The Giants have flagged the possibility of launching a play for Pick 1 for the second consecutive season.
Plus an AFL great has urged Carlton to part with an in-demand star to help them avoid “overpaying” another player.
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GIANTS FLAG ‘AGGRESSIVE’ TRADE PLANS
Giants chief executive Dave Matthews has suggested his club will “be aggressive again” in this year’s trade period as it weighs up whether to make a play for Pick 1 for the second consecutive season.
The Giants last year were part of the four-club mega deal that saw them land the first pick of the national draft, which they used to select GWV Rebels key forward Aaron Cadman.
The Giants are one of four clubs that hold two first-round picks in this year’s draft, with Richmond handing over its 2023 first-rounder last year to acquire Jacob Hopper from the western Sydney-based club. As it stands, the Giants hold Picks 4 (natural selection) and 6 (Richmond’s selection) in the draft.
Adding to the intrigue is the speculation around the future of restricted free agent Harry Himmelberg, who’s been linked to the Swans, Tigers and Lions in reports across the past few months. Should Himmelberg opt to leave, the Giants would have the option of matching a rival club’s offer or accept a compensation pick, which could be in the first round.
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It means the Giants would again be the best placed club to move up the draft order with an array of early selections to package up and trade.
West Coast remains heavily favoured to finish on the bottom of the ladder. That would hand the Eagles Pick 1 and give them first access to this year’s top draft talent Harley Reid, who’s regarded by some recruiters as the best prospect they’ve ever seen.
Asked on SEN’s Sunday Crunch Time if the Giants could make another play for Pick 1, Matthews said: “I think (list manager) Jase (McCartney) has done a great job in actually putting us in positions where we‘re sort of watching and waiting for an opposition club’s early pick.
“We were lucky when we had that pick from Collingwood (Pick 3, 2021) – that was the year where they finished low – and Richmond‘s having not their best season, but that’s against a very, very high mark in recent years as we know.
“The short answer is you can never have too many early picks. It‘s what you do with them and what you convert them into.
“Last year, what we achieved in trade period is potentially achievable again, so we‘ll be aggressive again.”
But Matthews stressed the club remained “very confident” it would retain Himmelberg.
BLUES URGED TO LET RUCK GO WITH RIVAL SHOWING AMPLE INTEREST
Carlton has been urged to let in-demand ruck-forward Tom De Koning walk to another club to avoid overpaying another player.
De Koning, whose contract expires at the end of this season, looms as one of the big storylines of this year’s trade period, with St Kilda, Sydney and Geelong among the clubs linked to the 201cm ruck.
Wide World Of Sports Radio host Sam McClure told Channel 9’s Footy Classified it was “highly unlikely” De Koning would remain at Carlton as the offers from rival clubs would likely be more substantial than what the Blues would table. He added the Cats “have come hard and late” for De Koning, whose brother Sam plays at the club.
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Triple Coleman Medallist Matthew Lloyd pointed out the Blues should try to improve their hand at this year’s national draft. At this stage, they hold just three selections in this year’s national draft: Their natural first-round pick and two fourth-rounders.
“I’d let De Koning go – I don’t think he’s doing enough at the moment – and see how many good young midfielders with dynamic speed and pace they can get into the club,” Lloyd told Footy Classified.
Fellow panellist Kane Cornes disagreed, saying De Koning was one Carlton player that “gives genuine effort”, adding it wouldn’t be wise to give up a player of De Koning’s size and potential.
But Lloyd responded: “What’s he worth? Because if he wants $800,000 I’m letting him go because they’ve overpaid players for too long.”