Wary Cats still in chase for Ottens
By Emma Quayle, Jake Niall
realfooty.theage.com.au
September 30, 2004
Geelong coach Mark Thompson will not tear apart the team that played for a grand final place this month by making Richmond any outlandish offers for the out-of-contract Brad Ottens.
Thompson, who said the club would do its best to get the disgruntled ruckman in Geelong colours, warned that to "smash" his list to bits for one player would be a waste of five years' work.
Ottens named Geelong as his club of choice last week, with Sydney and the Kangaroos also keen to snare the 24-year-old and Richmond determined to secure at least two first-round draft choices for the former No. 2 selection.
Thompson was pleased Ottens had nominated Geelong as his preferred destination, given the club's trouble attracting uncontracted forwards in recent off-seasons, and believed the Cats had strong bargaining power. But he emphasised the importance of keeping his existing list together.
"It's a delicate situation. We'll certainly try our best to get Richmond what they want, but there's a lot of work to be done to get it over the line," Thompson said yesterday. "We don't want to split the group up too much. We've got a really good group of boys and you don't want to do anything that's going to harm that and affect that."
Carlton, back in the draft's early rounds for the first time in three seasons, is committed to keeping its first pick in the trading period, which leaves Collingwood and the Kangaroos as the clubs best placed to satisfy Richmond's desire for a top-10 pick as part of any Ottens trade.
Besides their interest in Ottens the Kangaroos have offered Fremantle's ruckman-forward Troy Simmonds the temptation of a four-year contract and show a willingness to part with their first trade pick, No. 10 overall, in return for a quality tall player.
Simmonds has also fielded offers from St Kilda, Richmond and Carlton. He has expressed a preference to stick with the Dockers, who have offered him a three-year deal, but his future might hinge on whether Josh Carr decides to stick with Port Adelaide or requests a trade to Fremantle to play with his brother.
Carr is in Perth with his family, whom he will speak to before making a final decision.
Should Carr ask to be traded, the compensation Fremantle would receive for Simmonds would make it easier to acquire Carr, whose exchange would involve, at a minimum, Fremantle's first pick (No. 11).
Melbourne is confident of retaining Clint Bizzell with a revised contract offer after the defender yesterday expressed unhappiness about the first offer.
"We're still negotiating with Clint's manager and we're getting closer to an agreement," said Melbourne recruitment and list manager Craig Cameron.
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