West Coast scolded as mind-numbing AFL trade period lull smashed in three-club mega swap
Updated . First published at
A mind-numbing six-day lull in the AFL trade period was smashed in the most spectacular way on Tuesday morning.
Almost a full week after the last player swapped clubs, three teams executed a surprise deal which saw West Coast nab Matt Owies and Liam Baker in one swift move.
Owies leaves Carlton and Baker leaves Richmond to join the Perth club.
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As part of the three-club trade the Blues acquire picks 3, 63, and 68 while the Tigers get pick 14. The Eagles also land picks 12 and 73 in the trade.
But West Coast's decision to give away pick 3 was not met with praise across the board.
Liam Baker. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Kane Cornes was gobsmacked when he learned of the deal.
If follows the Eagles failing to get rid of defender Tom Barrass last week in a proposed deal with Hawthorn.
"You know when you watch those Discovery channels, those David Attenborough shows and you've got like a big carcass, a big wildebeest dead, and every animal known to man is coming and just picking it off," Cornes said of West Coast on AFL Trade Radio.
"The Eagles are the wildebeest on the ground and every other club are just picking them off. I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing here.
"Baker could have gone to them for free if they just had a slight hard edge and they were prepared to be a bit ruthless about it... this is the state the club's in, they don't need to be making friends, they need to rebuild the footy club.
"They could have got a better deal for pick 3 if they thought they could get the player... pick 3 for Baker, Owies and 12 - if you're going to trade pick 3 I'd have thought you want a pick still in the top 10, around 7, and then maybe 7 and 13... then getting Baker.
"So you get two players in, you get Baker for free, get Owies for a pick in the 50s. What are they doing? What are we missing here?"
Carlton is being praised as the big winner of the swap.
"This is one of the all-time trades for the Blues," Cornes said.
"Carlton, for me, as it is shaping, win the trade period along with Richmond."
The Blues also gain more draft points which they are expected to use to get the talented Camporeale twins to the club.
Reuben Ginbey of the Eagles looks dejected. Getty
Matthew Lloyd agrees Carlton is the big winner from the trade.
"I think this draft is so good... if you look over history this is where the (Marcus) Bomtempelli and (Christian) Petracca and Dustin Martin, those guys come around the pick 3," Lloyd told 3AW radio.
"I would be pretty content if I was Carlton with what they're going to get, but West Coast needed to do that because they needed a pick to trade out to get Liam Baker.
"Time will tell, but I'd be pretty happy if I were the Blues."
Lloyd said the Blues will use pick 3 to try to land young gun Finn O'Sullivan in the draft, who is the cousin of current Carlton star Sam Walsh.
