Geelong will allow player group to have say before targeting Adelaide star Patrick Dangerfield
JON RALPH HERALD SUN DECEMBER 03, 2014 8:00PM
GEELONG says it will seek approval from its playing group before launching a massive raid on Adelaide free agent Patrick Dangerfield next year.
The Cats are the frontrunners if Dangerfield chooses to leave the Crows next year on a deal that would make him one of the best-paid players in the AFL.
Dangerfield‘s parents were at Geelong‘s pre-match function in Round 1 this year and live only half an hour from the city in coastal Moggs Creek.
But Cats chief executive Brian Cook said they were brought to the function without Geelong‘s knowledge, ruling out sending a mid-season mission to Adelaide to lure Dangerfield.
Cook confirmed the club‘s interest in 24-year-old Dangerfield but said after the failed Travis Boak pitch the club would only ramp up its interest after next season.
Dangerfield could effectively write his own cheque to return to Melbourne, saying recently there was no time limit on his contract negotiations.
Cook said Cats free agent Tom Hawkins would be offered a “very lucrative†long-term contract but hopes Tom Boyd‘s $7 million deal does not unrealistically inflate the market.
“If you bring in a Boak or you bring in a Dangerfield, before you do that you talk to your PLG (player leadership group). That‘s what we do. We did it with Mitch Clark and say this is what we are thinking of doing, these are the kind of dollars we are thinking about and you get some feedback.
“You don‘t get them to make the decision but we get feedback so whoever we look at in free agency we will talk to the player group.
“They tend to (support it) as long as it‘s not ridiculous. If we go to the player group with someone way out of whack they will tell us.
“We won‘t be doing the (Boak) convey, don‘t worry about that. We learnt our lesson. But we don‘t be doing too much (with Dangerfield) between now and the end of next year.â€
Cook is confident Hawkins will stay, with the star power forward believed to be looking at a deal of five years and around $700,000 a season.
“It will work itself out. He will be well paid. He won‘t be the highest-paid in terms of the AFL but it will be a very lucrative contract for him and his player manager will make sure that happens.
“He has been great for us and we will do everything we can to accommodate what‘s best for him and the footy club. That is all I can say on that one.â€
Geelong‘s secret weapon in securing Boak was his Geelong-based mother, but Cook said the appearance of Dangerfield‘s parents at a Cats dinner in Round 1 was coincidental.
“The Dangerfields came over to our dinner but we didn‘t even know they were coming,‘‘ he said.
“The City of Greater Geelong get a table and their deputy mayor Bruce Harwood‘s daughter is Dangerfield‘s girlfriend.
“Bruce brought them as his guests, they weren‘t even our guests. And we have had to bat that one away ever since, but we didn‘t even talk to the City about getting them there!â€
Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan said he hoped to retain Dangerfield.
“The big three in Dangerfield, (Rory) Sloane and (Taylor) Walker are the guys we want to get away as soon as possible. It was great to sign Tex on a long term deal and I am hopeful of (securing) the others. We have got a long time to get it done.â€
Sorry. I searched for any other Dangerfield thread before I started this one. For some reason the search did not show up the one in the trade section of the blitz. Mod. Please move these posts, if you can. Dichotomy is bad.
Id prefer him to Dangerfield but dont reckon he will leave. His father just purchased a house in Adelaide and Sloane is very comfortable here
What's the goss around Adelaide Ace?
Do you think Danger will leave or is it all just posturing to squeeze every last cent out of the Crows?
I think he's a "big fish, little pond" type of guy. In Adelaide he's a megastar, let's face it there ain't much else going on in that town. In Melbourne (or Victoria) he's just another star player. I'd say the Crows would make him their best paid player, unless someone offers up stupid dollars I can't see him leaving. Of course if the new coach is no good he might be off too...
