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  1. #1
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    Trade Hypothetical.

    So - we all LOVE Bailey Smith right. I know I do. He is 100% awesome. So...given that, here's one for you:

    Brisbane have called. Hugh McCluggage has told them he is moving back to Melbourne...and the Bulldogs are his nominated club. "Apparently" we have been talking to his management and made him an offer he cannot refuse! The Lions are unhappy and unhappy with our conduct, but say they will trade him to us - but ONLY for Bailey Smith. They will not consider ANY other offers.

    In the background, we have been trying to sign Smith to a lucrative new contract...only it doesn't seem quite lucrative enough for his manager who is making noises that unless the offer is improved, he is happy to stand out of footy for "as long as it takes" to get the deal he wants. He has heard rumours about the offer to McCluggage and wants 'more' for his client.

    What do you do?

    - Take the deal. Bye-bye-Bailey, Hello-Hugh.
    - Tell Smith he takes the current offer or enjoy living life in Brisvegas.
    - Smith is bluffing, tell Brisbane to come up with plan 'B'.
    - Something else??
    What should I tell her? She's going to ask.

  2. #2
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Definitely not option A or B.

    I’m inclined to go hard on option C and if it doesn’t pan out, then leave McLuggage in Brisbane. We’d have to be offering overs to get McLuggage and then overs to keep Smith, and we still have Bont, Naughton & English to lock up down the track so it’d do some damage somewhere along the line.

    You don’t piss off talent like Bazlenka and risk disrupting the playing group.
    Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.

  3. #3
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Option C - he won't want to go interstate, and there's no way he stands out of footy for any period.

    Start talking to Baz about mullet marketing opportunities - he's already got a cult following in the US!

    Gee, McCluggage though....but no, Smith's already in our top 5 players.
    Float Along - Fill Your Lungs

  4. #4
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    The Clug is awesome he provides everything Smith does but hits the scoreboard hard. Ranks 2nd in the AFL for score involvements and 3rd for goal assists. I'd definitely be looking to package up our first selection and a good player but if push came to shove I'd do the swap. You know you are going to get a special player for a long time with the Clug.
    But then again, I'm an Internet poster and Bevo is a premiership coach so draw your own conclusions.

  5. #5
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    A token increase to Smith's offer. He'd be one of three "untouchables" on the list right now - Bont, Naughts, Smith.
    A genuine burst mid who can win his own ball, and kick the thing.

    I'll stick with a known quantity who flourishes under our system.
    Western Bulldogs: 2016 Premiers

  6. #6
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    I need to consider this a lot more but if we were to land McCluggage then I'd be getting into contact with Antler Luggage and seeing if they would leave Essendon and come over to us. Easy marketing opportunities linking the player and the company.

    Keeping Smith is the priority but I would call his bluff. He doesn't stand out of footy

    I'm going to purely look at this from the view of what is best for the club.

    McCluggage
    is an excellent footballer and one that we would be silly not to explore his interest in us.
    If he is willing to commit to us we should be willing to do what it takes....within reason

    Smith is an excellent footballer but if he is putting too high of a price on his services as per the hypothetical and is willing to stand out of footy then that is an issue.

    We can't or should never try and force a player too another club unless he is open for consideration and it probably can't work like that anyway

    Option C appeals the most to me but it all depends how confident I am that I can turn Smith and his manager around

    I went to an Al Clarkson presentation years ago and his philosophy works in this hypothetical
    Put your best financial offer forward, sell the vision that the club is finals bound but if money is the primary interest for the player then facilitate the best trade you can for the club. Having disgruntled players is bad for the culture.
    I'd put a great offer forward to Brisbane but hold firm that Smith isn't leaving us. If they say no then so be it
    Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"

  7. #7
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Can we shut this thread down before the "journos" get onto it and think its real??

    Although i guess it depends which side of the fence you sit....

    We have to keep Baz. He's a cult figure. And he's going to be that elite, burst mid fielder all clubs dream to have. Sure McCluggage would be a massive get, but we already have an elite talent in Baz so lets do what we need to keep him. I don't even want to consider the possibility he wants out.

  8. #8
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1eyedog View Post
    You know you are going to get a special player for a long time with the Clug.
    You don't think the same of Bazlenka?
    Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.

  9. #9
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    I really like McLuggage - and I hope my bias isn't clouding my judgement - but I think Baz' ceiling is higher. I'm not sure exactly what that means for the hypothetical, but I'm happy to prioritise Smith over McLuggage in that situation.

  10. #10
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Is there word out there that Bailey wants out?
    I know this is hypothetical but talk about keeping him has come up in other threads.
    Don't piss off old people
    The older we get the less "LIFE IN PRISON" is a deterrent...

  11. #11
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Quote Originally Posted by GVGjr View Post

    I went to an Al Clarkson presentation years ago and his philosophy works in this hypothetical
    Put your best financial offer forward, sell the vision that the club is finals bound but if money is the primary interest for the player then facilitate the best trade you can for the club. Having disgruntled players is bad for the culture.
    I'd put a great offer forward to Brisbane but hold firm that Smith isn't leaving us. If they say no then so be it
    Funny, this philosophy works in the business world as well. We've just done a round of pay restructures because of C-19 and this is basically the approach we have taken with some of our contracted employees.

  12. #12
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hotdog60 View Post
    Is there word out there that Bailey wants out?
    I know this is hypothetical but talk about keeping him has come up in other threads.
    There’s been talks since before he was drafted that he will go to the hawks at some point. I have no idea what that’s based on though

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  14. #13
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Interesting hypothetical Mike.
    If in the fictional scenario Bailey's motivation was clearly focused earning more paper, then with the greatest of reluctance I would move him, especially if it was for a motivated McCluggage.
    I actually think we missed an opportunity in 2017 to make a stand. JJ left us hanging for so long, it felt like a distraction, and it seemed to me he was leveraging his Norm Smith for a big payday. It may've been one of the reasons we just seemed to lose that '100% all in, band of brothers' mentality we had.
    I thought we blinked first, and towards the end I was advocating that we start floating trade talks. Hawthorn and Geelong seem to have a culture that puts team success above contract size.
    In your scenario, if paper became a aticking point then move on, especially if someone of the character of McCluggage is coming in
    Nice discussion topic Mike!

  15. #14
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mofra View Post
    A token increase to Smith's offer. He'd be one of three "untouchables" on the list right now - Bont, Naughts, Smith.
    A genuine burst mid who can win his own ball, and kick the thing.

    I'll stick with a known quantity who flourishes under our system.
    I think Clug is known quantity, or quality as the case may be. There's no guarantee we keep Smith and clubs will come hard. If Clug really wants to be with us you'd be mad not to look at the swap very hard.
    But then again, I'm an Internet poster and Bevo is a premiership coach so draw your own conclusions.

  16. #15
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    Re: Trade Hypothetical.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hotdog60 View Post
    Is there word out there that Bailey wants out?
    I know this is hypothetical but talk about keeping him has come up in other threads.
    It's a vibe that I had picked up, without any specific quotes or reasoning for it. I have a genuine fear that he will be enticed by a 'big' club (one of the ones that is relying on AFL money atm).

    I hope he stays as he has genuine ability to be a top 10 player in the competition. McLuggage is currently two seasons ahead of Bazlenka, and I think Baz will catch him by that stage. His commitment to training is outstanding, his development in 18 months has been more exponential than the coronavirus, and the abilities he brings to our team are sorely needed.

    Specific to the hypothetical, I would leave Mcluggage in Brisbane. If Baz was leaving and we couldn't entice him to stay, then I would want a player of Mcluggage's quality in return.

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