DOCKER CAUGHT IN TWO MINDSCarlton and Richmond are at the head of the queue for Fremantle’s Adam Cerra, but the Dockers push for finals continues to give him serious food for thought.
Cerra is still likely to ask for a trade, but some confidantes are suggesting if he is genuinely 50-50 on returning home he could still sign a two-year deal with the Dockers rather than the four they have offered.
Cerra is split between returning to a Victorian-based family that he has barely seen since the Covid issues started and staying at a club that is going places.
Cerra loves coach Justin Longmuir, is enjoying playing with his Freo teammates and has finally been thrust into a pure midfield role rather than half-forward or wing.
Carlton is reported to have offered around $2.8 million over four seasons, with the Dockers offering as much as $3 million.
Former Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich told Fox Footy on Thursday night he believed Cerra should stay given the club’s emerging midfield.
“Despite the loss tonight, I think the Dockers are trending in the right direction with that young group that’s come through together with Brayshaw, Serong, Darcy and Cerra himself,” Pavlich said.
“I think he should stay for a couple more years and see it through.
“Clearly that’s a bit of a biased perspective having done it myself a couple of times and seen it through, but I think it’s important for him and the club to at least go a couple more years and see where that gets the club to.”
COULD CAT BECOME NEXT HIDDEN GEM?Could Charlie Constable become the next Jarryd Lyons?
That’s what rival clubs continue to consider as the out-of-favour Cat slays his VFL opponents on a weekly basis.
Lyons was considered too slow by many when he started out at Adelaide and yet carved out an exceptional career after finding his way to Brisbane via the Gold Coast.
Constable’s pace has also come under scrutiny, but he has averaged 120 ranking points, 32 disposals and seven clearances in the VFL this year.
As one rival footy manager said of him last week: “He’s just too good to be playing VFL.”
He is out of contract this year but last October there were few interested parties at AFL level.
At just 22, surely there are enough clubs who need a flint-hard clearance expert for someone to offer him a chance elsewhere?
WHY TRADE PERIOD COULD FALL FLATThis year’s trade period could be one of the greater fizzers on record.
AFL list managers and players managers continue to push the same message.
Only a handful of clubs have any spare cap space given most have deferred some of this year’s pay cuts into subsequent years — as allowed by the league.
The continued Covid crisis means a competition-wide pay rise is off the agenda, so player agents attempting to move their clients continue to be told there just isn’t money available.
Clubs such as Brisbane have so much depth on their lists they are struggling to find three players to delist at season’s end.
Players coming off excellent seasons are being told to accept contracts with bases of around $200,000 and match payments because there just isn’t room for them elsewhere.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/news/moneyball-follow-all-the-latest-trade-contract-and-draft-news-across-the-afl/news-story/49ee36f7ac1984fc0fba700f6f86b3d7
