Plough shocked young Dee is up for trade

Terry Wallace says that he is really surprised Christian Salem is potentially on the trade table for Melbourne this year.

SEN regular Brian Waldron wrote on Twitter on Thursday night that he had heard word that the 22-year-old former number nine draft pick was being put up for trade alongside forward Jack Watts as they seek the leverage required make a deal for Adelaide key defender Jake Lever work.

However despite the impact the promising Crows backman would have on the Dees, Wallace says that losing Salem in the process would be a huge shock to him.

“My Melbourne intelligence has always said that while the outside world thought he was an outside ball user, they believe he had the courage to play inside plus could use the ball outside,” the former Western Bulldogs and Richmond coach told SEN’s Before the Games.

“They haven’t got many of those types. If I said there was anything Melbourne needed to add to, it was class and ball users, that area of the game.”

Hear demons have put Watts and Salem on the table to Free up room for jake Lever arrival. Time will tell

— brian waldron (@brianwaldron4) September 14, 2017

Salem played 16 times for the Demons in 2017, averaging 21.4 disposals, 4.6 marks and 3.8 rebound 50s a game.

Wallace says the Crows could be part of the reason Salem’s name has popped up in the past 24 hours, believing they could be targeting the Demon as ready-made replacement for Brodie Smith, who will miss the majority of the 2018 season after rupturing his ACL last week.

“Sometimes you need to give something to get something,” the former coach said.

“Doesn’t he fit with Brodie Smith? I just think it’s bang, he goes straight into the structure of their side.”

Wallace also says that Watts being put up for trade is another surprise for him, thinking they would be unlikely to part ways with a player they have put years of development into and has finally begun to show the signs of the potential that saw him drafted at number one in 2008.