A slew of Victorian clubs have their eyes on a young GWS Giant, as the player movement climate begins to heat up in the second half of the season.
Jacob Hopper, the Giants’ top draft selection in 2015, finds himself out of contract and SEN Inside Football’s Brett Anderson reports he may be on the move.
“I’m hearing little whispers Hopper might be heading to Victoria at the end of the year,” Anderson said on SEN Afternoons.
“North Melbourne, Collingwood, Essendon and Carlton are the ones I’ve heard with a link to him.”
Hopper was a GWS academy member, despite playing his football for North Ballarat in the TAC Cup (he boarded at St Patrick's College) and has played six games this season, averaging 16.8 disposals. The 20-year-old is out of the side at the moment with a finger injury, another victim of the Giants’ growing injury list.
Click HERE to view Jacob Hopper’s SEN Inside Football Player Ratings.
Anderson said that the recent link between Carlton and in-demand midfielder Josh Kelly shouldn't come as a purprise given the trading history between the two clubs.
“GWS and Carlton are pretty much tied at the hip with recruits,” he said.
“Stephen Silvagni had a big impact bringing a lot of those GWS kids through, he knows them as well as anyone. Anyone who comes out of contract at GWS, you can expect Carlton to be linked with them because Silvagni has already taken them once.”
Silvagni spent four seasons with the Giants as a list manager between 2011-2015, before returning to the Blues as the General Manager of List Management and Strategy.
Click HERE to view Josh Kelly’s SEN Inside Football Player Ratings.
Port Adelaide’s Jasper Pittard is another prospect that has been mentioned in the rumour mill, with Warren Tredrea reporting a fortnight ago that North Melbourne has offered the 26-year-old a five-year deal worth up to three million dollars.
“Pittard is very keen to stay at Port, but North are having a big dig at him,” Anderson said, reinforcing Tredrea’s report.
“It’s been reported the details are a five-year deal at around $600,000 a year.
“With the new salary cap, everything is inflated. So while that contract would raise some eyebrows, I don’t think it is off the mark.”
Anderson believes the trend towards a faster pace strengthens the value of dashing half backs, a mould that Pittard fits perfectly.
“Pittard fits the way footy is being played with the quick, rebounding half back flanker,” he said.
“We have seen Jason Johannisen be one of the first to excel at it, Jayden Hunt is doing it at Melbourne, and Pittard is doing it at Port. You don’t need speed through the midfield if you have it off the flanks. The Dogs and Swans have shown that.
“If you’re quick off half back and forward, you don’t need that explosive speed in the midfield.”
Click HERE to view Jasper Pittard’s SEN Inside Football Player Ratings.
Two other players Anderson said could seek a move back home to Victoria are Fremantle’s Harley Balic and West Coast’s Tom Lamb.
Balic is currently on personal leave from the Dockers, while Lamb's form in the WAFL has been steady, but has been unable to break into the Eagles line-up.
Click HERE to view Harley Balic’s SEN Inside Football Player Ratings.
Click HERE to view Tom Lamb’s SEN Inside Football Player Ratings.