At face value Francis is worth a second round pick.
But face value doesn’t acknowledge the investment the club has made in him. A second round pick isn’t a worthwhile trade when you consider the investment.
Then you need to consider his age & potential.
On top of all that, he has 2 years left on his contract.
So there is a very good reason why the trade simply won’t get completed.
What equals a ‘fair’ trade doesn’t enter the equation with the Francis situation.
I hope it’s the end of the Francis trade talk. The Adelaide clubs aren’t enthused and I’m sure as ■■■■ gonna be ■■■■■■ if we fob him off for a second rounder.
He’s hopefully got a wake up call and we can all move forward from there.
Tim Watson said this morning there were non football related issues at play and he thought a deal would get done. Granted this was before the Crows stated zero interest
I think Port are the interested ones, trying to get a bargain as their first pick is a second rounder.
Maybe we just don’t think he’s much good at all?
If the Lions are trying to get 2 first rounders for Schache, Francis must be worth 2 as well.
That’s not cutting our losses, that’s locking them in. The difference between trading for a third rounder and delisting him at some point and replacing him with whatever draft pick that happens to be is pretty much nothing. And the list spot difference is basically nothing as well.
You can get nothing in return for him now, or at worst nothing in return for him in 2 years. Or you can get him right.
Of course if he really wants/needs to go home you try and help him from a welfare point of view. (The managers comments didn’t sound like he was that sure that he wanted to go home)
Or you send him to Adelaide for 6 months or a year and give him someone to work with psychologically and hopefully welcome him back some time in the future ready to play football. If he’d done a knee halfway through the season we’d be happily rehab-ing him.
We don’t need him to be ready for this AFL thing day one of pre season. We don’t even really need him at any point in 2018. But if we rate him as a player and a person I think investing time and money into trying to get him right is worthwhile.
Plus, is the player we get with the third round pick gonna be a better prospect?
Highly doubtful.
It might be a bit of a shock for Francis to now know that in spite of wanting to go back to SA, neither of the clubs there seem to want him, but Essendon says they do.
I dont know what the personal issues are, but I hope he can sort them and get the best out of himself as an athlete, or do something else and enjoy life.
Francis has had issues since before being drafted. He has been a handful for the player welfare team to get his headspace right.
It was told to me at the bnf by someone close to the situation that the club would be happy to trade him but it was initially Aaron that did not want to be traded. The next day he ‘requested’ a trade, it is a very interesting situation. If we aren’t getting a top 25 pick for him we should not be offloading him.
Hopefully can turn the family tragedy around into the inspiration for him to work hard and make something of his footy career over the excuse/weight dragging him down over it.
Have to feel for the kid.
But others like Florent have had loss as well and it’s become his inspiration. All people deal with things differently though.
shuey too, didnt he lose his sister?
Yep.
Zaka was dating her at the time I believe.
Well he barracks for Essendon, so thats not surprising. Wanting a trade to Adelaide seems strange, since by all accounts Adelaide is actually not “home”
Sounds a pretty confused kid who needs a bit of love. Hope he stays - reckon his request to be traded is a cry for help. Get around him, if he comes good he’ll be something special.
Send him to live with Hardwick
None of this makes sense to me.
take your well thought out post somewhere else. Its trade time- its PANIC TIME!!!
BB’s greatest fear:
Adelaide Advertiser 31 August 2029:
Crows captain Aaron Francis today announced his retirement after 206 games with the Crows and 5 with former club Essendon. The 4 time All Australian, 3 time Crows best and fairest winner, dual premiership player and 2025 Brownlow medalist will always be remembered as a true champion of the Crows." .
Pfft they go to midfielders only. One of Hird’s kid will get it