How could Adelaide and Essendon get trade deals across the line for Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver?
According to SEN’s Tom Morris, the Crows and Bombers are the two clubs showing more than a passing interest in the Melbourne star as a disconnect emerges between club and player.
While the Demons are yet to fully address the rumours surrounding a potential move for Oliver, it’s been reported that clubs are canvassing ploys to try and prise him out of Melbourne.
Given Oliver is signed until the end of the 2030 season on a deal reportedly worth more than $7 million, it would need to be a bumper offer for a trade to be struck.
With that in mind, Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney put his thinking hat on to try and figure out what both clubs would need to offer to satisfy the Dees.
He started with Adelaide.
“If you are going to facilitate a trade with Adelaide, they have pick nine and they've got Riley Thilthorpe and they've got Darcy Fogarty,” Cooney said on SEN Sportsday.
“It could provide some temptation if you wanted to fill that key position hole. It'd have to be a first-rounder and it'd have to be either Fogarty or Thilthorpe, but you’d ask for both.
“I would ask for pick nine and both of those key forwards and if you could only get one of them, then I'd want another pick to go with that as well.
“Darcy Fogarty is 23 years old, he's played 79 games and kicked 34 goals this year. He is going to get better and better over the next two or three years.
“Thilthorpe is a different kettle of fish. He's 200 centimetres, he's only 21 years of age.
“He hasn't played 50 games yet. So, he's not going to net you that immediate impact. He's probably another 50 games away until he starts to reach the peak of his power. Short-term, he's probably not going to be the answer.
“But you start there because you want the key position players involved, you want to get a first-round pick in.”
As for Essendon, Cooney believes they’d need to offer their first-round pick and at least two promising players to catch Melbourne’s attention.
“If you want Essendon, they have pick eight,” Cooney said.
“You would offer up pick eight and Ben Hobbs who's had a pretty reasonable season as a bit of a midfield support for Oliver leaving. He was a first-rounder from a couple of years ago.
“It would have to be a player like Harrison Jones who has had his injury concerns but could go to that next level at a new club.
“He's still a developing key forward as well. So, it probably doesn't fill that void straight away for them to win the premiership next year.
“But you'd ask for Peter Wright as well, I'd be inquiring about Peter Wright who's the best and fairest winner at the Bombers.
“Essendon would probably shut that down because they don't really have too many other key options.”
Cooney’s trade package for Oliver if he were Adelaide.
Pick No. 9 (2023 Draft), Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe.
or
Pick No. 9 (2023 Draft), a first-round pick and one of Fogarty or Thilthorpe
Cooney’s trade package for Oliver if he were Essendon.
Pick No. 8, Ben Hobbs and Harrison Jones