Fab Four OOC 2024

[azabob]

Aaron Naughton, Bailey Smith, Tim English and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. All out of contract at the end of 2024 and all have slight different circumstances.

Tim English RFA, Aaron Naughton not a free agent, Bailey Smith talented on field and has challenges off field and JUH on field development may have snuck up on the list management team a year or two earlier.

It is likely one will be squeezed out; either due to salary cap pressures or requesting a trade.

Likely English and Naughton will command $800K - $1m to stay at the club - easily exceed if they chose to leave
I think it is harder to get a read on the salary command for Smith and JUH - potentially $600-$800K.

What is your order in preference of keeping?

Would you look to move out your fourth ranked player this trade period or roll the dice during 2024?

The other complicating factor is that Naughton and English are managed by the same agent - I can't see how this helps our negotiation position?

Bailey Smith is managed by one of the most formidable player agents around and normally gets what their player wants.

Clearly onfield success in 2024 will play a major role in the decision of all four players but it sounds like in particular English and Naughton.

Does Beveridge need to shuffle the magnets around to give Smith more midfield minutes?

[azabob]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

My order of preference is;

1. Naughton
2. JUH
3. Smith
4. English

I would listen to trade offers for Smith and English and just as importantly listen very closely to what Smith and English managers are saying or not saying behind closed doors.

The other factor to consider is what role Beveridge plays in this decision. Does he believe the only way for us to win a flag is with English as our solo ruckman or does Aaron Naughton hold that key?

I think a ruckman is easier and cheaper to replace than 2 key positional players and a hard running talented midfielder.

It is risk keeping Smith over English but I am mindful of our salary cap and English will command at least $250K per season more than Smith to stay.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

1. JUH
2. Naughton
3. English
4. Smith

Only JUH is untouchable.

[hujsh]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

1. JUH
2. Naughton
3. English
4. Smith

Only JUH is untouchable.

I think that's the order

[Axe Man]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

With the CBA increase both Naughton and English will likely be on over $1 million to stay and will be offered even more by other clubs.

[Mofra]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

Naughton & Marra - Daylight - English, Smith pretty close.

Smith could be the best run-with player on our list but if he's not getting opportunities there he's wasted.
English is brilliant but a hard arse bash and crash ruckman who can cover ground, but is less invovled in link up play, could net us a first round ground ball player to cover that link up play deficiency.

I'd rather keep both, cut a bit deeper and hit the draft to take advantage of a bunch of our players on our list being on 2 years' base salary to ease any cap issues. I actually think we can keep all 4.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

I’m yet to be convinced we are in some dire cap position.

The media don’t talk about the fact that maybe we need an extra million to top up the contracts if we wanted to keep all four. CBA increases will further top them up. Tim & Aaron are already on huge money. We aren’t going from $0 to $1,000,000 we are going from $800,000 to $1,000,000 (plus CBA increases).

Bruce came over for $500,000+.
Croz came over for about $500,000. Resigned after playing nearly every game the previous season.
Keath came over for about $500,000. He’s not getting close to that.
Duryea will get less too.
Hannan & Sweet are being replaced by a first year wage. Significant savings if they are only paid the ‘average’ AFEL wage.
We have a larger rookie list, smaller main list (rookie list standard wages not included in the cap).
I suspect we would’ve front loaded some contracts to use if previous cap banking so space opened up.
We can forward look that Jones, Lobb, Libba, Keath & Duryea as dropping off our books soon enough too.
Plus JOD is likely to stay on the rookie list

And we had $700,000 x 5 set aside for Dunkley and not used it. Meaning we have the $700,000 from this season to deploy as banking or front loading. Plus even if we’ve contributed to Hunter, the same, there’s two years of savings here too. There’s probably a million we would’ve wanted to spend this year on these two players that we did not spend.

I get the media see some bigger names and go those will be large numbers. But I feel a deeper look at our actual circumstances isn’t some huge salary cap crunch or crisis. I mean we were reportedly chasing Doedee (pre-ACL) which would’ve been $750,000 a season or more. I just think the standard of reporting in our cap is not sufficiently in depth.

The conversation should be, should we tie up so much cap in 6-8 players while our depth is so poor? That can be an interesting debate. But I’m happy to be shown by the media how we’ve stuffed our cap while so much cap is out of the club in the last 12 months and nothing new (outside of the budgeted Jones & Lobb) will come in for two off seasons.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

Naughton & Marra - Daylight - English, Smith pretty close.

Smith could be the best run-with player on our list but if he's not getting opportunities there he's wasted.
English is brilliant but a hard arse bash and crash ruckman who can cover ground, but is less invovled in link up play, could net us a first round ground ball player to cover that link up play deficiency.

I'd rather keep both, cut a bit deeper and hit the draft to take advantage of a bunch of our players on our list being on 2 years' base salary to ease any cap issues. I actually think we can keep all 4.

Are you not concerned with our midfield depth Mof? I look at it from that perspective rather than player. If Naughton was a swing man I'd keep him, however pure forward we have depth (Darcy, Marra, Croft, Lobb?).

Smith is the most important signing I believe.

[Bornadog]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

Keep all four, can't lose any of these players.

[Mofra]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

Are you not concerned with our midfield depth Mof? I look at it from that perspective rather than player. If Naughton was a swing man I'd keep him, however pure forward we have depth (Darcy, Marra, Croft, Lobb?).

Smith is the most important signing I believe.

I want us to hit the draft for mids, particularly next year.
It is easier to find mids than other positions. Naughton & Marra can both be game changers - Naughts is a no 1 KPF, Marra can win a game off his own boot.

Smith has two excellent finals games under his belt, and I do want to keep him, but it's a ranking not a list of who to keep or cut.

[SquirrelGrip]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

I fully expect a club to go to Jamarra with a $1m+ offer. Hawthorn, Essendon, Sydney most likely.

When you think what we offered Tom Boyd, Jamarra is streets ahead of him at a similar stage.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

I fully expect a club to go to Jamarra with a $1m+ offer. Hawthorn, Essendon, Sydney most likely.

When you think what we offered Tom Boyd, Jamarra is streets ahead of him at a similar stage.

Yeah he has an amazing future. Hopefully it's with the Dogs.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

Johnno quoted in this article about our signing priorities.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/10/02/how-the-bulldogs-can-avoid-potential-salary-cap-strain

[Axe Man]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

Johnno quoted in this article about our signing priorities.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2023/10/...ary-cap-strain

However, Johnson understands that English?s partner, Rudi Ellis, is playing Super Netball for the West Coast Fever in Perth so there might be a go-home factor involved in the near future.

?I also understand the personal side of this scenario as well, being separated from his partner because of sport,? he added.

?At some point that is going to come together and they?re going to find common ground, I would think, in terms of being together in the same state so they can both fulfil their dreams of playing sport at the highest level.

?We get that, but that?s just another layer of decision making for the English family.?

Johnno needs to get up to date, Ellis has reportedly signed with the Melbourne Vixens.

[macca]

Re: Fab Four OOC 2024

With the CBA increase both Naughton and English will likely be on over $1 million to stay and will be offered even more by other clubs.

Yeap , i dont see how this is going to help , we are competing against Geelong and their brown bag deals
English hurt factor is not enough to warrant $1m

1.naughton
2.juh
3. Smith
4.english