2015 & 2016 Free Agency Discussion

[Matchu]

So we heard about the unprecedented amount of cap room Brisbane had/has not too long ago and there has been rumours they are chasing a big name key forward, presumably to replace Brown. So here is a list of 2015 free agents available at this point in time:

Adelaide
Patrick Dangerfield - Restricted (8 years)
Brodie Martin - Restricted (8 years)
Andy Otten - Restricted (8 years)
Richard Douglas - Unrestricted (10 years)
Brent Reilly - Unrestricted (14 years)
Scott Thompson - Unrestricted (10 years)

Brisbane
Matthew Leuenberger - Restricted (9 years)
Jed Adcock - Unrestricted (12 years)

Carlton
Dennis Armfield - Restricted (8 years)
David Ellard - Restricted (8 years)
Chris Judd - Restricted (8 years)
Matthew Kreuzer - Restricted (8 years)
Andrew Carrazzo - Unrestricted (12 years)

Collingwood
Brent Macaffer - Restricted (9 years)

Essendon
Tom Bellchambers - Restricted (8 years)
Tayte Pears - Restricted (8 years)
Courtenay Dempsey Unrestricted (10 years)
Dustin Fletcher - Unrestricted (23 years)
Brent Stanton - Unrestricted (12 years)
Jason Winderlich - Unrestricted (13 years)

Fremantle
Ryan Crowley - Unrestricted (13 years)
Paul Duffield - Unrestricted (12 years)
Michael Johnson - Unrestricted (11 years)
Luke McPharlin - Unrestricted (14 years)
Matthew Pavlich - Unrestricted (16 years)
Aaron Sandilands - Unrestricted (14 years)

Geelong
Tom Hawkins - Restricted (9 years)
Dawson Simpson - Restricted (8 years)
Jimmy Bartel - Unrestricted (14 years)
Corey Enright - Unrestricted (16 years)
Steve Johnson - Unrestricted (14 years)
James Kelly - Unrestricted (14 years)
Andrew Mackie - Unrestricted (13 years)
Matthew Stokes - Unrestricted (10 years)

Gold Coast
nil

GWS
nil

Hawthorn
Matthew Suckling - Restricted (9 years)
Brendan Whitecross - Restricted (8 years)
Luke Hodge - Unrestricted (14 years)
Sam Mitchell - Unrestricted (14 years)

Melbourne
Colin Garland - Restricted (9 years)
Mark Jamar - Unrestricted (14 years)

North Melbourne
Nathan Grima - Restricted (8 years)
Robbie Tarrant - Restricted (8 years)
Michael Firrito - Unrestricted (13 years)
Brent Harvey - Unrestricted (20 years)
Scott McMahon - Unrestricted (11 years)
Drew Petrie - Unrestricted (15 years)

Port Adelaide
Kane Cornes - Unrestricted (15 years)
Tom Logan - Unrestricted (10 years)

Richmond
Alex Rance - Restricted (8 years)
Nathan Foley - Unrestricted (12 years)
Chris Newman - Unrestricted (15 years)

St Kilda
Sean Dempster - Restricted (8 years)
Adam Schneider - Restricted (8 years)
Jack Steven - Restricted (8 years)
Sam Fisher - Unrestricted (12 years)
Sam Gilbert - Unrestricted (10 years)

Sydney
Heath Grundy - Unrestricted (11 years)
Adam Goodes - Unrestricted (18 years)
Ted Richards - Unrestricted (10 years)

West Coast
Patrick McGinnity - Restricted (8 years)
Scott Selwood - Restricted (8 years)
Sam Butler - Unrestricted (12 years)
Beau Waters - Unrestricted (12 years)

Western Bulldogs
Jarrad Grant - Restricted (8 years)
Easton Wood - Restricted (8 years)
Matthew Boyd - Unrestricted (14 years)
Dale Morris - Unrestricted (11 years)
Robert Murphy - Unrestricted (16 years)


Now if you're after a key forward then Hawkins is the obvious one to chase. I suppose the Lions also need to be careful that they don't lose a free agent in Leuenberger (or Aish for that matter) so perhaps they won't chase a free agent as hard as they possibly can. So now we have the list of 2016 free agents:

Adelaide
Nathan Van Berlo - Unrestricted (12 years)

Brisbane
Jack Redden - Restricted (8 years)
Daniel Rich - Restricted (8 years)
Daniel Merrett - Unrestricted (14 years)

Carlton
Chris Yarran - Restricted (8 years)
Kade Simpson - Unrestricted (14 years)

Collingwood
Jarryd Blair - Restricted (8 years)
Steele Sidebottom - Restricted (8 years)
Nathan Brown - Unrestricted (10 years)
Scott Pendlebury - Unrestricted (11 years)
Dane Swan - Unrestricted (15 years)
Alan Toovey - Unrestricted (12 years)

Essendon
Cale Hooker - Restricted (9 years)
David Myers - Restricted (9 years)
Heath Hocking - Unrestricted (11 years)
Jobe Watson - Unrestricted (14 years)

Fremantle
Chris Mayne - Restricted (9 years)
Clancee Pearce - Restricted (8 years)

Geelong
Tom Lonergan - Unrestricted (14 years)

Gold Coast
nil

GWS
nil

Hawthorn
nil

Melbourne
Jack Grimes - Restricted (9 years)
Neville Jetta - Restricted (8 years)
Jake Spencer - Restricted (9 years)
Jack Watts - Restricted (8 years)

North Melbourne
Jack Ziebell - Restricted (8 years)
Leigh Adams - Unrestricted (10 years)
Todd Goldstein - Unrestricted (10 years)
Lindsay Thomas - Unrestricted (10 years)
Daniel Wells - Unrestricted (14 years)

Port Adelaide
Hamish Hartlett - Restricted (8 years)
Paul Stewart - Unrestricted (10 years)

Richmond
Tyrone Vickery - Restricted (8 years)
Shane Edwards - Unrestricted (10 years)
Jack Riewoldt - Unrestricted (10 years)

St Kilda
David Armitage - Unrestricted (10 years)
Jarryn Geary - Unrestricted (10 years)
Leigh Montagna- Unrestricted (15 years)

Sydney
Craig Bird - Restricted (9 years)
Daniel Hannebery - Restricted (8 years)
Mike Pyke - Restricted (8 years)
Nick Smith - Unrestricted (10 years)

West Coast
Josh Kennedy - Restricted (9 years)
Chris Masten - Restricted (9 years)
Mitch Brown - Unrestricted (10 years)
Matt Priddis- Unrestricted (11 years)
Matt Rosa - Unrestricted (12 years)
Will Schofield - Unrestricted (10 years)

Western Bulldogs
Will Minson - Unrestricted (15 years)

Still early days for this crop and the list will likely grow in the near future but there doesn't appear to be a key forward available in 2016 that is of the same quality as Tom Hawkins. Brisbane's priorities in 2016 are likely to be more focused on their own again with Rich and Redden becoming free agents so they may again choose not to chase a free agent that hard.

So, the question is, if you're running Brisbane - do you chase Hawkins (or any other key forward available in 2015/16) and likely open up a premiership window in the next year or two OR do you stick the course and try to develop your own key forward? The problem I see with the latter is that Brisbane's midfield will likely be at its strongest over the next few years and you really need at least one quality key forward to take advantage of a strong midfield.

Now I'm not suggesting you go and sell the house Bulldogs style when they recruited Tom Boyd but modern day player movement allows a team to acquire a player without giving up anything aside from cap room which Brisbane apparently have an abundance of. Getting Beams and Christensen would have decreased the cap room available cap room but the retirement of Brown and loss of Patfull would have softened the blow. There should still be a fair bit in the kitty.

 

[winged1]

I wouldnt go for Hawkins, never been sold on him. I would be targeting a young key from GWS or Gold Coast. McCarthy yet to get a run at GWS and there a number at GC the best IMO being Lynch, but he is pretty entrenched.

 

[Milux]

Why go for another unproven young key forward.

Offer hawkins what we can afford and if he doesnt like it then too bad for us

 

[winged1]

Why go for another unproven young key forward.

Offer hawkins what we can afford and if he doesnt like it then too bad for us

Because he is a spud with a bad back. Also "unproven" is an interesting term when talking about the GC guys who have been in the system for up to 5 years.

 

[Milux]

Because he is a spud with a bad back. Also "unproven" is an interesting term when talking about the GC guys who have been in the system for up to 5 years.

I disagree with hawkins being a spud. The only other player id be keen on from gws or gc is jezza cameron. And we would have to move mountains for him.

 

[pauldrc]

Didn't Hawkins re-sign, or say he will be re-signing very recently?

 

[winged1]

I disagree with hawkins being a spud. The only other player id be keen on from gws or gc is jezza cameron. And we would have to move mountains for him.

A mountain worth moving.

 

[Nunez]

I'd take Charlie Dixon as well.

None of the free agents bar Rance for me.

 

[Milux]

Didn't Hawkins re-sign, or say he will be re-signing very recently?

Theres talk they are in negotiations and i feel that he will re sign. Hope we can get him.

A mountain worth moving.

Why not go for both? Haha. Hawkins threw free agency and cameron for our 2 first round picks (if aish does go).

 

[Nunez]

I would die inside if Hawkins became a Lion.

 

[jackess]

I hear Pendlebury wants out. He might be an option next year.

 

[Viceregal]

I hear Pendlebury wants out. He might be an option next year.

And if you thought the Beams threads were fun ...

 

[Ruse]

Our 1st round pick is tied to Keays this year we don't have anyone we'd be prepared to lose for Dixon let alone someone like Cameron. Our best bet is to lose leuenberger to free agency and use his wages and the $1 million we've set aside this year to offer Hawkins a blockbuster deal.

 

[Billy Puller]

Our 1st round pick is tied to Keays this year we don't have anyone we'd be prepared to lose for Dixon let alone someone like Cameron. Our best bet is to lose leuenberger to free agency and use his wages and the $1 million we've set aside this year to offer Hawkins a blockbuster deal.

Our first round pick is tied to no one unless they moved academy bidding a year in advance and told no one but you

 

[Fatcat08]

Our first round pick is tied to no one unless they moved academy bidding a year in advance and told no one but you

Huh?

 

[winged1]

Keays



Edit: though I would like to say let's see how he goes this year.

 

[Billy Puller]

Huh?

Ruse's comment about our first pick being tied to Keays this year

 

[knaf]

Just don't like Hawkins. Would be really hard to see him in a Lions jumper. Could be a great guy but He just appears like a big sook to me.

 

[Football Pope]

....Carlisle is out of contract at the end of the year...

 

[Haso]

Huh?

Ruse's comment about our first pick being tied to Keays this year

Fatcat08 your ignore list is showing.

 

[Fatcat08]

Fatcat08 your ignore list is showing.

No I got ruse's post but didn't understand yours billy. Keays could very well cost us our first round pick this year. Not sure what you mean by the whole unless it is brought forward

 

[Billy Puller]

No I got ruse's post but didn't understand yours billy. Keays could very well cost us our first round pick this year. Not sure what you mean by the whole unless it is brought forward

Ruse said that our first pick IS tied up with keays. I replied sarcastically that I didn't know that they brought forward the academy bidding process and only told you because a year is a long time in football and we have a really good history of seriously over estimating our academy picks. And its getting really annoying when people shoot down discussion about trading because they think that our first round pick is 100% set on keays. If we were a month out from the trade week and he was again All Australian at the champs, Div 2 MVP etc. Then I can understand people shooting down discussion but at this point our picks could be anything. And Keays is still a year out from being drafted and still with a lot to prove.

 

[POBT]

Yeah, I know Keays is more impressive than the last few Qld 17yos entering their draft year but I'm certainly keeping a lid on expectations until at least the carnival. There's some sort of glass ceiling going on in Qld underaged footy.

 

[Milux]

Just don't like Hawkins. Would be really hard to see him in a Lions jumper. Could be a great guy but He just appears like a big sook to me.

Id have hawkins of the real sook jack reiwoldt.

 

[Haso]

Id have hawkins of the real sook jack reiwoldt.

Yeah, there's just something about his face isn't there