Opinion Did Taranto and Hopper make a mistake leaving the Giants for Richmond?

Did Taranto and Hopper make a mistake leaving the Giants for Richmond?

  • Yes

    Votes: 174 66.9%
  • No

    Votes: 86 33.1%

  • Total voters
    260

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GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
5,808
7,006
AFL Club
Gold Coast
Well, did they?

IMO this one appears to have Jaeger O'Meara and Tom Mitchell joining Hawthorn in 2017 at the backend of their premiership window written all over it. The Hawks tried to avoid the drop off but all they really did was delay a rebuild that they finally committed to last year.

Richmond are really struggling now and the Giants still look capable of playing finals. Was it a mistake?
 

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FlowersByIrene

Brownlow Medallist
Apr 29, 2012
23,839
34,074
Perth
AFL Club
Carlton
It was good for Taranto and Hopper and GWS for all to part ways, as the GWS midfield was clearly too inside heavy and was just a poor mix with Taranto and Hopper there. Now, should they have gone to Richmond? The answer is clearly no, club on the decline with a gamestyle that has been exposed and aging stars. OP above mentioned Jaeger and Mitchell and that is an astute observation, very similar situations. Wouldn't want to be a Richmond fan right now or in the future.
 

Elmer_Judd

President of the Republic of Carlton FC Supporters
Jul 25, 2019
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Giants would be pretty happy right now.

Got Cadman mainly due to the Taranto trade and look like getting a top 5 or 6 pick for Hopper.

Those two have been the only 2 shining lights for Richmond this season though, so it's probably not fair to say those trades were bad for them, their lack of a 2023 First Round pick this year though.

In hindsight, given the age of their list and that Cotchin clearly looked cooked at the end of last season (Dimma really should have tapped him on the shoulder), I would have only traded for one of those players (Taranto)
 

Elmer_Judd

President of the Republic of Carlton FC Supporters
Jul 25, 2019
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Everyone banging on about how we put them on seven year contracts but now want to judge the success or not after seven games.

Lock thread until 2025 at least I say.

You do know if West Coast finish last, GWS are likely to trade up for Harley Reid using the pick you gave them for Hopper ...

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Elmer_Judd

President of the Republic of Carlton FC Supporters
Jul 25, 2019
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Your point?

If Freo are being roasted for the Luke Jackson trade and the cost, I think it's probably fair Richmond also come under some criticism for off loading some very valuable draft picks right at a point where they need to start hitting the draft hard.
 

Kreuuuzeurns

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 25, 2013
13,231
25,239
AFL Club
Carlton
Richmond made a mistake with Hopper. Taranto move is fine but they underestimated how far they would drop off in 2023. They didn’t need both.

Taranto and Hopper have locked in their futures, will play in big games in front of big crowds, and will no doubt be looked after in retirement. They made the right move.
 

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BF Tiger

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 5, 2007
9,594
21,820
9th
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Richmond
If Freo are being roasted for the Luke Jackson trade and the cost, I think it's probably fair Richmond also come under some criticism for off loading some very valuable draft picks right at a point where they need to start hitting the draft hard.
Again, I find it ridiculous that a trade is being assessed after just seven games.
 

Lsta062

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 15, 2014
20,666
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No if you look at it financially. They both are getting decent salary with long-term contracts. GWS had salary cap issues and a lot of midfield talent while Geelong and Collingwood were probably not going to offer either the salary/contract length that we offered them.

From a success perspective, Geelong and Collingwood would’ve probably been better options for them, but that was probably already clear when they were making that decision. Looks like their priority was financial security, which actually makes sense in this current economy. Richmond probably was attractive because there was a possibility of on-field success as well given our recent history.
 

Lsta062

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 15, 2014
20,666
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If Freo are being roasted for the Luke Jackson trade and the cost, I think it's probably fair Richmond also come under some criticism for off loading some very valuable draft picks right at a point where they need to start hitting the draft hard.
Fremantle are a side that is supposed to move up, which is why they were roasted for their decision. Even though I think it’s way too early to roast Fremantle, the issue is that giving away that many draft picks may hurt their Premiership aspirations down the track. They need a certain number of players in their prime when contending, so this could hurt that.

In contrast, Richmond is a side moving down, so at worst bringing Hopper and Taranto in will potentially delay the start to our rebuild by a couple of years. We’ve been taking draft picks in other years (i.e. the 2021 draft), so it’s not a terrible list management decision. Besides, getting Hopper and Taranto means that we can jump up with some clever list management decisions over the next few years or keep us somewhat competitive if we choose to commit to the rebuild. That way, we don’t completely implode our culture.
 

Lunchlady Doris

Hall of Famer
Apr 3, 2006
33,427
11,786
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Geelong
Well, did they?

IMO this one appears to have Jaeger O'Meara and Tom Mitchell joining Hawthorn in 2017 at the backend of their premiership window written all over it. The Hawks tried to avoid the drop off but all they really did was delay a rebuild that they finally committed to last year.

Richmond are really struggling now and the Giants still look capable of playing finals. Was it a mistake?
Hopper and Taranto for Richmond = O'Meara and Mitchell for Hawthorn.

Same result coming up.
 

demondavey

Brownlow Medallist
Apr 18, 2005
29,865
25,408
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Tigers are going to need replacements for Cotchin, Prestia and Martin. They’ve got two mature bodies to do that. They’ve also got some decent KP replacements. Those two will be getting a fairly good wage. Win for both. Richmond will drop but that’s inevitable.
 

BF Tiger

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 5, 2007
9,594
21,820
9th
AFL Club
Richmond
Sure but the future 1st for Hopper is a worry. If it turns into a top 6 pick then it hasn't been worth it. Taranto's trade was fine
We’d still have to nail that pick so that he turns into a better player than Hopper. At least Hopper is a known quantity.

And according to a lot in here the Tigers are cooked and will be down the bottom for ages. That means plenty of high draft picks coming our way. It’ll be good to have seasoned players like Hopper and Taranto there because, also according to a lot in here, all our older guys will be retired by the end of next year.