AFL Trade Radio’s Mitch Cleary is surprised at the different stance GWS is taking on two of their wantaway players.
While both Jackson Hately and Jye Caldwell have requested trades to Adelaide and Essendon respectively, the Giants are reportedly holding out for a first-round pick for the latter.
Clearly said it was a “little surprising” that GWS are happy to accept a second-round pick for Hately, but were pushing for something more in a trade with the Bombers for Caldwell.
“(Caldwell) was taken at pick 11 and they want a pick around there for him,” he said.
“You look at the same draft, Jackson Hately was only taken a couple of picks later by the Giants and he’s played more footy than Jye Caldwell and it appears it’s going to be a second-round pick for Hatley to the Crows.
“It’s a little surprising given how strongly the Giants are on one player and then on the other, it seems like it would go through seemingly easy.
SEN Chief Sports Reporter Sam Edmund reported last week that Essendon could look to walk Caldwell to the pre-season draft if a trade isn’t agreed to before Thursday night’s deadline.
Cleary said that scenario could see the Bombers miss out on the 20-year-old altogether if another team opts to match his salary.
“We all look at how Carlton took Jack Martin in the pre-season draft – they finished fourth or fifth last and they have more flexibility in their salary cap so they were able to front-end that contract.
“Essendon will have cap room if it got to that, but if you look at a Hawthorn or North Melbourne – I’d be grabbing Jye Caldwell before the Bombers do.”