Trade talk - from October 2025 (Part 10)

Football Discussion Trade week Duursma head in
2031

It seems everyone has forgotten our famous spongey floors.

2 Likes
2032

F
O
O
T
Y
C I R C L E S

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2033

Footy Circles are the only reputable sources

2034

I demand to know what footy rectangles think

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2035

The question will be asked of their midfield in finals.

English, Bont, Richards, Libba, Kennedy, Freijah, Sanders, Treloar will be very different to the group they played last week.

Theyā€™ll also need to play against a swans team with Heeney and Gulden.

2036

Same as footy circles but discretely edgy.

1 Like
2037

Ben McKay says hi

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2038

You could certainly argue based on his output that weā€™ve overpaid him. But in a general sense I think the McKay contract has really been taken out of context due to how front ended it was.

800k a year for a key position recruit under free agency is pretty standard fare when you consider there are guys up around 2 mill now.

I did the maths in a post a while back but heā€™s on something like 375-425k a year for his next three seasons.

Doesnā€™t mean of course that heā€™s not frustrating as hell though no argument there.

9 Likes
2039

I feel better about all my employers underpaying me knowing that it was just cos they actually care about me

6 Likes
2040

Todayā€™s episode of Gettable has Cal Twomey and Riley Beveridge answering questions on players to track this season. Jed Walter being eyed by West Coast and Essendon. Lachie Neale has been approached by clubs from Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria. Mitch Lewis also still ā€˜gettableā€™ as Hawks figure out their tall forward mix. Darcy Wilson being eyed by other Victoria clubs. Hawks, Dees, Carlton and Pies all chasing Bailey Humphrey again this season. Reily Obrien also Gettable despite two years left on a contract. Tsatas, Alex Davies and Tobie Travaglia are all potentially gettable.

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2041

Wasnā€™t Reid already re-signed during the season?

1 Like
2042

Jed Walter would be a solid target I think. At the right price.

3 Likes
2043

We had the fire triangles last night, footy circles tonight. Weā€™re really learning about shapes.

1 Like
2044

Here are the players traded into Essendon since 2007 (after Sheeds), listed by name only:

  • Brayden Fiorini

  • Xavier Duursma

  • Will Setterfield

  • Jye Caldwell

  • Peter Wright

  • Nick Hind

  • Andrew Phillips

  • Tom Cutler

  • Dylan Shiel

  • Jake Stringer

  • Adam Saad

  • Devon Smith

  • James Stewart

  • Craig Bird

  • Jonathan Giles

  • Adam Cooney

  • Shaun Edwards

  • Kurt Aylett

  • Mark Williams

  • Brent Prismall

  • Richard Cole

A few reasonable players but overall that is a dreadful haul. There isnā€™t anyone who you would be calling a champion.

Here are the free/delisted free agents in that period:

  • Brendon Goddard

  • James Gwilt

  • Matthew Leuenberger

  • Matt Dea

  • Josh Green

  • Jake Kelly

  • Ben McKay

  • Jade Gresham

  • Todd Goldstein

I would call Goddard a great player. Otherwise, my god the rest on the list are absolutely dreadful too. Goldy just filled a need late in the career.

With Goddard being exception, we just donā€™t attract top top players. We really waste our time and effort looking for players from other clubs.

In this period, we have only drafted the best talents we have got into the club.

  • Merrett
  • Daniher
  • Hurley
  • Hooker
  • Ryder
  • Heppell
  • Tippa
  • Watson

Even the B level talent

  • Redman
  • McGrath
  • Parish
  • Langford
  • Ridley
2045

The lesson from the above is build a list, compete consistently for finals and plug a couple of holes with role players.

2046

Or not have a drugs saga followed by mediocrity.

Edit: and a well performing High Performance Team is critical.

2 Likes
2047

And have a list manager that isnā€™t a hack

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2048

Well, we were fine there.

2049

need to add free agents left

and traded out

Free agents lost
Monfries
Daniher
Draper
McKenna (kind of)
Laverde

Traded out
Melksham
Hibberd
Carlisle
Crameri
Ryder
Stringer
Massimo
Lovett
Zerk-Thatcher

1 Like
2050

100% agree. Our salary cap was (and still is) friggin huge and BZT wanted similar $$ as McKay to stay in Vic (I posted this at the time, heard from a good source within the club).

With BZT out the door and Hurley, Francis, Brand & Eyre all gone the year before, our remaining key backs at the time were Ridley, Laverde, Baldwin, McBride, Reid (who had just missed the entire 2023 season with injury) & a very young Hayes, who weā€™d drafted the year before.

I think somewhere around this time was when we were trialling blokes like Stewart & Weideman in defence.

No McKay and we probably take Oā€™Sullivan over Caddy.

5 Likes