So, to my eye, there are a few competing tensions in trying to get Bennell:
i. We need him, so we should do ‘whatever it takes’;
ii. It’s a shallow market for Bennell, so we should pay as little as possible;
iii. GC won’t take a low-ball offer at the start of trade season, as they will want to hold off for a better offer (of which we hope there are none);
iv. By taking our time gives other clubs the chance to swoop (eg, like Clark a few years back);
v. We need to ‘do whatever it takes’ to sign a KPP, with a focus on McCarthy, and need to keep assets to ship off to GWS;
vi. There is a minimum number of players we must draft (apparently);
vii. Our list is a strange mix of excellent veterans with little value, and a few talented kids we don’t want to give up; and
viii. There is a transformative KPP who is a Freo fan playing for a crap club in Melbourne who might want to come home in a couple of years, and for whom we would have to trade.
Bond is a duffer, but let’s not kids ourselves that trading is like walking into a shop with the Freo credit card (that’s free agency). Trading is hard, and where there are so many factors outside of Freo’s control, we shouldn’t consider any outcome a certainty.
A couple of weeks ago I stuck up for the umpires and they made me look foolish. Bond, please, for the love of Clive, please don’t let us down.
