Five burning questions as Adam Treloar completes trade from GWS to Collingwood
After weeks of haggling, Adam Treloar is finally a magpie.
The deal has involved secret surgeries, premature interviews and more, but at last it has finally been completed.
GWS gave Collingwood the player and pick 28 in return for the Pies’ first picks in both this and next year’s national draft, in addition to pick 62.
It leaves both clubs relatively pleased. But there are still questions to be answered.
Treloar officially informed GWS of his intentions to be traded in September after speculation throughout the season that he wished to leave.
Collingwood was announced as his preferred new home, beating out interest from clubs including Richmond and North Melbourne.
That disappointed the Giants, who were busy re-signing players all throughout 2015, including Jeremy Cameron, Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith, Stephen Coniglio and Will Hoskin-Elliott.
But there was a benefit for the Giants, with academy talents Jacob Hopper and Matt Kennedy likely to be in high demand on draft day.
That means GWS will need plenty of draft currency to ensure they can still nab the duo if other clubs bid for them.
Because of that and with Treloar a clear talent, the Giants asked for plenty and got it in the deal, receiving Collingwood’s next two first-round picks in exchange for their second-round selection this year.
Despite a second consecutive season of missing out on finals, the move shows the Magpies are still a highly-prized destination for players on the move.
Treloar is perfect for Collingwood, not just because of his talent but also because of his age profile.
The 22-year-old slots in beautifully in the midfield of the Magpies, who have looked to rebuild over the past couple of seasons.
At GWS, he proved his worth with his best season to date in 2015, seeing him as the runner-up in the club’s best and fairest, ironically behind former Magpie Heath Shaw.
His prolific statistical record has him in rarefied air as well, as he has averaged 27.5 disposals in each of the last two seasons.
The only other players to average more touches at his age in VFL/AFL history are Joel Selwood and Robert Harvey—fair company.
Getting Treloar is a big boost to star Pie Scott Pendlebury as well, potentially freeing him up to play more across half-back.
Against Geelong in Round 22, Pendlebury played as a quarterback in defence. He was brilliant, positioning himself at the back of stoppages and making the most of his superb ball use and ice-cool composure by setting the Pies up coming out of the defensive 50.
By the end of the game, Pendlebury was arguably the best player on the field, finishing with 32 disposals, 11 marks, six tackles, seven score involvements, four rebound 50s, four inside 50s, 586m gained and 155 SuperCoach points. Pendlebury spent 96 percent of game time on the field against the Cats, the most he’s ever played in his 213-game AFL career.
Add Treloar to an already promising midfield mix—which includes Taylor Adams, Jack Crisp, Levi Greenwood and Jordan DeGoey—and it means Pendlebury can spend more time in defence, which can only be a good thing.
It has worked superbly for other clubs and players in the past, most notably Andrew McLeod at Adelaide and Sam Mitchell at Hawthorn.
Collingwood has been notorious for its poor kicking over recent seasons. So the more Pendlebury can get his hands on the foot, the better.
The biggest issue for the Giants going into 2015 didn’t appear to be finals qualification, with a near-berth being a pleasant surprise for most.
Instead, player retention has been the key, with a wave of young talent potentially leaving the club, either to go home or for more opportunities, in a short period of time.
Because of that, the work done by the GWS team has been successful, with many of their potential stars signing up to stay at the club.
However, the least they can do when a player does want to leave, particularly a contracted one, is get plenty of value for them and they’ve done that with this deal.
Two first-round picks is a substantial bounty for Treloar and really enables the Giants to bring in more elite young talent to a list bursting with it as is.
Their likely targets in 2015 are midfielders Jacob Hopper and Matt Kennedy, who have both come up through the GWS academy.
Hopper would be a top-five pick if not tied to the Giants, possibly even going in the top three after Jacob Weitering and Josh Schache, while Kennedy would be a sure-fire top-ten selection.
4. WHO GOT THE BETTER END OF THE DEAL?
Both clubs will be relatively pleased.
Although GWS lost arguably its most prized asset, it received two first-round draft picks in return.
Collingwood’s pick 7 was quickly traded for more draft points, meaning the Giants stand a greater chance of securing academy selections Jacob Hopper and Matthew Kennedy.
They also received the Pies’ first pick in next year’s draft, which they will undoubtedly hope is another top-10 selection. Pick 62 was a sweetener.
Collingwood got Treloar, who is guaranteed to be a 10-year player at the club, while also locking away pick 28.
It’s expected they will package that selection with pick 26 in a deal with Brisbane for another young midfielder, James Aish.
5. WHERE DO THE CLUBS GO FROM HERE?
The hope for Collingwood is that this deal was the roadblock in their way of completing a long list of high-profile moves this trade period.
The Magpies will now turn their focus towards wantaway Lion James Aish, who has declared them his only desired destination after already securing Melbourne’s Jeremy Howe.
They’ll have to hope the large bounty given up for Treloar won’t mean they can’t check off everything on their shopping list.
Greater Western Sydney will turn their attention to next season after the recruitment of Steve Johnson while focusing on the draft’s many machinations.
