I know it is written by a nob, but?.
Jake Lever and Daniel McStay in sights of Victorian clubs in this year’s trade period
JAY CLARK AND SAM LANDSBERGER, Herald Sun
19 minutes ago
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MELBOURNE is set to make a strong play to bring star Adelaide defender Jake Lever home to Victoria next season.
Lever and emerging Brisbane tall Daniel McStay (both 21) are primed for massive pay days with the Demons, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn all seeking defensive reinforcements in this year’s trade period.
Demons’ champion Garry Lyon said Lever was the best young key defender on the market and worth upwards of $800,000 a season.
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The Crows were adamant they would keep the 195cm backman, while the Lions were confident McStay was going nowhere after talks with the defender and his family last week.
The Lions are hopeful of thrashing out a deal for McStay within the next month.
After loading up on elite midfield talent in recent years, Melbourne is expected to aggressively pursue a backman to help crack its 53-year premiership drought.
Jake Lever juggles the mark. Picture: Sarah Reed
Daniel McStay could be lured out of Brisbane.
The Herald Sun revealed last month every club has the ability to trade its future first-round pick before loose restrictions apply in 2019.
That means Hawthorn can trade aggressively again this year given its first 2018 selection is expected to be an early pick.
The Dees rated Lever near the top of the 2014 draft and strongly considered taking him.
But they were spooked by Lever’s ACL injury, which pushed him to the Crows at pick 14, and instead picked Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw.
The Dees want a strong-bodied interceptor to partner Oscar and Tom McDonald in the back half and have closely tracked Lever ever since he joined the Crows.
McStay and Lever are both out of contract at season’s end and have deferred contract talks throughout the early part of the year.
Jake Lever takes a big mark over Daniel Menzel and Harry Taylor. Picture: Michael Klein
“We’ll speak to the club as soon as the CBA is done,” Lever told Adelaide radio 5AA.
“I’ll sit down with (manager Ned Guy) and (partner) Jess, who’s a pretty important part in it, and we’ll make that decision and and get the contract rolling.”
Clubs are impressed with Lever’s leadership and ability to read the play with his statistics mirroring triple All-Australian Alex Rance at the same age.
Lever leads the AFL in intercept possessions and was again among the best three players in the Crows’ win over St Kilda on Friday night, enhancing his reputation as the premier young key defender in the league.
Lever has conceded the fewest goals of any key defender on average over nine games in only his third season.
Lyon said Lever could anchor a team’s defence for the next decade.
“He (Lever) is that good he can command the top price for a defender,” Lyon said on SEN.
“He is an attacking animal and his body was the only thing you could put a question mark on (after a knee reconstruction).
“But in terms of setting up a defence for the next 10 years, he would just about be your No.1 pick.”
Pretty much covers what was discussed on the Adelaide board 2 days ago, and the trade board yesterday.
