List Mgmt. Free Agency Discussion

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Matchu

Matchu

Norm Smith Medallist
Veteran
Apr 12, 2007
7,751
7,041
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Free Agency may well end up being a huge tool for the Gold Coast Suns in the future. However, it doesn't seem to be necessary for the club at the moment. The Suns are fortunate enough to be able to offer free agents a nice and unique lifestyle to come with their pay packet. You could make your case that the entire 2010 AFL season (and perhaps even further back) was a Free Agency period for the Suns when they chased the likes of Gary Ablett Jr, Nick Riewoldt and Kurt Tippett. They managed to land the largest fish of them all but who may be on the radar next for the Suns?

Rumours floating around through the 2013 season that Melbourne defender James Frawley was being chased by the Suns and (surprise surprise) he just so happens to be a free agent at the end of 2014. So, what ramifications does chasing a KPD like Frawley have on the team in the short and long term? What kind of salary would he command? Which current players will be squeezed out of the team as a result?

We know the Suns have a bit of money to spare at the moment but concession reductions will result in the team losing $400k from their salary cap. I estimated earlier in the year that the team would have around $600k to spare and the recent retirement Jared Brennan certainly supports the theory of excess cap room. Long term deals for O'Meara and Prestia are likely to be back ended while Gary Ablett will definitely be on his lowest salary at the Suns in 2015.

Remember, any free agents in 2014 will fall under the 2015 cap so you need to take into account potential retirements and front/back ended contracts. So what's it going to take to get Frawley (or any other free agent) to the glitter strip and is he worth it? James Frawley will turn 27 in 2015.

You can find a list of the 2014 free agents here.
 
Matchu said:
Free Agency may well end up being a huge tool for the Gold Coast Suns in the future. However, it doesn't seem to be necessary for the club at the moment. The Suns are fortunate enough to be able to offer free agents a nice and unique lifestyle to come with their pay packet. You could make your case that the entire 2010 AFL season (and perhaps even further back) was a Free Agency period for the Suns when they chased the likes of Gary Ablett Jr, Nick Riewoldt and Kurt Tippett. They managed to land the largest fish of them all but who may be on the radar next for the Suns?

Rumours floating around through the 2013 season that Melbourne defender James Frawley was being chased by the Suns and (surprise surprise) he just so happens to be a free agent at the end of 2014. So, what ramifications does chasing a KPD like Frawley have on the team in the short and long term? What kind of salary would he command? Which current players will be squeezed out of the team as a result?

We know the Suns have a bit of money to spare at the moment but concession reductions will result in the team losing $400k from their salary cap. I estimated earlier in the year that the team would have around $600k to spare and the recent retirement Jared Brennan certainly supports the theory of excess cap room. Long term deals for O'Meara and Prestia are likely to be back ended while Gary Ablett will definitely be on his lowest salary at the Suns in 2015.

Remember, any free agents in 2014 will fall under the 2015 cap so you need to take into account potential retirements and front/back ended contracts. So what's it going to take to get Frawley (or any other free agent) to the glitter strip and is he worth it? James Frawley will turn 27 in 2015.

You can find a list of the 2014 free agents here.
Click to expand...

Some big names on that list, but apart from Frawley I wouldn't really want any of them.
 
Yellow Feathers said:
Some big names on that list, but apart from Frawley I wouldn't really want any of them.
Click to expand...

There isn't much point in the Suns chasing any of the other players. You don't invest your cap into older guys when you have a young list and they already have enough depth through the middle as it is. Young key position players seem to be the only type the Gold Coast should chase next year IMO. I guess Ben Reid from Collingwood is an option but Frawley just seems to suit the team more.
 

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A bloke who supposedly has connections to a recruiter at Melbourne told me the Suns have offered Frawley $2.6m over 4 years. He reckons its a massive chance he will take it due to the fact he wants success and does not have many close mates left at the Demons after recent departures of the past 2 years (e.g. Sylvia).

Reliability and credibility of this source unknown but thats what I was told.
 
I'd say it will probably require an offer of at least $500k a year to get Frawley out of the Demons' hands. What kind of repercussions is this going to have on retaining other players though? Quite a few of the boys are still uncontracted past this season so I'd say it's an almost certainty they'll lose someone if they chase Frawley.

Probably worth looking on the flip side of this as well. Which players are likely to become free agents in 2018 when the first class of Suns players become eligible for FA. Player ages are in brackets.

Danny Stanley (30)
Jarrod Harbrow (30)
Charlie Dixon (28)
Zac Smith (28)
Rory Thompson (27)
David Swallow (26)
Harley Bennell (26)
Sam Day (26)
Dion Prestia (26)
Daniel Gorringe (26)
Tom Lynch (26)
Seb Tape (26)
Jeremy Taylor (26)
Tom Nicholls (26)
Brandon Matera (26)
Trent McKenzie (26)
Matt Shaw (26)
Luke Russell (26)
Steven May (26)
 
TheJaegerBomb said:
A bloke who supposedly has connections to a recruiter at Melbourne told me the Suns have offered Frawley $2.6m over 4 years. He reckons its a massive chance he will take it.

Reliability and credibility of this source unknown but thats what I was told.
Click to expand...

Wow, huge offer. So we're looking at potentially $650k a year. Virtually the same salary they offered Tippett.
 
Matchu said:
Wow, huge offer. So we're looking at potentially $650k a year. Virtually the same salary they offered Tippett.
Click to expand...


Yeah but it certainly throws us in the mix for a flag in 2015. What a team we would have...

B: Tape, Frawley, Harbrow
HB: Kolodjashnij, Thompson, McKenzie
C: Martin, Swallow, Shaw
HF: Bennell, Lynch, Russell
FF: Matera, Dixon, Day

R: Nicholls/Smith, Prestia, O'Meara

Int: Ablett, Stanley, Lonergan
SUB: Hall/Sumner/Boston
 
TheJaegerBomb said:
Yeah but it certainly throws us in the mix for a flag in 2015. What a team we would have...
Click to expand...

Acquiring a KPD in his physical prime would be a huge for a young team like the Gold Coast. Add to that another 20 games of experience to those guys and you have a very hard team to beat. Having said that, I'm not sure a Frawley contract worth $650k a year is going to allow that team you listed to exist. If anyone was going to be pushed out of that line up you listed due to cap strain, who do you think it would be? Something is telling me a guy like Matera might have to make way...
 
Matchu said:
Acquiring a KPD in his physical prime would be a huge for a young team like the Gold Coast. Add to that another 20 games of experience to those guys and you have a very hard team to beat. Having said that, I'm not sure a Frawley contract worth $650k a year is going to allow that team you listed to exist. If anyone was going to be pushed out of that line up you listed due to cap strain, who do you think it would be? Something is telling me a guy like Matera might have to make way...
Click to expand...


Someone along those lines... its just how it is though. It will be worth it in the end when we hold up the cup.

It will be interesting to see if the club does some aggressive recruiting coming in to the final year of 20ONE3...
 
Sunny_ said:
Agreed with above poster. Dees will match anything up to 800k I'd think. He's that important to them.

650k wouldn't be enough to get him. We would have to significantly overpay, in which case we would likely avoid.

I don't think Frawley likes us much anyway. :p
Click to expand...

Still a good chance he will move on, I see him as less important than Garland personally, but any coach worth their money will be in his ear about re-signing.

Can you blame him for questioning us? One final in 8 years.
 

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Show Some Fight said:
Still a good chance he will move on, I see him as less important than Garland personally, but any coach worth their money will be in his ear about re-signing.

Can you blame him for questioning us? One final in 8 years.
Click to expand...


Would be a massive coup if he stayed though. Would reflect heavily on Roos impact.
 
If Roos somehow found a way to convince Watts to re-sign after being at the club for 5 minutes, then convincing Frawley to re-sign after a year under him should be a forgone conclusion.
 
Roos wasnt keen until the succession plan was brought up. He's not there for the long haul and I think that is what he wants. He's going to Melbourne very happy with the plan of building something stable in 2-3 years and leaving a strong legacy behind for his successor.
 
Thought I'd just throw this out there...

Andrew Swallow is contracted at the Kangaroos until the end of 2015. At the end of 2015 he becomes an unrestricted free agent and can walk to any club for any salary and North can't stop him. Fair to say the Suns would be in the running to get him if Dave is still at the club?
 
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