News Geelong's free agents announced

[Megaman123]

Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

The AFL announced the free agency and restricted free agency players, there are a fair few Geelong players that are unrestricted. Chappy, Stevie J, Scarlo, Byrnes, Wojo, Josh Hunt and Corey Enright are all unrestricted. Hard to see any of these guys at the stages of their careers leaving. Byrnes may be the only one if opportunities are limited that may be tempted.

The other clubs all have some good players on both lists, would we as a club look to try and sure up the next 4 or 5 years by trying to get a player in their mid 20's to ease the retirements over next few years? Im a fan of Deledio, are there any others that we may have a crack at?

 

[betchsta]

No real surprises here I guess, but interesting to see if any of them do leave for another club.


Shannon Byrnes Unrestricted
Paul Chapman Unrestricted
Corey Enright Unrestricted
Josh Hunt Unrestricted
Steve Johnson Unrestricted
Matthew Scarlett Unrestricted
David Wojcinski Unrestricted

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/130821/default.aspx

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Re: Cat's free agents revealed

No surprises there.

Mackie and Lonners would also be on that list I think but for the fact they are contracted for 2013 so good thing we are.

The only ones likely to get other offers are Byrnes and SJ, the others are too old for other clubs to target and wouldn't shift anyway. SJ will be tricky given his form warrants good remuneration but injury history means he's unlikely to get the long term deal Bartel just got, even though they are from the same draft year. But we'll have lots more cap room with retirements and I'm sure a suitable deal will be worked out, I have no doubt SJ will be here next year.

I only see Shan moving if he struggles for gametime, like SJ he loves the place and if he's in the 22 he'll remain.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Re: Cat's free agents revealed

No real surprises here I guess, but interesting to see if any of them do leave for another club.


Shannon Byrnes Unrestricted
Paul Chapman Unrestricted
Corey Enright Unrestricted
Josh Hunt Unrestricted
Steve Johnson Unrestricted
Matthew Scarlett Unrestricted
David Wojcinski Unrestricted

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/130821/default.aspx

Wojcinski and maybe Scarlett will retire and i can't honestly see Hunt,Chapman,SJ or Enright leaving. Byrnes will be the interesting one, and if he struggles for game time in the seniors i'm sure other clubs with a need for pace will offer him a contract. If he doesn't play a fair few games in 2012 and other youngsters jump ahead in the pecking order, then i see the Cats letting him go. It's a make or break year for shagger as he still has a bit to offer this club, but i see him as a good depth player only at this stage, who can play a role when the need arises.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

Don't think we'll lose anyone.

In terms of targets obviously from a quality perspective by far the best 3 you'd talk to would be Hodge Deledio and Goddard, but they may be too hard to shift as their clubs will likely match any offer.

The club might have a crack at trying to get Foley back home.

Knights I was a fan of a couple of years ago but he's gone off the boil with injuries etc. Wouldn't be a bad bet given he'd cost nothing except cap.

Really in terms of list needs we'd want to be targeting KPP though, specifically a good defender and a good ruckman, and there's not a lot of that on the list other than Jamar who is 29.

One thing that is clear to me from that list is St Kilda are in massive trouble. We know they already have cap problems, some of their best players are coming out of contract and most will get other offers. I think they'll choose to match any offer for Goddard but that will push other guys out, and surely mid tier guys like Montagna or Gwilt will be happy to take a pay cut to go to a side where they think they are a real shot at winning a flag.

 

[Turbocat]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

Neil Balme has previously said that our team structure ie. having no players form other clubs is probably not likely to last. FA will change the way we approach list build.

Who we would go after or who would want to come for what we could offer is debatable.

To my thinking we will challenged by the new system. For years players didn't want a bar of Geelong. Things have changed but is that permanent change? Our flags are based on the draft , a we develop our own paradigm, so how good will we be using FA? What I do not want to see is us become the development club that other clubs like to harvest from. Syd sort of do that now but if it becomes multiple clubs that build a list like we have now would become impossible.

 

[Selective Retention]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

Moloney is one I've brought up re free agency before.

Melbourne have really screwed him over IMO over a pretty nothing incident.

He wouldn't be on crazy money, Neeld probably wouldn't stand in his way, and he fits in with the Bartel, Kelly, Selwood group in the midfield that will be the bridge between Ling, Corey, Chapman and Guthrie, Smedts, Horlin-Smith.

 

[you pick one]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

Moloney is one I've brought up re free agency before.

Melbourne have really screwed him over IMO over a pretty nothing incident.

He wouldn't be on crazy money, Neeld probably wouldn't stand in his way, and he fits in with the Bartel, Kelly, Selwood group in the midfield that will be the bridge between Ling, Corey, Chapman and Guthrie, Smedts, Horlin-Smith.

I like it, there might be a few interested though.

 

[Poetic Justice]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

They're pumping Stevie J up, but I honestly couldn't ever see SJ leaving.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

Moloney is one I've brought up re free agency before.

Melbourne have really screwed him over IMO over a pretty nothing incident.

He wouldn't be on crazy money, Neeld probably wouldn't stand in his way, and he fits in with the Bartel, Kelly, Selwood group in the midfield that will be the bridge between Ling, Corey, Chapman and Guthrie, Smedts, Horlin-Smith.

Would he really want to come back though after the way we sent him packing? (I know it was necessary, and a great decision, but who knows how he feels about it)

Not a bad get though.

Foley is the other one that would interest me if we went down that type of route.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

They're pumping Stevie J up, but I honestly couldn't ever see SJ leaving.

Neither do I.

I do think someone will make him an offer though which may bump up what we need to offer to retain him, but I can't see him leaving.

After all he's been through to redeem himself the way he has, he'll play out his career here.

 

[Tex_21]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

We should make a hard play at Jude Bolton. Will give a good ten years of service.

 

[Belisarius]

Re: Cat's free agents revealed

Interesting list - but as everyone so far points out cannot see any of these guys leaving or even being offered a big contract by another club.

SJ has now joined the leadership group - and given his age and past injuries - I think very unlikely to go.

Shagga if he gets little game time could be made an offer but cannot see that being a big offer. He may still go if he gets an offer that comes with game time in the seniors.

So I do not think free agency will hurt the Cats next season or the year after.

Perhaps the Cats will actually benefit from free agency in its early years. WE may yet pick up a ruckman if things do not work out with Orrenson and Simpson does not recover well from his back injury.

Maybe even a mid as well.

A lot will depend on how many retire at the end of this season and next. And how much that opens up our salary cap. And how our younger players come on.

Personally I see Geelong not getting too involved in Free Agency - maybe a ruckman - but we still have this year to see how Orrenson, West, Vardy and Simpson go. And then perhaps even Bourke may play a role in our assessment of the ruck situation for 2013. And we may yet select in the this year's ND another ruckman.

 

[Willo_]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

Will be a very interesting time with this coming in..... I honestly look at our blokes and can't see anyone going elsewhere... But then most other clubs supporters are saying the same thing about themselves.

Might not be much happen initially.... With the salary cap clubs I am guessing will have to plan a year or 2 to have an assault at a player..

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Re: Free Agency Announced- Will anyone leave or will we try and pick any one up through this avenue?

Sam Butler would be a great pickup to bolster our backline. I've often thought West Coast could be a good trade target with all their tall defenders, as well. Assuming Glass goes on in 2013, they've got Mitch Brown (which would be great for the confusion it would cause), Eric Mackenzie and Will Schofield. All 23, all 6'4+, all pretty established senior players (Brown is the only one yet to reach 50 games and that is only due to injury) and Schofield (Falcons) and Brown (Rebels) are from the area (or near enough) as well.