West Coast Eagles fans are losing their mind over their decision to trade out pick No. 3. The Eagles, Carlton and Richmond signed off on a blockbuster deal that includes multiple players and a stack of picks. The crux of the deal sees West Coast give up their first pick (currently No. 3) and in return land Richmond star Liam Baker, Carlton forward Matt Owies and pick 12. The Blues end up with pick No. 3 and give up picks No. 12 and 14, while the Tigers would net pick No. 14 for losing Baker.
AFL Trade Period Drama
AFL expert Kane Cornes couldn’t understand why the Eagles would do the trade, likening the club to a wildebeest carcass in a David Attenborough documentary. “You know when you watch those Discovery Channel or David Attenborough shows and you’ve got a big wildebeest carcass and every animal known to man is just picking it off,” he said on Trade Radio.
“Start with the Lions, they get first go and get all the good stuff and take all the meat ... and after that happens the hyenas come in and they take the scraps, and after that then all the birds start ... and they take the scraps of the scraps. The Eagles are the wildebeest on the ground and every other club is picking them off.”
Cornes doubled down on his belief the Eagles should take Baker for free in the pre-season draft rather than trading for him. “I’m trying to work out what I’m missing here because Baker could have gone to them for free if they just had a slight hard edge and were prepared to be a bit ruthless about it,” he continued.
“They could have got a better deal for pick No. 3. Pick 3 for Owies, Baker and 12 ... if you’re gonna trade pick 3, I would think you’d want a pick still in the top 10 and then something, maybe like 7 and 13. So you split the pick which is fine, you get two players in, you get Baker for free, you get Owies for a pick in the 50s ... what are they doing?”
Former Eagle Will Schofield also couldn’t understand it. “What the hell is happening? As far as I can tell there is a lot of I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine.. 12 baker and owies for 3 Walk Baker, get owies for a bunch of steak knives and keep 3,” he said.
Fans Lash Out
It’s fair to say the majority of West Coast fans are not happy with the deal.
“Kane - call the Eagles list manager and ask him what in the world he’s thinking. There’s winners and losers in every deal and then there’s The West Coast Eagles getting their pants pulled down and paraded around the town square,” one fan said.
“West Coast are the wildebeest. He couldn’t have summed it up any better,” another said.
“Giving up pick 3 for essentially two mediocre players and pick 12 is a DISGRACE. The West Coast Eagles deserve to remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder until the entire recruiting dept is overhauled,” another added.
“Disgusting from the Eagles,” another fan said.
“West Coast list manager knows he’s working for West Coast now and not Richmond right?” Another added.
“This is a disaster,” another said.
The Trade Details
The Eagles, Carlton and Richmond signed off on a blockbuster deal that includes multiple players and a stack of picks. The crux of the deal sees West Coast give up their first pick (currently No. 3) and in return land Richmond star Liam Baker, Carlton forward Matt Owies and pick 12.
West Coast Receive: Liam Baker, Matt Owies, Pick 12, Pick 73
Carlton Receive: Pick 3, Pick 63, Pick 68
Richmond Receive: Pick 14
The Eagles have given up pick 3, but have picked up the two players plus pick 12 in the deal. The Blues have also picked up picks 63 and 68 from West Coast in the deal, which will help them to match bids on father-son duo Ben and Lucas Camporeale on draft night.
Looking Ahead
The deal will give the Blues access to one of the best young players in the country with midfielders Jagga Smith, Sam Lalor, Harvey Langford and Finn O’Sullivan - the cousin of Carlton star Sam Walsh - among the talent available. In a very even draft West Coast has slid nine spots, brought in Baker and will now be able to hold firm on Hawthorn to pay up for Barrass. Trade periods can be judged as net results. Eagles will look to stock up on future picks and have the Chad Warner chase next year. The Eagles had committed to Baker as Fremantle began to also target the Tiger in the wake of Friday’s pick swap, tabling their three first-round picks in 10, 11 and 18 for the two-time premiership player and his teammate Shai Bolton. It forced West Coast to make a bold move this week with Carlton to get not only Baker but still hold a top pick in this year’s draft.
Bold Move, Questionable Results
The Eagles have traded away the chance to draft one of the best few youngsters in the country, splitting pick No. 3 in a three-club trade that will see out-of-contract duo Liam Baker and Matt Owies head west. West Coast were forced to get creative to get Baker — who has requested a trade back to WA after 128 games in seven seasons at Richmond — after Hawthorn traded pick No. 14 to Carlton in a shock move on Friday.
The Eagles baulked at offers for defender Tom Barrass from the Hawks that centred around the first-round draft pick, which was set to be used on Baker. Hawthorn got sick of waiting and traded the selection to Carlton for a future first and future second-round selection that they will now table for Barrass as they look to land the 2022 John Worsfold medallist before Wednesday’s trade deadline. The Eagles had also held an interest in Owies who they could have recruited as a delisted free agent, with the Blues not offering the small forward a contract because of their squeeze on list spots.
Impact on the Eagles
Owies, 27, has played 72 games for Carlton, and has booted 60 goals in the past two seasons. He kicked 33 this year, which is more than any West Coast small forward has achieved in a season since Jamie Cripps in 2018. Top West Australian prospect Bo Allan could be a target for the Eagles with pick No. 12 with the Peel Thunder premiership player tipped to fall around the mark after a strong combine performance earlier this month. The Eagles have reaffirmed their interest in a fringe Lion with less than 30 hours before the end of the trade period. West Cast chief executive Don Pyke has confirmed that has club is well and truly seeking the services of Lion Deven Robertson before the end of this year’s trade period. Speaking to SEN WA on Tuesday afternoon, the former Adelaide Crows senior coach noted that conversations have stayed continuous throughout the off-season as his club tries to lure 23-year-old out west. “Yeah, we are (interested), and those sorts of conversations are ongoing,” Pyke told listeners. “It’s not just a matter of where does he fit in the overall package and what does it look like. We’ll continue to explore the possibility of bringing Deven into the club as well.” Robertson has played 43 games in five seasons at the Lions, playing just two of those in season 2024. He is contracted at Brisbane until the end of 2025.
