Recruiting AFL Trade & Free Agency XIII

[Lore]

Spoiler: 2025 Draft Order

Spoiler: 2026 Draft Order

Spoiler: 2027 Draft Order

 

[joey_jo_jo]

his elimination final is interesting because he put the burners on in the second quarter and kicked 3, then did nothing else in particular before or after that.

Edit* realised you were talking about humphries not rayner
Yeah he was quiet for most of game but with that brace of goals he completely halted the freo momentum. That's what thos sorts of guys can do, like rayner had a quiet first half in the gf but hes bone crunching tackles on blicavs and smith really set the tone in q4.

 

[jannissary]

Do you mean the week 1 against cats? Yeah he was down (like most of the team) that game, following week though I think he set the record for most broken tackles in a final. And then in the GF he may not have got a lot of disposals but the tackles he was making in the centre square were momentum changing.

nah i meant humphrey, but it’s the same story regardless

 

[JayJ20]

There's no point having the trade period this long. I hardly followed the trade period this year and Hawthorn and Essendon haven't even spoken to each other a week in. Better off waiting until the last 10mins.

 

[ant555]

There's no point having the trade period this long. I hardly followed the trade period this year and Hawthorn and Essendon haven't even spoken to each other a week in. Better off waiting until the last 10mins.

There is only one reason. It keeps the AFL front and center in the media for two weeks after the GF.

 

[MattyB3150]

There's no point having the trade period this long. I hardly followed the trade period this year and Hawthorn and Essendon haven't even spoken to each other a week in. Better off waiting until the last 10mins.

Your not enjoying a week of late pick swaps by opposition teams? Haha

 

[doug85]

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

So the general public and media are finally catching on that we hold ALL the cards in the Merrett situation. Interesting.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

View attachment 2454161

 

[The Prosecutor]

The Age

 

[Old Campaigner]

My gut feel is a trade will get done. It sounds like they're making a pretty genuine effort to scrounge up additional picks to get a suitable offer together.

 

[wiltho]

There's no point having the trade period this long. I hardly followed the trade period this year and Hawthorn and Essendon haven't even spoken to each other a week in. Better off waiting until the last 10mins.

If the trade week was 3 days or 3 weeks, it wouldn't make a difference, trades would all largely be done in the final few hours . But as has been pointed out, it's about media dominance.

 

[bomberlegend2007]

Both teams have won the same amount of flags since then

Gee, nothing gets past you, does it?

 

[Cup_o_Jobe]

The Age View attachment 2454234

This is interesting as I had presumed 2027 would be attractive to us given the new bidding rules and the likely need to amass multiple firsts to get Bewick.

 

[ghostdog]

This is interesting as I had presumed 2027 would be attractive to us given the new bidding rules and the likely need to amass multiple firsts to get Bewick.

I would have thought so, too.
...and actually, I thought after they were dumped from the finals that they're looking at the wrong player. They really needed a bullocking mid/forward like Petracca, or now, Bailey Humphrey.

Depending on what Hawthorn ends up offering, Merrett asking for a trade could end up being reframed as his final act of sacrifice for the team.

Then, if the Hawks still can't break through for a premiership, they might start trading out their players to Tassie because they need the draft picks. I'm hoping they fall over during a period of successive compromised drafts and have successive poor draft hands.

 

[jannissary]

I would have thought so, too.
...and actually, I thought after they were dumped from the finals that they're looking at the wrong player. They really needed a bullocking mid/forward like Petracca, or now, Bailey Humphrey.

Depending on what Hawthorn ends up offering, Merrett asking for a trade could end up being reframed as his final act of sacrifice for the team.

Then, if the Hawks still can't break through for a premiership, they might start trading out their players to Tassie because they need the draft picks. I'm hoping they fall over during a period of successive compromised drafts and have successive poor draft hands.

they, as a club, aren’t proud enough to beg for AFL handouts like we are. they’ll happily beg for priority picks if they need them

 

[ghostdog]

they, as a club, aren’t proud enough to beg for AFL handouts like we are. they’ll happily beg for priority picks if they need them

Just super competitive, Sam Mitchell

 

[Vindicater]

The Hawks being young is also a bit of a myth. Yes they have a young core of very good players but they also debuted nobody last year and rely on a core group of players around the 30 year old age bracket.

Their window opened this year and is for about three years. They are all in on a cup before/during the Tassie drafts.

 

[Gumby2Hurley]

Hawks board mentioning/including our F2 in a deal. Better include something good to get that off us because i dont see the club swapping our bottom 4 second rounder for a minor top 4-6 1st round pick in 2026. hustwaite is steak knives.

 

[Bjchan13]

Hawks board mentioning/including our F2 in a deal. Better include something good to get that off us because i dont see the club swapping our bottom 4 second rounder for a minor top 4-6 1st round pick in 2026. hustwaite is steak knives.

Hawks board mentioning anything is irrelevant and Hustwaite isnt worth anything currently. Merrett won't be going there unless it's an offer that is so ridiculous it can't be refused. Unfortunately I don't think he will go as id happily take 9, 31 and F1(HAW). But I think it would take 9, F1(HAW) & F1 (STK) for Essendon to start thinking about letting him go.

 

[MiguelM]

The Hawks being young is also a bit of a myth. Yes they have a young core of very good players but they also debuted nobody last year and rely on a core group of players around the 30 year old age bracket.

Their window opened this year and is for about three years. They are all in on a cup before/during the Tassie drafts.

And remains to be seen whether Gunston at 33 can repeat one of his best seasons ever. Easily one of their best players.

 

[FlyingV]

Honestly, I know it’s unders but I would take 2 first rounders and move on for Merrett. He’s 30 years old… we are not contending with him, we won’t be contending without him. We desperately need more darts to throw at the draft board to get some fresh kids in to get this teams culture moving.

Imagine after round 5 next season when we are 1-4 or whatever and Merrett is pouting around… what will that will do for the club? Go young, go hard with the rebuild and bring in some kids who want to play for the black and red.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Hopefully he grows some balls today and explicitly requests a trade.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Honestly, I know it’s unders but I would take 2 first rounders and move on for Merrett. He’s 30 years old… we are not contending with him, we won’t be contending without him. We desperately need more darts to throw at the draft board to get some fresh kids in to get this teams culture moving.

Imagine after round 5 next season when we are 1-4 or whatever and Merrett is pouting around… what will that will do for the club? Go young, go hard with the rebuild and bring in some kids who want to play for the black and red.

Victim mentality. Merrett is our best player who has a good 5 years left in him and would immediately become Hawthorn's best mid the moment he walks into the club. 2 firsts is massive unders when you consider what that 2026 pick could be. I'm not for us cucking ourselves from what we rightly deserve and handing the Hawks a flag at the same. Contracts exist for a reason and we must stand firm. I'm more than happy to stay the course and bank on what we've been building since 2023 with Merrett possibly playing okay down the line on the off chance that it might not pan out at the expense of handing the Hawks a premiership.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Hopefully he grows some balls today and explicitly requests a trade.

I don’t think he will unless he’s confident the Hawkes will get the deal done

 

[jannissary]

given he didn't request one at 9am last week, i find it hard to believe he will at all. maybe he was sympathy-baiting, who knows.