Unofficial Preview 2025 Hawk's Hypothetical Trade Discussion...now with added DFA spitballing!

[Strapping Young Lad]

This thread is becoming increasingly popular, and to keep some sort of order, we will have some….

Rules of engagement:

1. Bring valid news or links to Twitter posts from notable sources. Don’t post screenshots or “some bloke just said on SEN” or what some “trade whisperer” has posted on a Facebook page.

2. Ignore what other team boards are putting up as trade offers. Don’t quote or bring them here either.

3. Don’t post “buckle up” for the lols.

4. If you can’t say anything nice about Worpel or CJ, don’t say anything at all. The continued slaps and backhanders are just going to be deleted.

 

[sinkintins]

4x first rounders for a 30yr old is just laughable stuff, but not all surprising from Essendon.

They get to puff their chests out now about how great they are

Reckon they sabotaged the deal, they dropped that with 10mins to go full well knowing it wasn't going to be accepted.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

A sad fail to only have one deal as a focus. For all what was talked about prior we shirked it by not putting forward a genuine senior player. Petracca as much a miss as Merrett.

How do you convince a senior player to join a club that is an annual laughing stock and who's captain wants to bail?

Impossible task.

 

[asanque]

The trade team did all they could. We offered more for Merrett than Petracca and Curnow (based on picks back).

The potential disappointment was whether we cut deals with Blues and others trying to satisfy Essendon that we may not have done if we knew this deal wouldn't eventuate.

However, we should have cut our losses way earlier and pursued other opportunities.

Ah well, onwards and upwards and the Hawks youth will get their opportunity.

 

[Since 2001]

Essendon fans celebrating the moral win of keeping merrett while also calling him a dog for the way he went about wanting out of the club.......they are so shook they dont know what to do

 

[derp de derp]

Can we all just take a minute to reflect on Hustwaite training the house down and becoming an AFL quality midfielder.

 

[Del236379]

Reality is we are simply not closing the gap on Brisbane now. We will be top 6, but fck when you tell the world we need mids and end up landing donuts it's a clear failure.

Remember all the talk we'd land two quality mids?

 

[ydc55]

Me neither.

1. We chose not to match for a free agent who was entitled to leave for Geelong because he didn’t sign a contract to stay with us.

2. We don’t bring in a guy who was actually not entitled to leave Essendon because he still has two years to run in his current contract.

You sign contracts, don’t be surprised if you’re held to them.

Tom Petroro and Zach Merrett look like the idiots here.

Neither Hawthorn or Essendon have lost anything.

This is a very insightful post.
I posted on your board days ago that you had to understand my mucked up clubs mindset and I thought a trade was unlikely.
The simple fact was merrett was contracted.
Maybe it is not a bad thing that managers and players are shown that contracts are binding contracts.
I just wish my club didn’t have to prove the point.

 

[killerspud]

Just trying to understand

Essendon had a very good player who didnt want to be there and made it known

They were offered 3 first round picks a second and a player and they chose to ask for another 1st on top of that

So they had a chance to really build with draft picks before Tassie come in but chose to keep a 30 year old with no possibility of playing finals in the next 2 years.

They are the.dumbest club in the competition

Long may their reign of incompetence continue

 

[StackedHunch]

"Time for Zach to front up. Some honest, deep conversations with the playing group to mend some fences. Both in terms of rebuilding some trust in him, but hopefully also addressing some concerns he has about the club. Relinquishes the captaincy and knuckle down and put in the best individual season he can. We revisit next year."


So let's get this straight. After this catastrophe, what they want from their 6 time B&F, is to have his best year.

 

[parsons nose]

Feeling a bit flat to be honest. What’s Billy Hartung

Billy Hartung

Age

31

Ht

177cm

Wt

78kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.0

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

8.3

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

1.8

4star

CL

1.3

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.0

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.6

4star

CL

0.6

3star

up to these days?

 

[I got the outside word]

Not a chance I’m getting into the draft now. Might see youse in January.

Or in my moments of weakness… Which will be often… I’ll see you tomorrow.

 

[LRobbo]

This is an Essendon supporters mentality. This is a bloke who has been around footy his entire life.
Stockholm Syndrome

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Reminds me of trying to settle my divorce, thank god we didn’t, but even if we had offered 4 firsts they would’ve moved the goal posts because you can’t negotiate with campaigners.

Twomey now saying that they wanted 4x 1sts and a future 2nd rounder + Huss.

So essentially, 6 players for a 30yr old.

 

[onthemoney]

Can we all just take a minute to reflect on Hustwaite training the house down and becoming an AFL quality midfielder.

I can't see it but I hope I'm wrong.

Poor guy though, what a shit situation.

 

[ydc55]

Just trying to understand

Essendon had a very good player who didnt want to be there and made it known

They were offered 3 first round picks a second and a player and they chose to ask for another 1st on top of that

So they had a chance to really build with draft picks before Tassie come in but chose to keep a 30 year old with no possibility of playing finals in the next 2 years.

They are the.dumbest club in the competition

Long may their reign of incompetence continue

Tough to fathom.

 

[StackedHunch]

Just trying to understand

Essendon had a very good player who didnt want to be there and made it known

They were offered 3 first round picks a second and a player and they chose to ask for another 1st on top of that

So they had a chance to really build with draft picks before Tassie come in but chose to keep a 30 year old with no possibility of playing finals in the next 2 years.

They are the.dumbest club in the competition

Long may their reign of incompetence continue

They've set themselves back up to 5 years, really, given they're not getting much in 2027 and 2028, and they also won't get much for Zach if and when he leaves next year.

IMO most likely scenario is Zach finds sympathy with a flag contender which gives him a flag out of free agency.

 

[Cyrilyouchampion]

Essenscum has just locked themselves into another 20 years of mediocracy.

Wonder if Merrett now walks out of the club and goes to the PSD

 

[sven_inc]

This year would be a perfect year to draft the next Tim Kelly

11

Tim Kelly

Age

31

Ht

184cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.6

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

10.1

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

4.0

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

19.9

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

7.6

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

4.7

5star

CL

3.6

4star

D

21.6

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.2

5star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

3.8

5star

or Isaac Smith

7

Isaac Smith

Age

37

Ht

188cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

8.4

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

19.4

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.3

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

1.3

4star

D

19.2

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

8.6

5star

M

7.6

5star

T

2.0

4star

CL

0.6

3star

. Any decent mature agers on the radar?

 

[macdaddio]

Imagine had we made Petraca our priority he’d be wearing brown and gold next year

 

[barbster]

Where was plan B and C? Would have preferred to get in Steele or Simpkin, then waste time pursuing the unattainable. Our list is now weaker, hope Mitch gives some proper game time next year to Hustwaite and MacKenzie.

 

[Bedi]

Bitter sweat on missing out on Merrett.

More upset we had the cap space and in the premiership window but failed to capitalise add any quality players.

Desperately needed to improve our midfield but somehow managed to weaken it. So we f****d that unfortunately. Worpel's loss will be acutely felt.

 

[BigHawk2025]

Why did we move from pick 9 to pick 10?

 

[onthemoney]

Essenscum has just locked themselves into another 20 years of mediocracy.

Wonder if Merrett now walks out of the club and goes to the PSD

Contracted, he can't

 

[palmomagpie]

Hustwaite to win the Brownlow next season anyway

 

[CaptainWorpedo]

Doubt this is the case. They just right royally ****ed up the trade period. Not that they weren't diligent. But they clearly have very poor risk management, if they didn't consider the possibilities of dealing with a bunch of hysterical flogs.

Nah emotions are just high for Hawks right now.

Serong and Jiath were unlikely to stay regardless of a Merrett trade.

Worpel was ready to return home, but we could of matched for him.

We got to a prelim without Day for the most of the year.

Sam and the boys need to go hard on skills training!

A big midfield focus on set plays and skills for Maginness, Mackenzie, MacDonald.C, Nash, Anderson, Ward, Watson, D’Ambriso and Watson.

If Maginness could sort out his kicking he would be very good in the midfield.

Player talent identification Has never been an issue for the Hawks team.

We will regroup, go hard at the draft and over the preseason draft.