Was listening to the new breakfast show on MMM (radio station) via there podcast from last week. It was a show just after the Fev brownlow incident but before Carlton announced they were willing to trade Fev. Although they had a couple of interviews with Fev, the interview that made me think wasn’t with Fev, but instead was with a “retiring” player. The interview kept hitting a question. Why are you retiring when you still are good enough to play? What if another side wanted you to play your preferred position that your current club had moved you out of?
You may already have guessed who I am talking about (and if you look at the image, you will be in no doubt) but let me step sideways into the world of American Football, the NFL. They had a famous Quarter Back, Brett Farve. Last year he was traded from his traditional club after he retired and came back, but that original club had already filled his position and he would have to sit on the bench to play for them. He had a mixed year and hung up the boots at the end of the season again. But come the near start of the season, and with a club perfect fit for him, he came back and already, 3 games in, has won his side a last minute victory.
So back to the AFL. Carlton look set to trade Fev and will have no Full Forward but there is a man waiting in the wings, who almost was a Blue at the start of his career (via the Father and Son rule). Matthew Lloyd! What a perfect fit this would be for the Blues. Needing a Full Forward, Lloyd getting the boot from Full Forward at the Bombers.
What do you think? Its an outside thought, but this is the sort of thinking that AFL teams have to get better at!
Loading ...
Lloyd was never ‘almost a blue’. John Lloyd only played a smattering (29) of games, and was a long way away from the mark (50 then, 100 now). Despite Collins changing the rules prior to Lloyd’s drafting, to suggest he ‘almost’ became a blue is long bow to draw.
If Lloyd was ever ‘almost’ another club player, then that was Fitzroy, who had 1st pick in the draft the year Lloyd was taken with the compensatory pick. The roy boys had visited the Lloyd house and told him they would pick him up, but Matthew (and John) said they wanted him to go elsewhere as the Lions were utter crap at the time. Essendon came calling thanks to Fremantle pinching a stunning array of duds from the Bombers and leaving a compensatory draft pick in exchange. I shudder to think of Lloyd in the Lions side… 3 flags in a row could well have turned into 5.
Having said all that. Lloyd won’t go to the blues now, just as he never was going to in the past. If for no other reason than the Blues have a current drafting policy that states the player must be young/fit enough to play 100 games for the club. Lloyd doesn’t fit that at all.
Thanks for the clarification. I must of miss read something about the number of games wrong but there was always talk of nearly being a blue (didn’t it change from 25 – 50 then and later to 100? (Bigfooty posters seem to think this http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-142421.html).
I agree its highly unlikely. Maybe more likely if free agency was around (even my suggested FA after the National draft, although that would mean he would have to nominate for that draft).
Blues policy is a good point, but in a virtual direct trade for Fev, maybe it could happen.
Forgetting his off the field behavior, I still think him coming to the Hawks and pushing Roughy down back makes more sense then getting Burgoyne from Port, but what would I know.