Trade Week is destructive

Over at Big Footy, on the Essendon board, there’s been much handwringing over comments by Alastair Clarkson in relation to the rumour of trade talks on Campbell Brown.

"I know the Essendon footy club did that back in 2002 with Damian Hardwick, Blake Caracella and Justin Blumfield and also Chris Heffernan, and I don't think it did the Essendon footy club any good, sending out players of that quality, it affects the culture of your club too much." [Clarkson is quoted as saying.]

Many of the Essendon fans took umbrage at this comment, mostly, it must be said, in the wake of the indecorous actions and comments of Clarkson and others following the Round 22 game against Hawthorn.

Regular AussieRulesBlog readers will be aware that, even as an avowed Bombers man, I have long promoted the very same notion as that advanced by Clarkson. I remain convinced that the invisible ‘fabric’ of a mighty team was rent by those trades.

It must also be noted that those Essendon trades were a result of salary cap pressures.

More recently, we have been witness to the spectacle of Brisbane bending over backwards to do a deal to acquire the services of one Brendan Fevola. I noted in a recent post that Brisbane may regret their enthusiasm for that trade.

A story in The Age today reports that Daniel Bradshaw has rejected the offered contract from Brisbane and is considering his future. The part of the story that sparked me to write this post was:

“...[Bradsahw was] stunned that his club of 14 years would try to shunt him into a trade.”

It's a matter of record that Rischitelli rejected Carlton's advances and was the initial reason that the Fevola/Bradshaw/Rischitelli version of the Fevola trade fell over.

In the series of “rejections” in this story lies the destructive evil of Trade Week.

Brisbane “rejected” Bradshaw and Rischitelli by offering them up in Fevola trade mark 1.

Bradshaw certainly appears to have decided to reject Brisbane and reward them with the same sort of loyalty they displayed to him. We’ll  have to wait and see what further ramifications there may be from Rischitelli.

And that’s to put aside, for the moment, how the other members of the playing group regard the treatment of their teammates and the imposition of Fevola. Perhaps we’ll find out how that one pans out when the Lions start playing again and Voss needs  an extra effort to get over the line. . .

Lest I be accused of cloying sentimentality, it's worth mentioning a couple of other trades. Andrew Lovett and Essendon had agreed that it was time they parted and Lovett was afforded an opportunity to continue his elite AFL career. Good result for all concerned. Mark Williams, for whatever reasons — and I think there may be quite a few — asked to be traded to Essendon and that proved to be part of the deal to send Burgoyne to Hawthorn. Again, a good result all 'round. The difference? These players had made their own decision.

I think Brisbane and Voss will regret their decision to pursue Fevola, but it will be the remainder of that playing group who will always be looking over their shoulder, all too aware that their loyalty will not be honoured.