
Speaker 2: I need a.

00:22:01
Speaker 3: Twenty four year old bracket, But I would expect us maybe in a couple of years time, to maybe start contending for finals again. But yeah, I'm going to lower expectations. I think that's a better way to go as a supporter.

00:22:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, there you go. Thanks for coming on the show. Adrian really appreciate it, so thanks tov all, good thanks for being here. Plenty to play out over the next few weeks. To tune in with all our trade drafts and free agency coverage, you can follow along on the Code Sports website. Harold sam Or The Advertiser