MACCA BACKS NEW-LOOK BLUES
GEELONG had a problem. The numbers were not adding up and something had to give.
The recruitment of Patrick Dangerfield the year before had stretched the salary cap to the point where a solution needed to be found. And quickly.
It came in the form of the enigmatic Steven Motlop.
While Motlop had been in the Cats’ best side throughout 2016, his consistency was still an issue, his contract was fat and he was becoming a free agent in 12 months time.
All of that added up to him being the player for whom Geelong would like to find a new home. The feelers were put out but the reception was lukewarm.
But when Richmond veteran Brett Deledio declared he wanted a change of scenery and Geelong was his preferred destination, the Cats thought they had found the perfect solution. Motlop to Richmond for Deledio.
From a salary cap perspective, it ticked all the boxes.
But there was one problem — the Tigers did not want Motlop. And they now had inside knowledge on Geelong’s list with Neil Balme returning to Punt Rd after a brief stint at Collingwood.
Balme had been the Cats’ footy boss throughout their three premierships before leaving in 2014. He knew the list intimately and had plenty of other ideas about possible targets outside of Motlop. Enter Josh Caddy.
When Richmond recruiting manager Blair Hartley threw up Caddy to Geelong counterpart Stephen Wells, the initial response was not positive.
Wells had worked hard to lure the former first-round pick from Gold Coast to Kardinia Park in 2013 and his big body and versatility was a perfect fit in the Cats midfield. And he had recently played in the preliminary final loss to Sydney.
Even more surprised by the Tigers’ request was Caddy’s manager, Peter Lenton.
“Josh had two more years left on a contract; he’d actually bought a house in Geelong a couple of months prior, so he was invested in staying,” Lenton said.
When it became apparent that the Deledio deal was going to be hard for the Cats without Motlop going, Wells contacted Lenton to say it was off and that there was no need to be concerned about his client. But Richmond persisted. And they had an ace up their sleeve in Caddy’s best mate from the Gold Coast, Dion Prestia, who had already agreed to become a Tiger in the trade period.
He was on the phone daily.
There was also a link between Caddy’s brother and Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale as they had spoken about the trade. Damien Hardwick went the hard sell in a meeting, which impressed Caddy.
Things had changed quickly and significantly. Before he flew out for an overseas holiday, Caddy met Lenton and told him that he was happy with either scenario — staying at Geelong or moving to Richmond.
“He said, ‘I don’t really care either way, I’m happy to stay at Geelong because obviously I was thinking I wasn’t going anywhere but if it is that moving works, I really did like the meeting from Richmond’,” Lenton said.
As the trade deadline approached, Richmond continued to press and Geelong started to do its sums again.
It was now obvious Motlop was not going anywhere with Caddy their only ball in play for salary cap relief.
The Tigers had agreed to add another two years on Caddy’s contract, which meant he would walk into Punt Rd with a four-year deal.
That was the tipping point for Lenton. “It was difficult because he was genuinely split,” he said.
Lenton made the call to Wells and officially requested the trade. The Cats were not happy with Richmond’s initial offer and it came down to the final day of trading before a deal was reached.
Caddy would be going to his third club at the age of 24 and Geelong would receive the Tigers’ second round pick with a shuffle of spots between the clubs in the third round.